I’m in the process of wiring my layout and am currently having a hard time (electronic dummy, here) deciding how to wire my toggle switches and wires to my track blocks. Does anyone have a “Control Panel Wiring for Dummies” ? I have the Easy Model Railroad Wiring book (Kalmbach) and can’t see how the terminal blocks are set up inside the panel. How do I go from common wire to toggles to terminal strips to tracks? I guess I have an “electrical block”.
Thnaks for any help!!!
Rick
Unfortunately, I think that is that book. It is much harder to explain in words than with the pictures in the book.
All terminal blocks do is allow easier maintenance and changing things later on. I think if you pretend like the terminal blocks aren’t there it might help.
For starters the common wire would not have any toggles. Otherwise it wouldn’t be the common wire.
If I am understanding the question… I am assuming you are using one common rail and one blocked rail. So the common wire goes from one or more points on the common rail to one side of each power supply. The wire from the blocked side of the track goes to the center pole of the toggle switch. The wire from one side of the toggle goes to the non-common side of one of the power supplies. The other side of the toggle goes to the other power supply. The toggle selects one or the other power supply to control that block of track.
It doesn’t matter how many splices or terminal blocks are “in” each wire. All a terminal block does is give you an easy point to disconnect the wire or device from the wire.
Texas Zepher - Thanks for your explanation! I drew my own diagram from your explanation and it all makes sense. I think I was trying to read too much into what is in Easy Model Railroad Wiring - which I don’t think is very “easy” to figure out - at least for me. I think I can now go ahead and finish my control panel.
Thanks, again!!!
All DC wiring is a circle. There can be many circles, thus complicated, but still simple circles. If you keep all the circles separate and going in the same direction you are half way home. The other half is to make sure the circles don’t touch some place. That is what a short is.That can make for a lot of tracing when there is a problem, but if you can trace the “Power” around its circle, it does not matter how many bends or switches or connectors you put in it, it will work. Remember that the motor is part of the circle as is the turnout machine.