Hello everybody!
To those who missed, I'm baaaaack! I have a set of questions today about how to wire two things: tortoise switch machines and building interiors. The questions are as follows:
1) How do I wire tortoise switch machines for a single pole switch, either SPST or DPST? I know that there are multiple methods to wire switch machines, so what are they and what are their advantages?
2) Is there not a way to power frog polarity with tortoise switch machines? If so, how can I do it?
3) I also want to add building interior lights. However, I will already have two pairs of bus wires running around the layout (track and tortoises). Is it possible to attach the interior light feeders to one of these two busses to prevent running a third pair of bus wires around the track?
4) What do I attach these (lets assume for now) two new busses to? I know the track bus goes to the power pack, and I am pretty sure that the accessory bus goes to the power pack too, but what of the tortoise bus?
Thanks all for your comments and solutions!
~G4
19 Years old, modeling the Cowlitz, Chehalis, and Cascade Railroad of Western Washington in 1927 in 6X6 feet.
I use an SPST toggle switch on a control panel to control a DPDT relay mounted under the layout. Only one wire from the switch goes to the relay keeping the wiring in the control panel simple. I got a 12 volt 3.3 amp power supply and the relays from allelectronics.com. That same power supply can be used to power leds for interior structure lighting with suitable resistors.
The Tortoise instruction sheet below will help. It shows several methods of wiring the motors. I went with the more typical control panel with DPDT toggles (adding indicator LEDs) at a control panel, which requires two wires to the Tortoise terminals 1 & 8. You will note the Tortoise has two sets of auxiliary SPDT contacts, independent of the motor wiring, that can be used to power the frog, add an on layout indicator light, etc, as options.The Tortoise motors need DC power, 12 volts or less. So if you just have one power pack, the variable DC for your DC track (locos) cannot be used. You can use a second power pack to provide DC, set for 12 volts or less, so you can then choose the speed of closure. I chose to use the Circuitron 12v walwart type power supply which can power 30 Tortoises. The closure speed is not adjustable but fine.
http://circuitron.com/index_files/INS/800-6000ins.pdf
On lighting, there are many options but it also depends on what type lighting you intend to use, bulbs, LEDs, etc. In my case, I chose LED structure lighting, which typically uses 12v DC power supply and appropriate resistors at each LED to provide the right voltage drop at the LED (versus the resistor drop). I use single LEDs stripped from Christmas tree strings as well as strip lighting SMD LEDs, which can be cut into segments of 3 LEDs. Both types using warm white color.
I decided to have a simple lighting control panel with multiple SPST toggles for several lighting circuits, since I used walwart type 12v power supplies that are limited to 1A (1000 mA) each. I know how much power each LED needs, so I ensure each circuit has no more load than the fuse I added (3/4 A). Some folks use a beefier power supply for their lighting so they don't need multiple circuits. I'd say to decide what type lighting you want to use in parallel with what power supply approach you want.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
The Tortoise and the LION. SPDT Switches, Common GROUND, and single wires from the console which cover the Tortoise, the Signals (any number of them) the control panel indications, and any aux relays required.
POWER DISTRIBUTION OF LION:
LIONS like to keep things simple!
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS