hey i know i posted that my layout was done but i found a few easy things at the train swap meet cheaply. i was also pre wired incase i found them. I found 4 crossing gates at 10 dollars total with operating signals and i am pre wired for them they went in easy. I am having a problem with the ground signals for my eltrains red line green line and orange line they were hand made lines. i was wondering if the red and green signals have a positive and negative for each light. I picked up a dozen signals at a dollar each and i am pre wired for them. now i am just hoping that the weather calms down air conditioning in the room is good but the humidity is staggering with 98 degrees outside. so what do you think i do not want to burn them out thay are a pain to find and expensive to buy otherwise.
Restating the question in a more readable form
Hey, I know I posted that my layout was done but I found a few easy things at the train swap meet cheaply. I was also pre-wired in case I found them.
I found 4 crossing gates at 10 dollars total with operating signals and I am pre-wired for them. They went in easy.
I am having a problem with the ground signals for my eltrains red line green line and orange line. They were hand made lines. I was wondering if the red and green signals have a positive and negative for each light.
I picked up a dozen signals at a dollar each and I am pre-wired for them.
Now I am just hoping that the weather calms down air conditioning in the room is good but the humidity is staggering with 98 degrees outside.
So what do you think? I do not want to burn them out they are a pain to find and expensive to buy otherwise.
I don’t much care about grammar but some of us old guys can’t see too well. Even when we could, reading a large block of text was hard on a computer screen. I get that it's faster to bang out a message on a cell phone ignoring all of that but you do want us to read it.
The Model Power website is pretty lame in describing these signals.
http://www.modelrectifier.com/product-p/061678.htm
I am confused by your reference to colored lines and Eltrains. Around here, commuter trains are given colors for names. But these signals are also red, green and amber. Are you referring to wires?
In any event a bulb has to have two wires. I suspect all bulbs share a common wire (let’s call it negative) and each has their own separate positive wire. Either via switch or relay the positive wire gets electricity to power and light the chosen bulb.
These are DC bulbs so you won't blow out the bulbs if you wire them opposite. They may not like DCC bus voltage though.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
i am talking about the small signals that are barely off the ground. I can put them in hanging or on the top of the switches. I do not have instructions so i am not sure if this makes a difference.
Dwarf signals. Are there any wires coming from the signals?
My above comments still apply, current has to come and go, to and from the bulbs.
Actual operation of signals with detection of trains or occupancy of a block gets pretty complicated as opposed to wiring a signal to a tortoise motor.
Why does TCS caution against using flux on decoders?
The reason to clean a rail solder joint is for weathering and painting.
BigDaddyWhy does TCS caution against using flux on decoders?
Most people use way too much flux when soldering. Residual flux can damage components on the circuit boards.