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TORTISE WIRING HELP........please

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TORTISE WIRING HELP........please
Posted by TrainsRMe1 on Monday, May 14, 2018 9:43 PM

Hi all

  I have 2 NJ international combo house signals that I want to wire up with my Tortoise switch, now they have a diagram that shows how to wire your signals up, I  just want to know if anyone has a diagram of how you've wired your signals to your Tortoise switch.

Thanks All Cool

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Posted by Old Fat Robert on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 1:20 AM

Trains: Go to the circuitron website. The diagrams are all there.

Old Fat Robert

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Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 7:30 AM

Old Fat Robert
The diagrams are all there.

That is true, but for the electrically challenged, they are not particularly friendly. 

 

Henry

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Posted by peahrens on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 8:35 AM

Old Fat Robert

Trains: Go to the circuitron website. The diagrams are all there.

Old Fat Robert

 

If I go to the Tortoise page, the Applications Notes link is not working for me.

So, here it is, found from another direction:

http://circuitron.com/index_files/Page635.htm

From there, this is likely the page you want (Using the Internal SPDT switches):

http://circuitron.com/index_files/AN/an-6000-02.pdf

Hopefully that is what you need and understandable.  You can see that the power for your signal is routed through the internal switch.  The electricity at connection 5 is connected to connector 6 OR 7, depending on the Tortoise internal switch position. 

The diagram does not show that, if DC using LEDS, you must ensure that the "+" power goes to the correct side of the LEDs. 

You can test the connectors lineup re: Tortoise position first to get your signal indication correct upon hookup (not opposite).  There may be info somewhere that tells you the lineup basis looking at the physical position.  If you get it backwards, just be prepared to switch wires 6 & 7.

What may be confusing is that all LED signals are not wired as shown; i.e., many have a resistor for each LED.  But if you can understand the electrical flow you will be ok.

 

 

 

Paul

Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent

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Posted by RR_Mel on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 8:48 AM

It would help if you would give us a bit more info.  Which NJ international combo house signal do you have and some idea of where and what the location of the signals.  Single, two or three head.
 
 
 
Mel
 
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
  
 
My Model Railroad   
 
Bakersfield, California
 
I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
 
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Posted by TrainsRMe1 on Friday, May 18, 2018 10:28 PM

Hi Mel,

 The kind of signals i have  are the N.J. international combo house signals, #2071, they are single head signals, with three LEDS,I have two of them placed one on each side of the track, governing the switch from dbl main to single the fraustration I have is the TORTISE instructions say to connect the lead wire w/ the resistor should connect to the positive side, while the NJ International info says to hook it up to the negtive, now the common wire acording to the TORTISE info, the common goes to pin 5, ARRRGGHHHH'''' i just hope I  didn't fry my signals!!!!!!! any help would be much appreachated,

                             Transrme1Cool

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Posted by rrinker on Friday, May 18, 2018 11:48 PM

 They're LEDs, as long as you had the resistors in the circuit, you didn;t fry anything. If the signals specify the opposite what is shown on the Tortoise instructions, just do that.

                                 --Randy


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by TrainsRMe1 on Saturday, May 19, 2018 12:11 AM

OK cool, they would make sense, since it is there signals, they would know what they are talking about, i think i'm just going to disconnect the wires,(they are not soldered)and start over, also i'am using some wire that is from Model Power, it is a very fine kind of wire, I dont even know the size of it, I think I will go to a 12 awg, that should help, what are your opinions on that??

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Posted by BigDaddy on Saturday, May 19, 2018 6:28 AM

TrainsRMe1
it is a very fine kind of wire, I dont even know the size of it, I think I will go to a 12 awg, that should help, what are your opinions on that??

That must be one of the Internet jokes I don't get. 

 

Henry

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Posted by gregc on Saturday, May 19, 2018 7:51 AM

TrainsRMe1
I think I will go to a 12 awg, that should help, what are your opinions on that??

