Throwing two Atlas snap switches with the same button

[RedGrey62]

I'm wiring up a small N scale layout that has a couple of single crossovers using Atlas snap switches.  Can both switches of the crossover be wired to a single Atlas slide switch so that both turnouts will line for thru or crossover?

Thanks

Ricky

[retsignalmtr]

You can. But using a capacitor discharge unit will give you more oomph to do it while helping to protect the coils from burning out in case you hold down the button too long or having the button stick.

[MisterBeasley]

retsignalmtr

You can. But using a capacitor discharge unit will give you more oomph to do it while helping to protect the coils from burning out in case you hold down the button too long or having the button stick.

Precisely.

Those Atlas slide buttons have a bad track record.  If they stick in the closed position, which is common, then you will put a continuous voltage on one of the switch machine coils.  They aren't designed for this, and they will burn out.  The CD circuit not only provides a bigger kick, but it then limits the voltage.  Please, listen to the voices of experience.

[retsignalmtr]

My club used pushbuttons from Radio Shack. We had to replace them because they were sticking and burning out peco switch coils. I replaced the pushbuttons on the control panel with brass machine screws with the control wire attached to the screw behind the panel. I then attached a wand (old voltmeter lead) to the ac power. Touching the wand to the desired screw throws the switch. I also added a circuitron cap discharge unit. No more burnt out coils.

[RedGrey62]

MisterBeasley

retsignalmtr

You can. But using a capacitor discharge unit will give you more oomph to do it while helping to protect the coils from burning out in case you hold down the button too long or having the button stick.

Precisely.

Those Atlas slide buttons have a bad track record.  If they stick in the closed position, which is common, then you will put a continuous voltage on one of the switch machine coils.  They aren't designed for this, and they will burn out.  The CD circuit not only provides a bigger kick, but it then limits the voltage.  Please, listen to the voices of experience.

I guess I should have asked "how" instead of "can":)  Do you simply hook up both sets of wires to the same slide button so that when thrown (and depressed) the points end up in the position I want them? 

Also with this arrangement, how (got the right word this time!) would I put in a CD to protect the switch machines.  Also, what CD is recommended.

Thanks again for the info, virtually all my experience is with ground throws or Tortise machines

Ricky

[retsignalmtr]

Two wires go from the AC terminals of your power pack to the CD unit and then one wire from the CD unit goes to the push buttons and the other is the common from the switch machines.  Instructions come with it. You can put two wires on the buttons. BTW the power coming from the CD is DC. I've used a circuitron snapper. Throws multiple Peco switches together.  

[Seamonster]

RedGrey62

MisterBeasley

retsignalmtr

You can. But using a capacitor discharge unit will give you more oomph to do it while helping to protect the coils from burning out in case you hold down the button too long or having the button stick.

Precisely.

Those Atlas slide buttons have a bad track record.  If they stick in the closed position, which is common, then you will put a continuous voltage on one of the switch machine coils.  They aren't designed for this, and they will burn out.  The CD circuit not only provides a bigger kick, but it then limits the voltage.  Please, listen to the voices of experience.

I guess I should have asked "how" instead of "can":)  Do you simply hook up both sets of wires to the same slide button so that when thrown (and depressed) the points end up in the position I want them? 

Also with this arrangement, how (got the right word this time!) would I put in a CD to protect the switch machines.  Also, what CD is recommended.

Thanks again for the info, virtually all my experience is with ground throws or Tortise machines

Ricky

The "how" to hook up the Atlas switches is like this. Each switch has 3 terminals. One wire from your power source goes to the black wire on the Atlas switch machine. The other wire from your power source goes to the center terminal of the switch. The two outside terminals of the switch go to the other two wires on the switch machine.

I'm going to repeat what others have said. Given the track record of the Atlas switches for sticking and burning out switch machines, I'd never use them. You can get momentary pushbuttons rated for 6 amps (no they're not huge) at any electronics distributor or on line electronics store. They are better than the Radio Shack buttons. I use momentary toggle switches with a center off position. They're spring loaded so that when I push them left or right they return to the center off position when I remove my finger. They're also rated for 6 amps and fit in a 1/4" hole. I prefer the toggle switches because that's only one hole in the control panel instead of two for pushbuttons. A capacitor-discharge power source is certainly an asset for twin-coil switch machines. It delivers a jolt of electricity to the switch machine then it cannot recharge until the circuit to the switch machine is open again. Thus, if the actuating switch fails and sticks closed, the current is cut off after the initial jolt and the switch machine won't burn out.

[MisterBeasley]

A CD circuit is very simple.  I found one online using Google.  It was way too complicated, so I broke it down to it's most basic fundamentals.  It's 2 resistors and 2 capacitors.  Since I was powering it with an old AC transformer, I added a bridge rectifier to get DC.  The total cost from Radio $hack was under $5.  The commercially available units include a power supply, so they plug right into the wall.  They're about $35.

[hornblower]

retsignalmtr

I replaced the pushbuttons on the control panel with brass machine screws with the control wire attached to the screw behind the panel. I then attached a wand (old voltmeter lead) to the ac power. Touching the wand to the desired screw throws the switch.

I used this same approach on my previous layout.  I positioned each contact screw on the control panel track map instead of pushbuttons.  My wand was just a length of steel rod attached to a coil cord.  This system worked well for several years and operated two different crossover switch pairs using single screw contacts.  Not one burned out switch motor ever (all Atlas under table switch motors).  The cool thing about this setup was the fact that my (then) five year old daughter could simply trace the track map with the wand over the route she wanted the train to take, and that's exactly where the train would go!  The way I wired the crossover points was individual contact screws for each of the through routes and a single common contact for the crossover route.  This threw both switches together to activate the crossover route but still allowed individual operation of each switch for the through routes.

[BigG]

Hi,   I also use the stud-and-wand approach with a homebrew CD unit. Something I've found is that the studs eventually tend to stick to the wand due to the arc-ing, unless you use stainless steel studs or bolts. So far the stainless ones work flawlessly. The wand is an old meter probe. Some of my switch motors also have Atlas snap relays in parallel with them. The CD handles them well.  

    If you are into DCC, there are stationary decoders that will handle either Pulse (for twin coil motors) or Steady Current for Tortoises. This may influence your choice-selection.

   Have fun,    George

[retsignalmtr]

I've also found that the wand gets welded to the brass screw heads occasionally but is a minor annoyance. since a cd unit is in use we don't have to worry about coil burnout.