Using rotary switch for power control to roundhouse tracks

[gatefive]

Thanks for the various points of view. I like the recessed rotary switch idea with the off/on switch. The BarettHill idea was cool but too expensive for sure.Would of been a lot of fun. Again thanks for the great help

Dick

 

[farrellaa]

I like the toggle switches with LED indicators so I know which track it 'ON'. It doesn't take much to keep up with what track is powered and I have a main ON-OFF toggle for all turntable controls. Using a diagram makes selection easy since toggles are on the track (image). My panel happens to be hinged to tilt down for easy access to back.

   -Bob

[gmpullman]

I like my rotary switch setup. Randy is right, it doesn't have to be complicated and the rotary switch mimicks the tracks radiating from the turntable so at a glance you can tell pretty close to what you're set at.

If I really wanted to be "failsafe" I could use a momentary contact pushbutton or spring-return toggle but 95% of the time I'm the only operator and the toggle works fine.

I made a recessed alcove with an LED strip for illumination for the rotary:

I have fifteen tracks off the turntable plus three access tracks that are hot all the time so a self-cancelling pushbutton didn't work for me. The biggest one I could find only had nine buttons.

Again, like Randy says, wiring is simple. If you want to get fancy get a 2 pole switch and use the second pole for an LED indicator, or a 1K resistor and LED across each track on DCC for an indicator.

My turntable has an indicator light (and two lamp posts) wired across the rails to tell me when it is live.

Good Luck, Ed

[MisterBeasley]

I use a control panel with a schematic of the turntable area.  Each stall track has a simple SPST toggle controlling power to one rail.

I run DCC, so I really don't have to kill power, but I like to do it anyway, particularly with sound engines.

[rrinker]

 Only need an additional on/off switch with a rotary if you are in the habit of leaving the throttle turned up when nothing is moving...

However: <power>------(toggle switch)------(Center of rotary)-wire from each ring terminal of rotary to rail---

gap one rail, that gets fed from the terminals around the outside of the rotary. The other rail is common back to the other terminal of the power pack.

The two switches are simply wired in series. If you look at a rotary switch it's extremely obvious how it works, especially if you are using this for a turntable and roundhouse stall tracks. The bottom of the switch LOOKS like a turntable with stall tracks and is wired exactly how it looks.

Don;t overthink things, this stuff is really simple - so you have the rotary switch hooked to the stall tracks, and it has a power feed coming in to it. Well, how do you wire a toggle switch to turn off power on a simple siding? The rotary switch and all elements after it are the exact same thing as a simple siding. So you put a simple toggle in the line leading to the rotary switch. Done.

         --Randy

[davidmurray]

Tom:

Different idea:  I put push bottons to supply power to one rail in by engine stall tracks, with the other rail wired normally.  To make the engine move you must psh and hold the button.  You can with proper gaping have two or more engines on a track, and by pushing one button have only one move.

Dave

[tomcat]

Can I steal that idea for my stall tracks ? Can someone post a simple wiring diagram on how to wire a rotary switch, with a seperate on/off switch ?.. preferably not a schematic..

Love to all

Tom From Down Under

[7j43k]

Using a rotary switch takes discipline.  You have to have an on-off switch ahead of it.  And, speaking from experience, it's difficult to form the habit of ALWAYS turning the switch off before using the rotary and ALWAYS turning it back on when you're done.

Something like this would be better:

 

 

 

 

Ed

[RR_Mel]

I agree with Randy, a rotary switch is fool proof.

 

I went with DPDT center off for my roundhouse tracks, but I operate dual mode and use block control for both DC & DCC.  All of my blocks have DPDT center off.  I’ve always used the old DC way for block control and I couldn’t do away with it, I guess I just got used to it after a bit over 60 years.

 

 

Mel

 

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

[rrinker]

 Non-shorting rotary switch - absolutely foolproof, no way to accidently have more than one stall turned on at a time.

 Berrett Hill system - neat but very expensive.

                        --Randy

[gatefive]

Can't decide between rotary switch,  individual switches or the BarettHill touch system of turning off and on roundhouse tracks.

 

Dick 

Sonoma CA