Greetings,
Because of "reasons" (that may or may not be OCD related), I have always liked the idea of a control panel with all my switches and dials on a single board. My issue has always been the throttle, because that's pretty much tied to a big clunky power pack.
I've decided I have three options to resolve this:
For years (a lot longer than I care to admit), I've dreamed of option 2. But my electronics background is a bit non-existant. I stumbled on this little guy on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Converter-DROK-Regulated-Adjustable-Regulator/dp/B098347BD9/) and figure if I wire in a transformer that's in the 12v range, it'll happily control my locomotives.
But... I need an second opinion. Would this work the way my brain envisions it? Or is this a terrible idea and I should feel bad for even thinking it?
Thank you for any input!
You could build a control panel with a support behind it for the powerpack - sort of like a cradle it would sit in - so the top of the powerpack is level with the face of the control panel. Would kinda depend on the shape of the powerpack I guess.
Otherwise, RadioShack makes/made a 25-ohm rheostat. You could connect that to the output of the powerpack, and mount the rheostat knob on the control panel's face, along with a DPDT center-off toggle for direction.
When I was in DC I made a do-it-yourself tethered walkaround using that rheostat and toggle in a small RadioShack project box. I found a center-off toggle worked best. With a very efficient can motor just enough power trickled through when the rheostat was all the way down that the engine might still be trying to move. However, if your engines have a 'constant lighting' circuit, that trickle might be just what you need.
I have a Control Master 20 for the power, but use a walk-around throttle, (Varipulse from Ken Stapleton) with 6 plug-ins on the layouts facia, and a springy 16' cord, which allows me to follow along with whatever train I'm using.
This might not be useful for a larger layout, with multiple trains running, but it suits my lone operator layout.
Wayne
In my opinion, he should learn to solder, to where he's comfortable making electrical joints.
Then he should carefully remove the rheostat and any desired switches from the front panel of the powerpack box, lengthen and insulate the leads appropriately, and install them in an appropriately labeled wire faceplate that bolts to his panel. (The cheap way would be to cut off the top of the powerpack, use that as the 'plate', and make the wires longer to fit.)
Thank you all for your replies. Some interesting ideas, and I see I have more homework ahead of me.
@Overmod, you make an interesting point. Let me ask, do you think other methods wouldn't provide the same power or control of the locomotive? This was the first idea I had, but dismissed it as I've always thought pre-made power packs were never as robust as a DIY solution. But I don't have any data to back that thought up.
And @wjstix, I'm still sad RadioShack is gone. I still remember getting the catalogs in the mail and pouring over the various electrical components dreaming about the wonderous inventions one could make with the myriad of components...
MRC has handheld controllers of what you seek. So before taking a prt a power pack look for those, They ran off the fixed dc current connection on the back of the power packs.
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
While it may not quite meet with what you're going for, what I did was build a shelf attached to my vertical control panel. (http://photos.app.goo.gl/cPQBAkib7Qc1hQeE9) When I first built the base for this layout, it was in my apartment's main bedroom and the panel was built as a space saver. It keeps the power pack close and I also have the mobile throttle I can use as well. (This is an old picture. I have since removed the hobby transformer and installed a door bell transformer unit to power all the lighting on the layout.)