If I connect a 2.5v bi color in series with a tortoise, will it work - will it burn out the LED? I am putting it into a circuit from an NEC Switch It to the tortoise.
Nope, it will work fine, the Tortoise limits the LED current.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
That LED will work just fine in a Tortoise circuit. The only thing you'll have to experiment with is which way the LED needs to be wired into the circuit to yield the correct color.
The LED works just fine with the Tortoise. All my Tortoises have 2 bi-color LEDs back to back in series with the Tortoise. The LEDs display which track is active.
Dave
From Mt Pleasant, Utah, the home of the Hill Valley and Thistle Railroad where the Buffalo still roam and a Droid runs the trains
Since my Tortoises are often far from the control panel where I place my DPDT switches, I mount the bi-color LEDs (with resistors attached) directly to the contacts on the DPDT switches to save on wiring.
Am I the only guy who does this?
Rich
Alton Junction
richhotrain Since my Tortoises are often far from the control panel where I place my DPDT switches, I mount the bi-color LEDs (with resistors attached) directly to the contacts on the DPDT switches to save on wiring. Am I the only guy who does this? Rich
Do you mean the DPDT switch on the control panel that operates the Tortoise? You cna do the LEDs without resistors if you wire them in series witht he wire that goes to the Tortoise motor contact. Same wire savings, plus no resistor. The LED in series with the Tortoise motor can go anywhere along the wire - it can be right by the control switch, or all the way out at the Tortoise, or somewher eint he middle. On my friend's layout, one lead of th LED is soldered right to the toggle switch - can;t save any more wire than that!
rrinker richhotrain: Since my Tortoises are often far from the control panel where I place my DPDT switches, I mount the bi-color LEDs (with resistors attached) directly to the contacts on the DPDT switches to save on wiring. Am I the only guy who does this? Rich Do you mean the DPDT switch on the control panel that operates the Tortoise? You cna do the LEDs without resistors if you wire them in series witht he wire that goes to the Tortoise motor contact. Same wire savings, plus no resistor. The LED in series with the Tortoise motor can go anywhere along the wire - it can be right by the control switch, or all the way out at the Tortoise, or somewher eint he middle. On my friend's layout, one lead of th LED is soldered right to the toggle switch - can;t save any more wire than that! --Randy
richhotrain: Since my Tortoises are often far from the control panel where I place my DPDT switches, I mount the bi-color LEDs (with resistors attached) directly to the contacts on the DPDT switches to save on wiring. Am I the only guy who does this? Rich
Here is what I have been doing for the last 7 years on the advice of my LHS guys way back then.
I wire a DPDT switch with a wires criss crossing the four outer contacts of the DPDT switch to form an X. Two wires from the DC posts on my transformer connect to the top two contacts on the DPDT switch. Two wires then connect from the two center contacts of the DPDT switch and run to the outer contacts (#1 and #8) of the Tortoise. The two legs of the bi-color LED are soldered directly onto the center contacts of the DPDT switch with a resistor on one leg of the LED.
Sounds like I am doing it somewhat inefficiently. Tell me a better way, please.
All you have to do is break one of the wires, either the one to pin 1 of the Tortoise OR the one to pin 8 of the Tortoise. Insert a 2-lead bicolor LED. If the colors are wrong, reverse the LED leads. The Tortoise current is generally 15ma or less which means the LED in series will also see no more than 15ma - which means it will be perfectly save with no resistor.
You can also use a pair of standard LEDs wired back to back (which is all a 2-lead bi-color LED is anyway).
With the series LED, the LED will glow dimly while the Tortoise is moving and then get brighter when it stalls. You can chain more than one LED in series for multiple indicators - I like to do two of them, hooked up opposite each other, so that in a given position of the Tortoise, one is red and the other is green. So the selected path is green and the opposite path is
richhotrain Here is what I have been doing for the last 7 years on the advice of my LHS guys way back then. I wire a DPDT switch with a wires criss crossing the four outer contacts of the DPDT switch to form an X. Two wires from the DC posts on my transformer connect to the top two contacts on the DPDT switch. Two wires then connect from the two center contacts of the DPDT switch and run to the outer contacts (#1 and #8) of the Tortoise. The two legs of the bi-color LED are soldered directly onto the center contacts of the DPDT switch with a resistor on one leg of the LED. Sounds like I am doing it somewhat inefficiently. Tell me a better way, please. Rich
You have the LED in PARALLEL with the Tortoise. You need to wire it in SERIES.
Remove the LED leg with the resistor from the center post of the switch. Remove the resistor and save for use on another project. Remove the Tortoise wire from the OTHER center post. Connect to loose tortoise wire to the loose LED leg. No resistor. If you colors were correct to start, they should still be correct. Heart shrink if you need to.
Phil
Timber Head Eastern Railroad "THE Railroad Through the Sierras"
THE.RR richhotrain: Here is what I have been doing for the last 7 years on the advice of my LHS guys way back then. I wire a DPDT switch with a wires criss crossing the four outer contacts of the DPDT switch to form an X. Two wires from the DC posts on my transformer connect to the top two contacts on the DPDT switch. Two wires then connect from the two center contacts of the DPDT switch and run to the outer contacts (#1 and #8) of the Tortoise. The two legs of the bi-color LED are soldered directly onto the center contacts of the DPDT switch with a resistor on one leg of the LED. Sounds like I am doing it somewhat inefficiently. Tell me a better way, please. Rich You have the LED in PARALLEL with the Tortoise. You need to wire it in SERIES. Remove the LED leg with the resistor from the center post of the switch. Remove the resistor and save for use on another project. Remove the Tortoise wire from the OTHER center post. Connect to loose tortoise wire to the loose LED leg. No resistor. If you colors were correct to start, they should still be correct. Heart shrink if you need to. Phil
richhotrain: Here is what I have been doing for the last 7 years on the advice of my LHS guys way back then. I wire a DPDT switch with a wires criss crossing the four outer contacts of the DPDT switch to form an X. Two wires from the DC posts on my transformer connect to the top two contacts on the DPDT switch. Two wires then connect from the two center contacts of the DPDT switch and run to the outer contacts (#1 and #8) of the Tortoise. The two legs of the bi-color LED are soldered directly onto the center contacts of the DPDT switch with a resistor on one leg of the LED. Sounds like I am doing it somewhat inefficiently. Tell me a better way, please. Rich
Phil,
Thanks. If I understand this correctly, and rewire it correctly, one of the Tortoise wires will remain in place on the center post of the DPDT switch while the resistored leg of the bi-color LED will be removed from that center post.. The Tortoise wire on the other center post will be removed, but the leg of the bi-color LED will remain on that center post. With the resistor removed from the leg of the bi-color LED, that leg will be connected to the Tortoise wire that was removed from the other center post of the DPDT switch.
Correct?
richhotrain THE.RR: richhotrain: Here is what I have been doing for the last 7 years on the advice of my LHS guys way back then. I wire a DPDT switch with a wires criss crossing the four outer contacts of the DPDT switch to form an X. Two wires from the DC posts on my transformer connect to the top two contacts on the DPDT switch. Two wires then connect from the two center contacts of the DPDT switch and run to the outer contacts (#1 and #8) of the Tortoise. The two legs of the bi-color LED are soldered directly onto the center contacts of the DPDT switch with a resistor on one leg of the LED. Sounds like I am doing it somewhat inefficiently. Tell me a better way, please. Rich You have the LED in PARALLEL with the Tortoise. You need to wire it in SERIES. Remove the LED leg with the resistor from the center post of the switch. Remove the resistor and save for use on another project. Remove the Tortoise wire from the OTHER center post. Connect to loose tortoise wire to the loose LED leg. No resistor. If you colors were correct to start, they should still be correct. Heart shrink if you need to. Phil Phil, Thanks. If I understand this correctly, and rewire it correctly, one of the Tortoise wires will remain in place on the center post of the DPDT switch while the resistored leg of the bi-color LED will be removed from that center post.. The Tortoise wire on the other center post will be removed, but the leg of the bi-color LED will remain on that center post. With the resistor removed from the leg of the bi-color LED, that leg will be connected to the Tortoise wire that was removed from the other center post of the DPDT switch. Correct? Rich
THE.RR: richhotrain: Here is what I have been doing for the last 7 years on the advice of my LHS guys way back then. I wire a DPDT switch with a wires criss crossing the four outer contacts of the DPDT switch to form an X. Two wires from the DC posts on my transformer connect to the top two contacts on the DPDT switch. Two wires then connect from the two center contacts of the DPDT switch and run to the outer contacts (#1 and #8) of the Tortoise. The two legs of the bi-color LED are soldered directly onto the center contacts of the DPDT switch with a resistor on one leg of the LED. Sounds like I am doing it somewhat inefficiently. Tell me a better way, please. Rich You have the LED in PARALLEL with the Tortoise. You need to wire it in SERIES. Remove the LED leg with the resistor from the center post of the switch. Remove the resistor and save for use on another project. Remove the Tortoise wire from the OTHER center post. Connect to loose tortoise wire to the loose LED leg. No resistor. If you colors were correct to start, they should still be correct. Heart shrink if you need to. Phil
You got it.
