Need some help!
I have Atlas under the table machines, and I am trying to figure out how to wire them to the switches. I have Andy Sperandeo’s book, but was unclear of what type of switches to use or how to wire what terminals to what contacts. I used an SPDT-MOM push button switch, wired similarly to block switches, but it didn’t work right and was overheating the turnout machine.
What switch do I use and how do I wire it??
Thanks.
Try the atlas Basic wiring, I too have had problems with the “push” button switch, Atlas needs to come up with a better alternative for this device. Under the table is your best bet. As far as wiring? read the book, and it is trial and error. Good luck
One the machine there are three electrical attachments: common, and the other two control the direction of the turnout. When you activate the turnout, it should only be powered for a few seconds (momentary).
Use an AC power supply of about 16 VAC, or the AC terminals of dedicated power pack. Pick one wire (doesn’t matter which one), and call it COMMON. The other wire is called HOT.
The COMMON wire gets attached to the COMMON terminal on every switch machine, and no where else.
SPDT - momentary contact switches have three terminals, and common and two outputs; or a common and two inputs. I will call them outputs.
Attach the HOT wire to every SPDT common terminal you are using to control turnouts.
There should a one to one correspondense between turnout machines and SPDT switches.
Attach a wire to an unused terminal on the switch and turnout machine. Attach a second wire to the last terminal on the switch and turnout machine. Verify that the machine changes direction when you activate the switch. If the machine goes in the wrong direction, change the two wires at the machine, NOT the COMMON wire.
Use 18 guage wire, larger if you runs are over 10 feet.
Nigel
nfmisso@cox.net
Eric, get on Atlas.com somebody can definetly help. Looks like your having the same problem everyone else is having. I’m this far away from scraping Atlas and going to Tourtoise.
Tom
Hello “Korchex,”
It sounds like the switch or button you used wasn’t really momentary and was supplying continuous power to the switch machine coils. That will definitely overheat them.
The easiest kinds of controls to find are SPST momentary pushbuttons. You’ll need two of them for each turnout, and you can wire them as shown on page 92 of “Easy Model Railroad Wiring (Second Edition),” in the left-hand diagram of fig. 9-3.
Happy holidays,
Andy Sperandeo
MODEL RAILROADER Magazine
Thanks for all of your help guys.
I am beginning to think that Tortise may be the way to go.
Nigel, I tried it your way and it still did not work.
I was just hoping there was an easy way to do it with one switch, instead of 2. I am going to be using a snap relay to give me turnout indication. Will the 2 button still work in this series?
Thanks again.
Hello Eric,
To use the Atlas Snap Relay along with an Atlas switch machine, you can simply follow the instructions that come with the relay. It’ll still work with the buttons as I described earlier. Or see fig. 921 on page 99 of “Easy Model Railroad Wiring.” Of course, if you switch to a Tortoise motor you wouldn’t need the separate relay, because the Tortoise includes switching contacts.
Good luck,
Andy
Andy Sperandeo
MODEL RAILROADER Magazine
Thanks, Andy. I am hoping to get my relays this week, so I’ll give it try and see if I can’t get it to work.
Could somebody clarify something: what is an SPDT-MOM push button switch?
Is it one where it’s normally set for A but changes to B when pushed, then goes back to A when released?
SPDT-MOM means Single Pole, Double Throw Momentary. It only has one power sorce, but can throw two ways. The momentary contact allows for just a brief period of power to whichever side (as you put it A and B) its giving power to. I don’t think its supposed to go back to A when released.
need help wiring up a tortoise switch machine. the problem is the michine will not operate when power is suppled to it and I would like to hook up direction lights to the system.
kornchex, don’t give up…
maybe i’m missing something, but this isn’t that complicated. are we talking about the atlas spdt-mom switch? the design hasn’t changed in at least thirty years, and it works very reliably. they are a thing of beauty.
the switch has two screw terminals on the left. wire these to the two terminals on your power pack that say 16 vac, sometimes “accessary”. it doesn’t matter which wire is top or bottom.
the switch has three screw terminals across the top. these wire to the three screw terminals on the switch machine at the turnout. the center wire needs to stay center to center. either side can go to either side.
slide the switch left and push briefly. you should hear the switch machine buzz, and the turnout throws one way. slide the switch to the right and push briefly. the switch machine should buzz, and the turnout should throw the other way.
calvin.
