Tortoise Switch Machine

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know the Digi-key or other supplier's part number for the connector to the Tortise? The Digi-Key CCE10G-ND number listed in ModelRailroading is incorrect. Do most people directly wire the Tortise without using a connector?

[Sperandeo]

Hi Bob,

We haven't found any connector that fits the Tortoise edge connections exactly (if there was one I bet Circuitron would be selling it!), but the difference is that the Tortoise has only eight trace terminals and the nearest connectors have 10 (or 20, 10 on each side). These larger connectors can be used with the Tortoise by placing them all the way to one end of the Tortoise circuit board and simply ignoring the extra terminals. So the Digi-Key connectors probably do work, and so does the TRW no. 5020A30 that Dave Frary used on his Pennsylvania RR project layout several years ago.

For our MR&T club layout we modified the 10/20-pin connectors with styrene spacers so they couldn't be installed incorrectly.

However, having gone to all that trouble on the MR&T and never having seen a Tortoise fail, on my own home layout I'm simply making wire connections directly to the Tortoise circuit board. I feed the wires through the holes from the back, non-trace side of the board, solder them to the traces, then cut of the excess wire much as in PC board assembly.

So long

Andy Sperandeo
Editor
MODEL RAILROADER Magazine

[pgrayless]

Andy,

I'm about to install a couple dozen Tortoise machines myself. I was planning to connect the circuit board to a terminal strip(as per article in Model Railroader). Can I get away with 22 Ga wire between these connections, or should I use something larger. I'm planning to use 14 Ga or 16 Ga for the connections between my panel switches and the terminal strip.

Thanks for any help

Paul Grayless

[Sperandeo]

Hi Paul,

The small-gauge wire will be find because the Tortoise motor draws very little current. I use 22 AWG wire for all my connections to Tortoise circuit boards.

So long,

Andy Sperandeo
Editor
MODEL RAILROADER Magazine