Wiring 2 signals to a tortoise or cobalt

[tomcat]

I need some help as to how I would wire 2 signals that control 2 seperate tracks to 1 tortoise switch machine or if anyone uses Cobalt. I see that there is terminals 1+8 for power, 2+3 for track power, 4 and 5 are common, then depending on which way you have it wired there is spare contacts 6+7 for a signal, How can we use the spare ones to control 2 signals.

FYI.. I want to have (signal 1) on the main showing red because the switch ahead of it is thrown against it, because a train is entering from a siding with a green signal controlled by (signal 2) and crossing over the main onto the another track.

How and where do the wires go on the switch machine to controll both signals?

Is this possible and has anyone done this ?

Thankyou legends!!!!

Tom from Down Under

[BroadwayLion]

First, ewe must back up a bit, and tell us if your signals are LEDs or conventional lamps. Are the Cobalt machines powered??? I thought they were manual, But if they work like Tortoise machines, the LION recommende SPDT controls over DPDT controls any day of the weak.

Here is how LION wroks Tortoise machines: One wire controls machine, all sicnals, all panel lamps, and any auxiliary relays you may need to enervate. LEDs forever!

[rrinker]

 If you know how to hook up 1 signal, you know how to do this. SImply hook up the second one except reverse the red and green for the second signal, so when one shows green, the other will show red. Nothing special involved. It's just a duplication of the exact same wiring you use for 1 signal.

                        --Randy

[tomcat]

Hey Randy

So do you mean (eg) signal 1 red wire to #6 contact, Black wire to #7 contact

                               signal 2 Black wire to #6 contact, Red wire to #7 contact.

Does that cause a short ?

For Lion.

My switch machines will be powered by its own power bus, seperate to the track bus. and signals will be LED's.

Cobalts are the same as tortoise except there is no soldering wires !!! ROAR !!

[rrinker]

 SHould not cause a short - there shold be two sets of LEDs involved, one set for signal A and one set for signal B. There are some other wires in tehre, right? One from the #5 contact to one side of the power supply, and one from the signal to the other side of the power supply (and there need to be resistors in there somewhere to use LEDs). If signal A is red when the CObalt is moved left, and green when the Cobalt is moved right, if you wire Signal B with the black and red switched fromt he way Signal A is wired, Signal B will indicate the opposite of whatever Signal A shows. No short. Assuming black and red are the proper wires from the signal. Many of the ones I've seen, the red wire is for the red LED, the green LED has a green wire, and the common is black.

                --Randy

[Hornet]

rrinker

 SHould not cause a short - there shold be two sets of LEDs involved, one set for signal A and one set for signal B. There are some other wires in tehre, right? One from the #5 contact to one side of the power supply, and one from the signal to the other side of the power supply (and there need to be resistors in there somewhere to use LEDs). If signal A is red when the CObalt is moved left, and green when the Cobalt is moved right, if you wire Signal B with the black and red switched fromt he way Signal A is wired, Signal B will indicate the opposite of whatever Signal A shows. No short. Assuming black and red are the proper wires from the signal. Many of the ones I've seen, the red wire is for the red LED, the green LED has a green wire, and the common is black.

                --Randy

 

 

Thanks for the info Randy - I am wiring up 2 signals as well.  Do you recommend the second set of signals wired in series or in parallel to the first?  I have drawn a circuit diagram of how I think it should work, but can't work out how to paste it to the post.

Thanks.

 

[richg1998]

Get a Ficker or Photo Bucket account to post photos here. Pretty easy.

Instructions right at the top of the Model Railroader  General Discussion forum.

Rich