I’m trying to wire several atlas switch machines via normally open momentary contact pushbuttons. Each turnout has two of these and each momentary contact button has to spade terminals. The powerpack of course has two terminals and the switch machines have 3. I know this is an elementary question but I can’t figure out the routing of the wires.
Are the common wires (center terminal) from the Atlas machine tied together and run to one side of the power supply? What is the routing for the two wires on each button? Does one wire go to one of the outside terminals on the machine and the other to the powerpack?
I have an additional problem under this subject. I have bought a number of the new Atlas #66 under-table switch machines to power my Walthers/Shinohara turnouts. The instruction sheet only covers the wiring for Atlas “all live” (insulated frog) turnouts. I know how to wire these machines to my momentary-contact SPDT toggle switches, but I would like to incorporate the “wiring around” (supplemental power routing) feature described by Andy Sperandeo in his “Easy Model Railroad Wiring” book. There is apparently a relay incorporated into these switch machines. Can anyone help me with this, please!
Richard W.
Well isn’t this timely. I’m presently wiring Shinohara turnouts with Peco switch machines. This requires a selonoid and adapter base, which will lock the turnout in position after the selonoid “fires”. My LHS sell an electronic device containing a capacitor, which will fire off the selonoid to switch the macine ($16 cdn) Whoo! The Tortoises though an excellent device is just to costly for me at this time.
Instructions for wiring come with the selonoids. Three wires and that’s it.
There are two ways I wire Atlas twin coil turnout swtiches.
The first is with a SPDT (ON) - OFF - (ON) toggle switch
[the ()'s mean mometary]
I ground the common on the atlas machine. Connect the other two atlas terminals to the two contacts of the switch. Lastly, I apply voltage to the common of the switch. When the toggle switch is pushed up, the switch reverses, and when pushed down it returns. After pressing it the toggle returns to the middle not powering the altas.
The other is with two SPST NO (normaly open) push buttons. I ground the common on the atlas, connect the two atlas terminals to the contacts of the buttons, and put voltage to the common of the switch.
I use 12 volt DC with the twin coil machines. I’ve even got it to work with a 9v battery.
The tortious slow switch machine is nice because it stalls out safely drawing only 18 mA. There are many ways to wire them. The biggest thing is they require DC voltage between about 3 volts and no more than 12 volts. They throw in 3 seconds with 12 volts.
There are 8 terminals, the motor is on 1 and 8. If current goes one way through the motor, the throwarm goes one way, if it goes the other way, the throwarm goes the other way.
The manual that comes with the turnout shows two ways to power it. They do a better job of it than I can here.
‘N’ scale Bachmann EZ-track turnouts: $14.50
Plug and play. [:)]
This almost sounds like you have a SPDT-MOM(NC/NO) switch. This is a momentary contact switch with one set of contacts normally closed and one set normally open. I’ve seen a bunch of these show up at electronics stores lately (haven’t got a clue why). You need to make sure that both sets of contacts are open when the switch is idle and only one set is closed when thrown (a different set for each direction). Sorry if this sounds a little simple minded but I’m really not electrically savvy (much less electronic). Now if this were software…
No momentary switch needed! Using one DPDT on-on switch and a simple circuit which costs about $2.00 via Jameco.com ~ not RadioShack (which is expensive) ~ you can control the Atlas switch motor.
If you understand simple electrionics and would like to build your own circuts here is what I used before I scraped it all and went with tortise. http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/ToggleTwin.html
If you don’t understand electronics and would like copies of the printed circuit boards (PCB) that I designed, e-mail me (see my profile) and I’ll send you copies. I have a PCB to control a single switch and one PCB, 3" by 4.5", that supports 16. The PBCs have pin outs for using LEDs on the control panel to indicate which direction the turnout is set. Using my PCBs all you need to do is buy the parts, etch the PCB and solder.