12g is house wiring.  30g wire is fine for LEDs

 

have you seen these diagrams

 

this diagram shows what the tortoise switche are

 

 

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

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Posted by rrinker on Saturday, May 19, 2018 10:03 AM

 Wire size goes backwards - the smaller the number, the thicker the wire. #12 is something you'd use for a long DCC bus run. The fine wire in the signal mast is #30 or smaller. A good choice of wire for connecting Tortoises is telephone or network wire - it has multiple conductors in a common outside jacket which helps keep things neat, and it's small and flexible. The wire thickness is just right - not too large to be unwieldy, but large enough to be easy to handle. Both the signals and the Tortoise draw very low power, so the thin wire is perfectly adequate and safe.

                                  --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by ROBERT PETRICK on Saturday, May 19, 2018 10:18 AM

TrainsRMe1

Hi Mel,

 The kind of signals i have  are the N.J. international combo house signals, #2071, they are single head signals, with three LEDS,I have two of them placed one on each side of the track, governing the switch from dbl main to single the fraustration I have is the TORTISE instructions say to connect the lead wire w/ the resistor should connect to the positive side, while the NJ International info says to hook it up to the negtive, now the common wire acording to the TORTISE info, the common goes to pin 5, ARRRGGHHHH'''' i just hope I  didn't fry my signals!!!!!!! any help would be much appreachated,

                             Transrme1Cool

 
Hey TrainsRMe1-
 
I'm not Mel, but I just wanted to jump in real quick to clear up something . . .
 
What is it you want the signals to indicate? Which directions do the (two) signals you have face? Do you want the signals to merely indicate switch position? Green for switch closed, and red for switch thrown? If so, that is fairly simple to do. It is the same wiring as if there was a toggle switch on a fascia panel with red and green LEDs. Do you want the signals to indicate switch position and face both directions of travel? Or, do you want both signal heads to face the same direction? What does I have two of them placed one on each side of the track mean?
 
Robert
 
 

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Posted by gregc on Saturday, May 19, 2018 11:42 AM

ROBERT PETRICK
What is it you want the signals to indicate? Which directions do the (two) signals you have face? Do you want the signals to merely indicate switch position? Green for switch closed, and red for switch thrown?

i assume turnout position because block occupancy wasn't mentioned. 

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

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Posted by TrainsRMe1 on Saturday, May 19, 2018 2:05 PM

Hi Robert

I want both my signal heads to face the same direction.

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Posted by ROBERT PETRICK on Saturday, May 19, 2018 2:40 PM

TrainsRMe1

Hi Robert

I want both my signal heads to face the same direction.

Okay. See if this is the arrangement . . .

A train is on the single main line and is approaching the turnout that splits the single main into the double main. There is a signal tower on one side which is on the straight through section and there is a another signal tower on the other side which is on the diverging route section. When the switch is closed (that is, aligned to the straight through section) then you want the signal on the straight to show green and the signal on the diverging to show red. When the switch is thrown (that is, aligned to the diverging route) then you want he signal on the diverging route to show green and the signal on the straight through route to show red.

Is this what you're looking for?

Robert 

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Posted by BigDaddy on Saturday, May 19, 2018 3:03 PM

Robert, he said they were 3 light - signals, as opposed to 3 lighted signals

 
 

Henry

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Posted by ROBERT PETRICK on Saturday, May 19, 2018 3:27 PM

BigDaddy

Robert, he said they were 3 light - signals, as opposed to 3 lighted signals

Hey Henry 

Yeah, that's what I kinda figured. He has two masts, each with a three-light head: red, yellow, green. Those are the same NJI signals I use. There appears to be no block detection, so the only issue is to indicate switch position and red-green can do that.

I'm just trying to figure out how he intends to use them. Particularly having both masts facing the same direction.

Robert

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Posted by TrainsRMe1 on Saturday, May 19, 2018 3:33 PM

"BINGO" Robert! That is it!, that's exactly what I want.

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Posted by gregc on Saturday, May 19, 2018 3:39 PM
is this any help?


red > < ??? (yellow) ______________ ______________ ______________/ green >

green > < ??? (green) _____________________________ ______________ red >
again, signals normally indicate occupancy or 
possibly speed.

 

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

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