Multiple toggles/multiple tortoises

K

kchronister

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Nov 1, 2004
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Hey all,

After a lot of research and experimentation, I've come up with working diagrams for running two tortoises off one toggle, one tortoise from two toggles, and the piece-de-resistance, two tortoises off two toggles. All with panel LED's too (for two panels, in two-toggle scenarios).

If anyone's interested, I'll post 'em. Maybe it's not big deal, but I certainly couldn't find 'em out there anywhere myself.
 
K

kchronister

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Nov 1, 2004
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Okay, here we go.

Caveat - I do not know how to draw "formal" electronic diagrams. I think these are clear enough, but if you have an ?'s, please do ask.

The colors used are meaningless, except for visual clarity.

I have not detailed wiring of the LEDs here. I don't know if people are using one bicolor LED, two single colors, etc. Many resources cover that already. I've showed _placement_ of the LEDs, and if you put the LED's there, wired according to any normal scheme, they should work properly.

First graphic is one toggle operating two motors in synch (e.g. for a crossover). Motors are in parallel and LED's MUST be in series with motor OR a resistor must be used. I've drawn it with them in series.

Second is this same thing, drawn as I'd do it, using a terminal block to simplify. This allows you to only run 2 wires to each motor, creating the "parallel" on the panel itself.

Third is two toggles running two motors, e.g. a crossover you want to be able to flip from two different control panels. Again, panel wiring would be simplified by using terminal blocks, but I haven't drawn that up yet.

Okay, one final thought: The difficulty with ANY two-toggles-running-tortoises setup is that the position of the toggle becomes meaningless. If you have any two-way switches running lights in your house - like the upstairs/downstairs switches running one stairway light - then this is the same deal... up doesn't mean "on" any more.

The LED's WILL function properly to indicate track position, it's just a matter of thinking in terms of "flip the switch to move the track" rather than "up is thrown, down is not thrown"...
 

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K

kchronister

Member
Nov 1, 2004
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Boiling Springs, PA
Hey Cid -

Love to know where you think that smoke is comin' from... I've built that one many times, no smoke... Suspect my diagram is losing something in translation... If I'm steerin' folks wrong, would like to set that right.
 
C

cidchase

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Ki k, it's just that both #1 and #2 show dead shorts across the
tortoises. If you put your finger on '+' and follow the circuit you
can arrive at '-' without ever going thru a motor. Gotta have a load
in there.

Clip the wire on the far right side of #1 and youre good to go. :) :)
Likewise on #2, take a wire off the bottom set of terminals on
the terminal strip and the short goes away. :)

Now I notice on #3 that you have a similar connection from one side
of the tortoise directly to the other (at the bottom of the diagram.) That
needs to be erased also. You can't generate a voltage drop to run the
motors if there is a short (low resistance path) from one side of the load
to the other. That short will cause the current to increase up to a
non-sustainable level. Chances are it won't smoke, just trip the breaker! :D :D

I'm sure you've used these circuits, I just think you're putting in an extra
connection in the diagram that isn't there on your wiring. :)
 
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