Practical Wiring: Control Panel

[SpaceMouse]

If you read my other post, you'll know that I am rigging 14 turnouts with both a toggle and push-button MOM. In addition, each turnout has a representative red and green led to represent the direction of the points. (fF you didn't know this you do now.)

I already figured out that about 3/4 of the wiring can be done on the bench. What I'm looking for advice about is laying out the wiring blocks. I'm using the power pack form the Hogwarts set to power both the AC for the turnouts and DC for the LEDs.

I've thought about a couple different set-ups:

1) AC on the right the two leads 1" apart. DC on the left plus and minus 1" apart.

2) AC Incoming from turnout leg across the top--common on right.
DC common leg on bottom. Switch leg and resistiors for LEDs on left.

Leaning towards #2.

What do you guys do?

[rrinker]

I'm assuming the panel is wider than it is tall, in which case #2 is probably better from a practical standpoint.
From an electrical standpoint - it matters not one wit where you locate the input terminals and output terminals, the AC bus, the DC bus, so long as they are all seperated from one another and you diagram or label is all so you have some clue what wire is what when you go back and look at this 6 months from now.
Is the power pack is going to sit on the left of the panel, I would put 4 terminals there, feeding in the DC and AC. Across the top would be a terminal strip for the wires out to the switch machines. If the pack will sit to the right - just put the 4 position terminal on the right side instead.

--Randy

[Anonymous]

If you're talking about which way to run your wires under the table, then it doesn't matter one bit.

Physically seperating AC from DC only matters in ultra-sensitive circuits...

I was going to run all my wires back to the control panel and do the connecting there, i.e. both leads of each LED, all three leads of the turnouts, each buildings lights, some buildings with more than one circuit for lighting (so they can be switched on and off in seperate offices so it looks like there is some activity in that building) signalling, sensors...

Making sure I Iabel each every well so I can figure what I have when I'm done. Selecting a color scheme for the wiring will help a lot, i.e. for each LED use red and black wire, the red ALWAYS on the anode; for each turn out using blue, yellow and green, always using yellow for the common, black for 'straight' and red for 'turn'...

As for you using the Hogwarts power pack to do this, are you still planning to use it to run your train?

If your are the LEDs will change brightness with the speed of you train. I'm doing something similar, but using one power pack that came with the sets to power the accys and using two other power packs to run the trains (one for the skyway express and the other for the switchyard.

scada