I put my LED right on the turnout so I can see which way it is and to mimic a turnout lantern. I also plan to have one at the toggle where I control the turnout.
Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
THE.RR richhotrain: THE.RR: richhotrain: Here is what I have been doing for the last 7 years on the advice of my LHS guys way back then. I wire a DPDT switch with a wires criss crossing the four outer contacts of the DPDT switch to form an X. Two wires from the DC posts on my transformer connect to the top two contacts on the DPDT switch. Two wires then connect from the two center contacts of the DPDT switch and run to the outer contacts (#1 and #8) of the Tortoise. The two legs of the bi-color LED are soldered directly onto the center contacts of the DPDT switch with a resistor on one leg of the LED. Sounds like I am doing it somewhat inefficiently. Tell me a better way, please. Rich You have the LED in PARALLEL with the Tortoise. You need to wire it in SERIES. Remove the LED leg with the resistor from the center post of the switch. Remove the resistor and save for use on another project. Remove the Tortoise wire from the OTHER center post. Connect to loose tortoise wire to the loose LED leg. No resistor. If you colors were correct to start, they should still be correct. Heart shrink if you need to. Phil Phil, Thanks. If I understand this correctly, and rewire it correctly, one of the Tortoise wires will remain in place on the center post of the DPDT switch while the resistored leg of the bi-color LED will be removed from that center post.. The Tortoise wire on the other center post will be removed, but the leg of the bi-color LED will remain on that center post. With the resistor removed from the leg of the bi-color LED, that leg will be connected to the Tortoise wire that was removed from the other center post of the DPDT switch. Correct? Rich You got it. Phil
richhotrain: THE.RR: richhotrain: Here is what I have been doing for the last 7 years on the advice of my LHS guys way back then. I wire a DPDT switch with a wires criss crossing the four outer contacts of the DPDT switch to form an X. Two wires from the DC posts on my transformer connect to the top two contacts on the DPDT switch. Two wires then connect from the two center contacts of the DPDT switch and run to the outer contacts (#1 and #8) of the Tortoise. The two legs of the bi-color LED are soldered directly onto the center contacts of the DPDT switch with a resistor on one leg of the LED. Sounds like I am doing it somewhat inefficiently. Tell me a better way, please. Rich You have the LED in PARALLEL with the Tortoise. You need to wire it in SERIES. Remove the LED leg with the resistor from the center post of the switch. Remove the resistor and save for use on another project. Remove the Tortoise wire from the OTHER center post. Connect to loose tortoise wire to the loose LED leg. No resistor. If you colors were correct to start, they should still be correct. Heart shrink if you need to. Phil Phil, Thanks. If I understand this correctly, and rewire it correctly, one of the Tortoise wires will remain in place on the center post of the DPDT switch while the resistored leg of the bi-color LED will be removed from that center post.. The Tortoise wire on the other center post will be removed, but the leg of the bi-color LED will remain on that center post. With the resistor removed from the leg of the bi-color LED, that leg will be connected to the Tortoise wire that was removed from the other center post of the DPDT switch. Correct? Rich
Fantastic, thank you. You learn something new every day.
rrinker All you have to do is break one of the wires, either the one to pin 1 of the Tortoise OR the one to pin 8 of the Tortoise. Insert a 2-lead bicolor LED. If the colors are wrong, reverse the LED leads. The Tortoise current is generally 15ma or less which means the LED in series will also see no more than 15ma - which means it will be perfectly save with no resistor. You can also use a pair of standard LEDs wired back to back (which is all a 2-lead bi-color LED is anyway). With the series LED, the LED will glow dimly while the Tortoise is moving and then get brighter when it stalls. You can chain more than one LED in series for multiple indicators - I like to do two of them, hooked up opposite each other, so that in a given position of the Tortoise, one is red and the other is green. So the selected path is green and the opposite path is --Randy
Thanks, Randy
Pretty neat. What is your led mounted in - that is where you show the picture with the led at the throw rod?
Thanks for all the replies, great information. I am planning on using the bi color for indication of route on a double slip switch I built. Putting one light on each leag gives me and others an indication of what route is lined up.
I made a small styrene base and housing with the LED protruding through the top. I then painted the LED black and spot drilled four holes at 90 degrees so the light would show through as it there were four lenses. I posted this a few months ago but can post the sketch I made if you want to see it in more detail.
Below is a link I found on a Google search.
http://www.awrr.com/awrrhome.html
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.