Tortoise switch machines & bicolor LEDs

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
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Hey Guys I have a question for those of you who have electrical know-how and experience with the Tortoise.

In the instructions under the section about panel lights and signals it mentions bi-color leds and states that you can wire these in reverse parallel so that when the switch is thrown it will indicate the direction of the turnout. How do need to go about doing this ??

I have a 12 volt power supply that I am using to control all switch machines by the way.

Fred

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For a bicolor LED, it’s REALLY easy. I assume you have the 2-wire bicolor LEDs. Simply wire like this:

  • ------LED----tortoise----- -

  • and - not really mattering and in reality being the wires to your toggle switches that operate the Tortoise. No resistors are required, the Tortoise motor limits current to a safe 15ma that the LEDs can handle. If the LED is red when you want green, just flip the LED over.

–Randy

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Thanks Randy. I have have a habit of making things more difficult than they really are.

Fred

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Thanks Randy ALSO, I was using Grain of Rice but this sounds better.

George P.

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And if you want to have more than one LED - the LEDs do NOT go in parallel or anti-parallel like you wold when using individual LEDs. Bi-color LEDs you have to wire in series with each other and the Tortoise to have indicators at more than one spot. I was just working on a friend’s layout this afternoon wiring up exactly such a thing. I also recommend a bunch of test leads with alligator clips to try it before you solder, because it gets a bit tricky.

  • ----|<—>|----(tortoise)----- - will light one LED red and the other green. (bicolor leds don’t have a anode and cathode technically, but these I was using actually had the flat and longer lead just like a normal single-color LED). However, here is where it gets tricky. If the colors are backwards, you have to actually rewire it like this: + ----->|-----|<----(tortoise)---- - to swap which one is red and green - or swap the motor wires on the tortoise AND the physical position of the LEDs on the panel

This is ONLY in the case of wanting to use more than one LED. For just a single bi-color LED, There is no issue, just wire like my first post, and if the color is wrong flip the LED.

–Randy

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Where do you buy bi-color LEDs? Radio Shack?

What size are they?

Thanks!

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You can get them at RS, if you want to pay too much. There are several sellers on eBay with stores (no bidding, just pay and buy) with LEDs at very reasonable prices. My friend got a pack of like 100 3mm size ones for $5. A better prices than RS but not quite that good - if your hobby shop deals with Miniatronics. Bi-color as well as ordinary LEDs come in many sizes, the common ones for panels at 5mm and 3mm, but there are smaller ones which can be used for lights and markers on locos and so forth.

–Randy

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[:)] Randy:

I’am useing 5MM red and green leds with my tort machines with an 12vdc power supply I building an new “N” scale lay out and wounder?you said you did not need an resistor with your tort switch machines; would it besafe to go with out an resistor? I’am useing DPDT switches,It sure would be nice to get rid of the ---- resistor.

JIM

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Here is an interesting site for Model Railroad LED’s. I have ordered from them and have had great service. I am not affiliated with them in any way other than as a customer.

http://www.moreleds.com/railroad.htm

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Just the kinda info I bin looking for TY .

One silly question though which contacts do you use off the tortoise for the led’s and say if your using a green for a closed turnout indication and a red for an open turnout indication on a route map board , which contacts would be used . I want to have 2 led’s for each position of the turnout. I’m also using the digitrax ds64 to power and control the turnout on dcc digitrax hand controler ( not sure if this makes a difference) [:D]

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I can’t draw it all here neatly in text (I’m sure there is a fixed tag though that would make it work). However, what you would do is wire the LEDs back to back. One red, one green, or both red, or whatever colors you want. By back to back I mean this. On the LED you will notice one lead longer, and also (usually) a flat spot on the side of the LED. Connect the long lead of one LED to the short lead of the other. Connect the short lead of the first LED to the long lead of the other. If you want to test - get a 1K resistor and a 9V battery. Go from + on the battery to one of the paired leads. GO from the other pair of leads to the 1K resistor. Connect the other side of the resistor to the - terminal of the battery. One of the LEDs should light. Reverse the battery. The other LED should light. If you, y

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Randy, I went with the Bicolor LED and it is BETTER than I had hoped for. Gives me a LOCAL indicator at the turnout (dwarf) and now the LED at the DPDT without using the tortise connection.

THANK YOU!!!

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Charlie, Thank you for the link. Got all my LED’s for $30.00 (150 of them)

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Here’s a link to a dirgram for the hookup of LEDs to a Tortoise Switch Machine.

http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/tortoise/wiring-leds.htm

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Hello,

The site below is great for wiring… as it explains, if you have a bicolor diode you just substitute for the R/G 2 parallel LED’s. I have done it and it works great… I did NOT know you did not need the resistor until a few weeks ago (time to take them out!), but that is a good thing to too know… enjoy.

http://www.wiringfordcc.com/sw_ctl.htm

Brian

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Here is a setup that sounds way more complicated than it actually is, and after you do the first set, is so easy! I am doing Free-mo modules, which are viewed and operated from both sides, so, remembering the old days of blocks and DC I run 12vdc power to the sides of a DPDT on-on switch (not center off, although you could use them if that’s all that you can get), use the reversing crossover wiring, run to the other DPDT switch, also crossed over. From the sides of the second switch I run the - to a 2 terminal block. I run the + to 2 bicolor LED’s in series then to the other terminal. On the other side of the terminal block I run to the tortoise. If it is indicating backwards to what I want I just change the Tortoise connections at the terminal block…easy! Now I have an LED over each switch, and throwing either one changes the point throw and the LED color.

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I don’t care what is said, but you will need to use a 1k ohm resistor with a 5mm bi polar led with a tortise switch machine. After 10 blown leds not using a resistor proves others wrong about not using a resistor with a tortise.

[quote user=“Anonymous”]
Hey Guys I have a question for those of you who have electrical know-how and experience with the Tortoise.

In the instructions under the section about panel lights and signals it mentions bi-color leds and states that you can wire these in reverse parallel so that when the switch is thrown it will indicate the direction of the turnout. How do need to go about doing this ??

I have a 12 volt power supply that I am using to control all switch machines by the way.

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see panel 4

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[#welcome] Uptown

I have about 115 Tortoise machines on my layout. They all have at least one LED in series with the operating lead (term. 1 or 8). Some have up to four LEDs in series.

Not a single resistor is used. None of the Tortoises have failed in the 28 years or so they have been in use. Occasionally I’ll get a bad LED. The ones available to us through the secondary market are probably not of ‘first quality’ runs but most likely those that have not passed muster in QC tests.

Good Luck, Ed

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