Help ! I’m building a new railroad using double cab control & I’ve never used toggles before. I model in N scale & i’m not sure if that matters, but where is the best place to look ? I need @ 30 of em.
Radio shack would be a great place to start looking.
Patrick
Well, I did look there & Home Depot too, they are @ $4.00 a pop & they look too big… too me at least.
Try jameco.com you can buy them in bulk at a reasonable price, also delivery is pretty fast. The same toggle switch at Radio Shack (dpdt) was $5.29 and at Jameco it is $1.29 new.
Hi,
I’ve always gotten what I need at www.allelectronics.com. Their mini-toggles, which I used for my panels, are real cheap…about $1.00 each. If you’re going to use a bus for the “negative”, then you’ll need the SPST on-on mini-toggle. Do yourself a favor and go this route, rather than using DPDT switches and having to bring 2 wires from each toggle to the track. If you’re not clear on this, email me and I’ll be glad to give you my phone number and talk you through the process. I’m pretty experienced with wiring.
Hope this helps.
Mondo
I found a bunch at a suplus store (Axman’s) in my town, $.50.
Radio Shack is the last place you should go because their prices are always higher than anyone else. The only advantage to Radio Shack is the convenience of there being so many of them around, but none of them are going to have the number of switches you need in stock. Try an on-line surplus electronics dealer such as
Even after paying postage, the prices will still be cheaper than Radio Shack.
Sounds like you guys have it covered. Thanx ! SPST…DPDT, I guess the man on the moon knows more than I do, but I know I want to be bringing only one wire to the track from the toggle. There is an article from Model Railroader on this, though I can’t remember which… I do have that particular issue next to my recliner so I know it’s there.
I’ve ordered from http://www.demarelectronics.com and http://www.oselectronics.com and both have given me good prices, reasonable shipping charges and fast delivery. So far, no backorders, either. Demar Electronics advertises in MR, so they are familiar with the train crowd.
Think about all the other things you will need. These places have terminal blocks, connectors that are used for DCC control busses, soldering supplies, relays, diode bridges, shrink tubing, LED’s, wire, 2-56 screws and so on. All are much cheaper than Radio Shack.
For my turnout wiring, though, I went to Home Depot and bought 4-conductor phone wire, 8 bucks for a hundred feet. Cheaper than 3-conductor from the Internet places.
Ok… I’ve looked at some of these sites & I have to admit it does befuddle me. I don’t know the difference between SPST & DPDT. My power packs are two MRC Control Master 20’s. I want to make this hookup as simple as possilbe. I figured I could just run the negative wire to the track & the live to the switches for each cab. All my switches will be manual.
SPST= single pole(tap) with single throw
DPDT=double pole(tap) with double throw
What about SPDT ? on - off - on , that way I can leave a block completly off in the center ?
I bought triple pole double throw center off because they were 50 cents. I only used what I needed. The center off has never been problem as long as I remember it is there. spst will not work for a reversing switch but dpdt center off will work for about anything if the price is right. Most large towns have surplus stores. Give them a try.
tripple pole ? i just want to be able to switch from one cab to another & yet be able to have the track completly off if needed. nothing fancy.