Wiring...

Xaniel

Xaniel

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Ok, I have a big big problem here with my control panel...

I've wired everything, but on only thing that "moves" are the lights.

I trun the switches on, the lights go on, abut the loco don't move. When I get the loco out by my hand, the light is off. When I put i back in place the light go off. his happens on the four lights.

The only thing that's corretc is the mainline, but that isn't connected to a switch. It is always on, as soon as I turn the button of my command . I don't know if you got it right. Hope so.

Can you help me?

thanks
 
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shamus

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Dec 17, 2000
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Originally posted by Xaniel
Ok, I have a big big problem here with my control panel...

I've wired everything, but on only thing that "moves" are the lights.

I trun the switches on, the lights go on, abut the loco don't move. When I get the loco out by my hand, the light is off. When I put i back in place the light go off. his happens on the four lights.

The only thing that's corretc is the mainline, but that isn't connected to a switch. It is always on, as soon as I turn the button of my command . I don't know if you got it right. Hope so.

Can you help me?

thanks
Click to expand...
Hi Luis,
You had better do a drawing of your wiring my friend, then I can try and put things right.
Don't quite understand about the lights, how are these hooked up?
Shamus
 
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Clerk

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I came across this problem by accident several years ago. By mistake I wired the lights in series with the track. It should be parallel. I would make a drawing but don't have time right now. Maybe Shamus could draw it up for you
 
Xaniel

Xaniel

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i'll draw it as soon as I can, to help. I don't have the time right now.

But I think it's what clerk said.. Can you shamus or you you, clerk, or some one else draw me a correct plan how to wiring this control panel correctly? Thanks
 
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Clerk

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Luis. Here is a drawing of the light in parallel. When you turn the switch on the light comes on and stays on until you turn the switch off.
 

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Gary Pfeil

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Luis, The drawing you posted is an open circuit unless there is a loco on the track. without the loco, or other conductor across the rails, the lamp will not light. Also, if the bulb were to burn out, you would not be able to run the loco. So, if the lamp is lighting but the loco doesn't run, I think you have not wired it as shown. Or, the lamp uses all the power available, not leaving enough for the loco motor. Someone more knowledgeable in electronics can say for sure. Why do you want a lamp to indicate power status? you could accomplish it with a dpdt switch, with one pole switching the power to the track and the other to the lamp. But the position of a toggle switch would tell you on or off without a lamp.

Gary
 
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jon-monon

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You could substitute this circuit for the lamp, and it would have the benifit of drawing less current, showing the direction the loco will go (you could place it on the layout as a signal), and increased reliability (lifetime/solid state). Probably costs less than a typical LHS lamp, if you mail order or buy the components at a good supplier (i.e. not Radio Shack here in the U.S.). The resistor value is approximate and would have to be determined by the specification of the LED, or more likely trial and error. A 1000 to 1500 K OHM resistor should work for 99% of the standard LEDs out there.
 

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Railery

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i'm confused but here is my 2 cents. if u only want to know if the switch is open or closed than the light is run between the two points of the switch and switch machine. if u are running power to the track than u need a snap-relay. Also do u have insulated gaps on the track? And are your frogs insulated or uninsulated? i would like to post a drawing but scanner is down :(
 
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jon-monon

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Originally posted by Gary Pfeil
Luis, The drawing you posted is an open circuit unless there is a loco on the track. without the loco, or other conductor across the rails, the lamp will not light. Also, if the bulb were to burn out, you would not be able to run the loco. So, if the lamp is lighting but the loco doesn't run, I think you have not wired it as shown. Or, the lamp uses all the power available, not leaving enough for the loco motor. Someone more knowledgeable in electronics can say for sure. Why do you want a lamp to indicate power status? you could accomplish it with a dpdt switch, with one pole switching the power to the track and the other to the lamp. But the position of a toggle switch would tell you on or off without a lamp.

Gary
Click to expand...

Gary, it will depend on the lamp used. It will likely have the effect of limiting the voltage to the loco, but actually it will be a currnet limit device. If you use a 1/4 watt bulb, it will limit the currnet to whatever current makes a 1/4 watt at the given voltage P (watts) = I (current - amps) X E (Voltage - potential). It only limits if hte motor inthe loco tries to exceed the wattage of the bulb. Going in parallel across the transformer drawing should have no effect, unless you use a high wattage bulb and end up using up the capacity of the transformer. The diodes (LEDs) would be a better route, and be more purposefull.
 
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