I first got interested in HO railroading in 1958 or so. Have been in and out of it often since. Still got most everything my dad bought back then too. Never really had a good place to build a layout since getting married ten years later. Now I am building a switching layout on a hollow core door. This layout is from the article "Lots of Switching" in Model Railroad Layout Planning 2005. Have some track down and have test run some locos on it. I have more width than he did so have added track to that plan but have kept that part of it in the original layout dimensions so it still works as designed. I have Atlas snap switches that work on 16v AC. Have been wanting to build a control panel that indicates which way the switch is lined, by looking at the panel. 2 led's would show indication. I have a stand alone power supply of 15 amps of DC at 12v.
I am not an electronics expert so want to run the whole thing on the DC if I can. I think I would need relays to operate the lights when the switch is thrown. Switch would be operated by a momentary contact while the led's would have to have the current stay on. Atlas snap relays are still made but cost about $15 which I think is awful. Tons of small electronic bi-stable relays are available for around $3. So I am wondering if someone could show a possible wiring diagram for such a set up and what kinds of relays I could use. I have followed the DC v DCC thing here for quite a while. I have no problem with anyone using what they choose. But I have used DC since the beginning and want to stay with it. Age 75 is too old to learn a whole lot of new tricks, one once in a while can be managed.
Is that enough current available to operate the snap switches?
Can this be made to work without a major investment?
Living on a more or less fixed income has it's limitations.
I have lots of Atlas snap-switches. I use DCC but my turnouts are on DC.
You should look into a Capacitive Discharge (CD) circuit to drive twin-coil machines like Atlas. That will make sure you have plenty of power. One CD circuit is probably enough for your entire layout.
The snap relays are high priced, and you can use cheap latching relays just as well. I have done exactly that for a few turnouts with position indicators.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Thanks for your info. What kind of switch do you use to operate the turnout? What I am looking for are ideas of how to do this, and a simple wire diagram showing how the turnout is activated and how this operates the indicator leds.
When I started to think about this I thought that since the power to activate the turnout was momentary and the power to activate the position indicators was a constant need, that a latching relay would be needed. I got 2 Atlas snap relays several years ago when they were cheap. They are not cheap now. I have searched online for "latching" relay and discovered that those little ones that sell for anywhere from $1 to $5.95 seem to be called "bi-stable" relays today. They work exactly like the old mechanical ones worked years ago. Not sure which ones would be the best. And of course not sure of how to wire that all. I have doodled a few ideas on a yellow legal pad but it all looks like hen scratching. There must be an easy way to do this. I read something in another thread, here, a few days back where Sheldon talked about throwing his turnouts and activating signal lights......with just one push of a button. That would appeal to me if I can find out how to wire it all together.
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Consider converting to Tortoise stall motor switch machines. They come with auxiliary contacts that will operate a pair of LEDs, no sweat. Tortoise contains a regular electric motor that moves the points and stays powered up to keep the points firmly against the stock rails. You can operate them with ordinary toggle switches (SPDT type). All my turnouts are powered by Tortoise. I don't remember just what they cost, it has been a while since I bought them, but it was probably something like $15.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Ken Stapleton markets an electronic control for Atlas switch machines that also includes LED indication of turnout direction. They are a great option if you already have the atlas switch machines and have good soldering skills. See the 751D on this page:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/kstapleton3/751D.HTM
DSTARR and IDRICK, thanks for the handy info. Dave I have admired the Tortoise machines for years and think they are great. Sadly I am living on a limited budget and I have plenty of Atlas Snap switch machines so got to make them work.
That switch control that also lights the led's looks like a nifty rig. Unfortunately I am working on the cheap right now and got to make what I have work without spending too much that I don't have. Ebay is chock full of small 12v relays that I think might work for me. Once I find the right one. I got one coming to experiment with. They are around $3 each and less if you buy more at one time. They are latching relays but electronic not the older electro mechanical types.
RM
Lets face it. If you want to buy a switch you are looking at twenty dollars per minimum.
Her is control board of LION
But then the LON uses 100% Tortoise switch machines mostl bought back when they cost $12.00 each. Still. LION has fifty of them. Yes, GRS machine has only 36 levers, but many of the turnouts are run in pears.
The cheapest way might be to use a SPST switch, with a push button to turn the switch. In the NORMAL position all levers are down. To reverse a switch you move the lever to the up position and then push the button.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I have a few switches that I bought new but most are older that need tuning up. I have plenty of 2 servo switch machines, some besides Atlas but work the same. I shop on ebay and will buy them when I see the price right. Have not bought any lately but suspect the cost is higher.
I think I could use a dpdt center off toggle switch, or rocker, and use one set of poles to operate the switch motor, and the other to trip a relay to run the lights. Relays I am looking at on ebay, made in China of course, are around $3 each and less if you buy 5 or so. Toggle switches are real cheap on ebay also. What I am searching for is a system that would turn the switch, and activate the led's, from a push button. One push and job done.
I lived in Bartlett, NH for several years. Bartlett was the base station for the 14 miles of hell to get through Crawford Notch. They switched to diesels around 1950 and Bartlett became a smaller place due to the change. I had plenty of room there and was going to build a layout based on that line in the early 50's. Bought several locos of that era so have plenty of power. I am part of a group that is trying to save the roundhouse, built in 1888 by the P&O railroad. Great place in many ways but expensive to live in. Got back in rural Maine after. Don't know even one other model railroad person in my part of Maine. Sad.
I had a bit of O gauge stuff including several Lionel Diesel engines, new in the boxes. Sold them off just to concentrate on HO gauge. Had some On30 stuff to but went the same way. Used the money for other stuff. Hope I live long enough to learn from my mistakes.
I tried to post a schematic diagram of how I did what you want to but I failed.
I used latching relays that were 85 cents each. If you can message me someway I will e-mail you the diagram.
rbturner I tried to post a schematic diagram of how I did what you want to but I failed. I used latching relays that were 85 cents each. If you can message me someway I will e-mail you the diagram.
Thanks for that info, sounds good.
I am not at all familiar how this forum works for messaging other members. I think you can message "friends". Will try to figure that out tonight. Got to go work now.
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Randy, Many thanks. That is pretty well what I had come up with thinking on my own. Glad to see someone develop that wiring diagram so I know it will work. I got the idea of using a dpdt toggle with center off. Now I am thinking of how to make that toggle just one push button switch. All kinds of electronic latching relays are available for as cheap as less than $3. They are triggered by a push button and simply change from one circuit to another every time the button is pushed. You would not have the "directional" part of a toggle so you can see how it was thrown but if you had signal indication with led's maybe you would not need that. I like DC due to having to figure out puzzles like this. Thanks again for the diagram.
I have always thought I could use the open pole on the latching relay to power frogs. But in reality, my health will never allow me to get that far.
Good Luck