Can Peco switch motors be used with Atlas switch control switches? If so, how does the wiring go? The Atlas has red, green, & black terminals - I can’t figure out what the Peco terminals are - no instructions.
The simple answer is “Yes.” The Peco machine has independent coils. For most applications, it’s sufficient to wire together the two “common” lines. These will be the two terminals on ONE of the LONG sides of the Peco. Wire those together and then to the Black terminal of the Atlas control. The two terminals on the other LONG side go to the Red and Green terminals, one each, with no connection between them.
If you are used to the Atlas machines, you will find that the Peco turnouts require more power to throw the machine over. Peco turnouts have a spring in the points that holds the points against the rails. Depending on the voltage that you run your switch machines at, you may or may not have enough power to throw the Pecos, even though you’ve got plenty for the Atlas’s. The best solution is to build a Capacitive Discharge system. It’s a half-dozen components available for a few dollars from Radio Shack or elsewhere. Alternately, you can buy a CD system pre-assembled for about $30.
I’ve assumed you are using Peco turnouts with the Peco switch machines. They really are designed to work only with the Peco turnouts. The spring I talked about is necessary when using a Peco switch machine, because it doesn’t latch over the way an Atlas machine does. Other turnouts don’t have these, that I know of.
Thank you, Mr. B. That’s very helpful.
And yes, I’m using Peco turnouts. In fact, that’s all I’ve ever used in my very limited experience in model railroading, but only with manual control. Now I’m going to try remote control, and I just happen to have a few Atlas switch controls on hand.
I’ve got a few of those “on-hand,” too. I’m not using them for two reasons. The first is that they take up too much real-estate on a control panel. Instead, I just use low-cost single-pole, double-throw momentary contact toggle switches which I bought on-line for under a dollar each. These look much better on a “track-plan” schematic control panel.
The other problem with Atlas machines is their failure rate. In the few months that I was using them in temporary installations before I got my real panels built, I had a couple of failures in the dozen or so units I was using. Fortunately, in my case they just stopped working. The more extreme failure is a hangup, which causes current to flow to the switch machine constantly. Twin-coils aren’t designed for that, and they can burn up. By the time you notice it, you will probably have lost the switch machine, unfortunately. That’s less of a problem for a surface-mount Atlas, but once you’ve got a Peco installed and ballasted, you really don’t want to have to replace it.
That’s very good info. Thanks again, Mr. B.
I forgot to mention another benefit of a CD system. If your controller does hang, the CD system limits the current so the turnout coils are much better protected, and probably will not burn out right away.
One final question, if you don’t mind. Are the terminals on the Peco switch machine wired in series on the same side of the fiber board?
If my question makes no sense, I’ll try again: The Peco has 2 connections on each side of the machine. Do I wire + to both connections on one side, and - to both connections on the other side?
Sorry for a dumb question, but I’m sort of an electrical dummy.
One terminal from each side to - the other terminal from each side to your selector switch + for direction control. I too would recommend a CD unit for reliablity.
Ken.
Hotspur:
the connectors at one end power the coil at that end. The connectors at the other end power the other coil.
You choose one side and wire both of those connectors together and connect to the common return. Wire the connectors on the other side separately to your control switch.
Until you start wiring, there is no connection from the one end to the other.