1/4" and 1/8" phone jacks for wiring purposes

[dommegr]

So there I was this past weekend building up the courage to start wiring my layout and an idea popped into my head. I don't know if its ever been discussed on these boards or is even feasible.

What I was thinking was using 1/4" and 1/8" jacks like those found on headphones to connect my control boxes to the layout. What I would do is connect all the internal "under the layout" wiring to the female end and mounted to the side wall of my benchwork and the male end connected to my controls. I haven't drawn up a diagram or schematic or anything to give a visual picture, but if you've ever used headphones before, you'd know what I'm talking about.

This would allow for a quick disconnect without mucking up any internal wiring when it comes time to tear down the layout in a few months and an even quicker reconnect when I get to my new location.

I'm building a small 4x8 HO layout with 6 Atlas switches and 7 power terminals. The wiring for the switches would connect to the 1/8" ends and the main DC bus would connect to the 1/4" ends. I'm running DCC on this, so the dedicated program track would have its own set of plugs.

Any pros or cons to attempting this or is this a flash-in-the-pan idea that should be forgotten?

[TomDiehl]

Several things to think about:

1. How many wires does each of your control boxes need? Even a stereo jack only has three connections.

2. How many cabs are you going to have and how will you differentiate between the jacks for each cab? What is the possibility (and potential damage) of plugging the control box into the wrong jack?

3. On a small layout like this, I don't believe you'd be thinking about walkaround control with multiple jacks. Will these be connected and disconnected very often?

If you're talking about disconnecting these to move once a year (or less often) a simple terminal strip with screw terminals would probably be your best bet. The potential of problems caused by wear or corrosion could easily outweigh the advantage of the plugs, especially if they're not going to be used constantly.

[dommegr]

There would be three 1/8" jacks for each switch motor, a total of 18 male and female plugs. What I was looking at was having the female ends attached to the benchwork and the male ends on identical interchangable wires attached from the switches to the benchwork. All the DC plugs would be 1/4" and would be dedicated lines.

The idea behind it also is regards to expansion possibilities. If all the internal wiring is done only to the end of the benchwork, the only headache would be a little bit of soldering needed to connect the wires to the jack. On the controller end, I would just need to add another switch machine to the end of the line, make three more wires, plug it in, and go from there.

Currently, I plan on ultimately running two locomotives although I only have one for now.

[TomDiehl]

The problem with 18 identical connections is that they can easily be mated up wrong. They're mechanically identical, so you'd need to be very careful with the markings so they don't wear or fall off, and make sure you match them up properly when reconnecting.

Also, when expanding, you'd most likely be adding new wires which will run from the panel to the new section, don't see a real advantage there. You'll just be adding more wires with the same type jacks on them, increasing the quantity of male/female pairs.

[tomikawaTT]

I have used phone jacks, both 1/4 and 1/8 inch, for quick disconnects, where they were used on move-around throttles and such. (My present control panels have them, 1/4 inch for power to the throttle, 1/8 inch for throttle output - DC, not DCC.)

For expandability and possible troubleshooting, I much prefer terminal strips, using a single post terminal with washers between wires and a nut on top. (I make my own, using a piece of hardboard for a base, #10 roundhead machine screws for posts, one nut and two washers to hold the post to the base, one nut and as many washers as necessary to hold wires.) Biggest advantage - no soldering during installation, and no need to de-solder for disassembly or troubleshooting.

Just make sure to label every terminal and document what the labels mean.

[Anonymous]

Breaks the KISS law. We know what happens when we brake them old laws. Fred

[MisterBeasley]

I'd also vote for terminal strips. If this were a travelling show module layout that got broken down every few weeks, then plugs and jacks might make sense. But for a layout that might get moved once a year, it seems like a lot of extra cost and effort to purchase and solder all of those connectors.

But, remember that it's your layout. If you're happy with plugs and jacks, then install plugs and jacks.