Ganged Terminal Strip?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Does anyone sell a ganged terminal strip? I would like to join 5 wires together then take 1 wire back to my transformer. It seems that most terminal strips let you hook up 1 wire to 1 wire only.

Thanks.

2

sounds like you need one of these:

Found at Radio Shack

for use with terminal strips like this:

3

Are you looking for something like this?

http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=PDB-1&Category_Code=B_3&Product_Count=0

4

I had success using the above type, and making a brass connector for one side. It worked great, and only took a couple of hours.

I drilled holes in a bunch of short pieces of brass strip and screwed one onto each terminal on one side, then I soldered a long strip to the protruding ends of all of them. To wire it, put your feeder wire into one terminal and all the other wires on the other terminals.

5

Very nice! That is exactly what I am looking for!

6

you can also take a wire and strip the insulation off of it and wrap it around the screws until one side is electrically connected. Use two of the terminal strips, one for the + and one for the - wire. Place them side by side and then there are plenty of screws now to connect track wiring or accessories to to get a 12 volt power supply to your equipment… chuck

7

EVERYTHING ELECTRICAL gets attached to a double-row terminal strips - then to indication or actuation devices. SWITCH machines use 3 positions each (Norm/Grd/Rev).

They come in 4’s, 6’s, 8’s and 10’s. I also use #6 spade lugs to eliminate ‘whiskers’.

8

I make my own terminal strips/blocks by installing #6/32 machine screws in holes in either plywood or sheet styrene. When I need to attach several wires to a single terminal I use a longer screw and separate the wires with washers in the following sequence:

  • round head of screw
  • washer
  • base (plywood or plastic)
  • washer
  • nut (holds the screw in place - torque TIGHT)
  • washer
  • wire #1 (usually the single-wire bus connection)
  • washer
  • wire #2
  • washer
  • wire #3
  • ///////
  • wire #6 (maximum I allow on one terminal)
  • washer
  • nut (holds the wires in place, torque just past snug)

If there are more wires to connect, wire #1 can be taken to a second (third, fourth…) terminal - possibly for DCC drops in a complex yard(!)

I have been doing this for a long time now, one reason why I have bulletproof electricals.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - analog DC, MZL system)

9

look at this

http://www.superdroidrobots.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=778

or this

http://www.farnsworthelectronics.com/terminalblocks.htm

| # 13-1455, Slip-on Barrier Jumper | |
| - | - |

OR make your own Bus bar using brass or copper bar stock. Drill & tap holes for as many connections as you need.

WW Grainger sells all kinds of bar stock. A 1/16" X 1/2" brass or copper 6 foot long is around $13

10

I love the look and simplicity of the Microtronics board, but for $20 it just too much for me on my layout’s budget. I think I will try the bolt and washer trick, looks pretty simple.

11

radio shack has a compression type of barrier strip that will let you insert several wires under one screw and come out the other side with one wire. they are european style barrier strips and are white plastic with 12 segments. they come in several sizes. there’s no bending the wire around the screw. but remember radio shack is radio shack so don’t expect to find what you want when you go there.

12

how about this…use a barrier strip intended to be mounted to a printed circuit board, solder a wire jumper across all of the ‘pc’ tabs or bend the tabs over & solder to each other, then mount on risers

http://www.alltronics.com/cgi-bin/item/24Z020/58/9-pos-PC-mount-RDI-barrier-strip

79 cents for a 9 position one