Ok, I need some guidance here. I have 4 slowmotion switches. Each switch has 2 wires which sprout off of them run through a DPDT switch on my control panel, and then have to connect to the 9v DC power supply. Obviously I could simple twist all the positive wires together and solder them to one of the powersupply wires and twist all of the negative wires together and solder them to the other wire. This could be a big ugly mess…I think. I have seen these things called terminal blocks at the Home Depot. they have them in 8, 10 and 12 connection sizes. Are these a better option for connecting all of my switches to their intended powersupply and if so How do I do this connection?
Yes it would. Check out All Electronics. Click on “TERMINAL BLOCKS”
You just stick the wires in and tighten the screw. If you are using strandad wire, it’s a good idea to solder the bare ends (also called “tinning” the wire) so the ends won’t fray.
A better way to do things is on your panel, connect each toggle switch together. Run a jumper from toggle 1 to toggle 2. toggle 2 to toggle 3, etc. Off one end of that, you have ONE wire to connect to the power supply. DO the same for the other terminal. All switches but the first one have 2 wires in whichever terminal is the power source. Beats bringing out 5 or 6 wires and trying to bundle them.
Still use a terminal strip. On such a thing, the screws across from one another are connected. So you hook the power supply to one screw, and the wire to your panel to the other. If you look at one you will see the metal strip that connects the two screws.
If I put the red wire which is connected to Switch A on the first terminal pair and the black wire on the matching terminal pair, and so on for however many switches I have, where do I connect the power leds?
If you have two wires that run from the power supply to the switches, what you would do is purchase two terminal strips (can get at Radio Shack if you have them in Canada). Run one line from the power supply to the terminal block. Then jumper from that wire on the terminal block to each of the remaining terminals on the same side as the terminal the wire from the power supply was run to. Then connect all of the wires from that particular side of the switch to one of the empty terminals on the opposite side of terminal block from where you jumpered. Repeat the process for the other wire from the power supply with the second terminal block.
When I have more than one wire on a screw in a terminal block, I’ve found it very helpful to attach a crimped spade connector to the ends of the wires. It’s fast and helps keep everything neat.
Trevor: there is another part that you can use with terminal strips. A strip of metal with lugs to go under each screw along the one side. This makes all the screws common. Use one terminal strip for + and another for -.
(You can do the same thing by stripping a foot of wire and twisting it along the terminal strip.)
Say the back of the DPDT switch has 6 terminals, like this:
1 2 3
4 5 6
To run a Tortoise, 1 and 6 are connected together, and 3 and 4 are connectected together (two different short wires). 2 and 5 run to the tortoise. 3 and 6 go tot he power supply.
Now say you have 6 switch machines, 6 toggle switches. Instead of 6 pairs of wires running to the power supply, connect pin 3 of one switch to pin 3 of the next switch. Connect pin 3 of the second switch, to pin 3 of the third switch. Down the line. Now run ONE wire from the last switch pin 3 tot he power supply. Do the same for all the pin 6’s. That way, you are powering your entire panel with just one pair of wires to the power supply. A lot easier and neater.
My 5 cents, if you are using an ‘European’ style terminal strip, because these have holes, you can put more wires in 1 hole. You don’t need that many terminals either.
I’m not as brave as Randy as I’ve found that if something can fail it will fail so I try to assemble things so I can isolate the problem quickly and replace the bum component easily. A whole slew of spad terminals on a single screw can also lead to interesting times. I’d use a loop terminal if that still interest you as a solution as the loop is captured on the stud or screw as you are corraling the rest of them. I recommend a bus bar as used house hold load cabinets for one side or Radio Shack sells a bar that can be added their terminal blocks that can do the same thing.
This is one of the times that I like to get stuff from Radio Shack. They have hobby sized terminal barrior strips in several diferent configurations from two to eight connections. They also have jumper strips that can be cut to fit the barrior strips to be able to connect several wires to one input. I have used many in my switch from DC to DCC. The advantage of these is that they are smaller and considerably less expensive than the ones made for house wiring panel boxes which is what you would find at most home improvement stores and electrical suppy places. Barrior terminal strips make it very easy to keep track of the wiring and to be able to remove a wire without having to unsolder connections. I use crimp on connectors on the wire ends that I take the time to also solder so they are the best connection possible.
Randy, I did understand your explaination for connecting my DPDT switches in series, thus resulting in a single pair of wires coming out of my control panel to the power supply. That’s a very neat way to do it. (BTW, I checked out your website. Nice work so far…) I also think that I agree with the comments that this may lead to diagnostic problems. If something goes wrong in the series how do I tell where the problem is? Think of the old style christmas tree lights where one light would go out and all the lights would go out. Finding the bad bulb was a nightmare!
I guess what I am asking of you all is, What is the best way I can connect my 4 tortoise switches to a single power supply? If the answer is “Terminal Block”…How do I do that?
TrevorG, This is how I would wire it. Hope it helps.
Strips 1,2,3,4 are linked together with jumpers (I use the premade RS ones), do the same with 5,6,7,8. Then connect wires from the other side (or any of the “free” terminals on the block - making sure that you do not cross polarity, of course) to the DPDT toggles. Then connect the switches to the DPDT, again making sure you have the polarity correct. This is where having a color code for the wiring is a big help.
