Hi - since I’ve added a few accessories and I’m getting set to run some “permanent” wiring under my layout, I was going to build a service box to keep all the wiring in some kind of logical order. I found the MTH terminal blocks online, but they seem a little pricey. I found these terminal strips, but I have a question:
15 terminal black phenolic barrier strip.
Would I need 2 strips - one for Positive and one for Negative? Do you have to run little feeders down one side, or are all these screws electrically connected?
I use similar ones from Radio Shack. Radio Shack also offers a metal strip that you can use to inter-connect them. I will often take an eight position strip and an eight poisition connector and cut the connector in half. This gives me four hot and four common.
The connectors only come in eight position. If you want to use them on 4 or 6 position strips, you will need to cut. I usually use a Dremel w/cut off wheel.
Each screw is ind. The lil u shaped connectors will make each screw the same. I did use 1 ea for both pos & neg, using the connectors for all the term screws for separate blocks( 4 for ea block in my case). Radio Shack has these for short $.
For acc’s, 2 wires ea to & from the acc and block. Wire strips to trans like 1 acc, then the acc’s to strips.
The screws are not joined together down the length of the strip. You would have to create a feeder down one side if you wanted power to all the screws.
Depending on how many accessories you run, you might need a “+” and a “-” strip.
Here is a photo of one of my terminal strips. As you can see, the feeder wire connects 6 of the 10 screws on the strip (yes the black wire is a hot wire in this case because I ran out of red wire), so I could use the remaining four as the “-” side if I wanted.
Thanks guys, that’s what I thought from looking at the picture. I need to get a book on electronics and stuff one of these days. I’d like to design and build some of my own scratch accessories one of these days with little motors etc, so will need to get up to speed. I know enough to wire my house, so I’m not totally inept (a little ept?).
RS and other electronics stores (online - Mouser Electronics) sell a much better terminal strip that does not require you to crimp terminals onto the wire. Saves a lot of time since all you have to do is strip the wire back and insert it into the terminal and are much easier to use and maintain their connections much better (the older style barrier strips mentioned above have a bad habit of the screws loosening with time. I have these under my home layout and am amazed at the number of times I find a loose wire and the screw on the floor from the vibration of the trains). The improved terminal strip is called a European style terminal strip. We use these exclusively on the Lionel layouts and have had great success with them.
RS Model: 274-677
RS Model: 274-679
RS Model: 274-680 (this is the version I typically use - always buy the 12 position and cut it to the length needed - which can be easily done with a razor knife with no loss of terminal positions)
If you are going to use the standard barrier strip mentioned above, a nice feature is the shorting bars you can buy to run down one side to make a voltage bus.
RS Model: 274-650
Unfortunately RS only sells these as an 8-position jumper.
BTW - another nice feature of the European style strips is they do not crack or break if you put a mounting screw in too tighly.
Jim, the Home Depot near me also carries both types in the electrical department where they have all the wire nuts, stake-ons, etc… I don’t know if all stores carry the same items. As Roy said the better ones are the European style.
Others are more knowledgeable than I, but I believe those terminals are all isolated from each other. That is why the MTH terminals are attractive. LGB makes a terminal strip, but its price is similar to MTH’s.
You could use that terminal by placing jumper wires along each side. It is a little bit of work, but it will be effective.
Thanks for the info guys. I was holding one of those Euro types at RS earlier (went to 2 of them today looking for supplies - neither had push on/off buttons or 8 slot terminal strips. I bought 4 of the 4 slot terminal strips (all they had) and two jumpers… Now, I think I might run to Home Depot tomorrow and see what they have - didn’t think of them before! What I really want is essentially a bus bar service! I thought too of buying some ground bars that they sell for electrical services and using those, just attached through some electric tape to a wood board. I guess to jump the Euro type, you’d need to make a lot of little pieces of wire (or use some bare ground wire and twist little teeth on it like a comb) and run them down the side as in the example photo above. Thanks for all the data, plenty to think about!
I saw a unique and very inexpensive form for a terminal strip at a train shop. A PIANO hinge!
Especially if your thinking of a bus bar application. The hinge of course is entirely electrically common, and the various mounting screws were all terminal locations, pre-drilled. Using a external or internal tooth lock washer both beneth and above the ring terminal seemed very effective.
Hopefully Roy or Bob may have some comment on this approach.
Doug I sure am going to try the approach you suggested, I have the carpet tape, carpet pad, and hot glue, only difference I am using G Scale elevated. Secure the track occassional with a screw just for safety.
I still have, from my old layout, my old telephone key system terminal blocks and a punchdown tool. I opped to spend a few and bought the MTH 12 terminal blocks for each loop and the sidings. I have a 24 position MTH terminal bloack for accessories. They work great.
DON, I use the PIANO hinge and works great. I have four of them under the layout and all my feeder wires to the track are hooked up there then one lead to the ZW. Never had any problems and is very inexpensive. Along with drilling more holes into it for more drops. Cost was zero for me, school was throwing out old cabinets and got them on a scrounge.
What I use for buss bars are extension grounding bars for circuit breaker boxes. These are sold at Home Depot and Lowes. They cost about $2 a pair and have multiple screw terminals.
The screw types from different manufacturers have different spacings for the screws. If you are going to buy a lot, the RS are more expensive per unit. The RS jumpers do not fit all other manufacturer stips and RS is the only one i have found that makes a jumper strip. Also watch the spade connectors you get…not only for the wire part but for the screw connection. RS tends to be smaller and more manageable for a power bus. The Euro style … again they come with differring spacings between connectors…are best for Switch, accessory etc. The screws are small…you get a lot of back-time under the benchwork. I found allelectric to be the cheapest incl shipping for both kinds. especially if you buy bulk.
While you are thinking about it look into the euro style saddle connectors to run feeds from the buses to the tracks…makes life–ah the back… easier.
Jim, As someone suggested earlier the grounding bars for electrical panels make excellent buss type terminal strips. I have seen a layout where they were used extensively. No need for insulation other than to mount them to wood at the voltages we are using in O gauge. If you want to use conventional terminal strips go to All Electonics site. Prices are much less than RS. What they have in stock does vary from to time as they are a surplus & overstock liquidation house.
This link will get you to the terminal strips, right now they have 46 types in stock.
The jumpers are called “plate jumpers” and are very effective at multiplyiing the output terminalls on barrier block type terminal strips.
If you desire something heavier that the Radio Shack strips an Ideal strip much like Chris illustrates above [up to 12 positions]can be purchased at Graybar, GE or electrical houses. Ideal offers individual plate jumpers that provide much flexibility in how you set up your strip.
You can get the same flexibility with a a Shack strip by cutting the jumper strip with side cutting pliers [hacksaw or whatever] to achieve the number of positions you wish to utilize.
If for example, you wish to set up an 8 position, 16 screw head, Shack strip for 8 Hot outputs and 8 Common or Neutral outputs, simply cut an 8 position plate jumper strip in half and install on the strip. Then from the transformer, connect a Hot wire to one screw terminal on one half of the strip and a Common to one terminal on the other half. Including the screw head utilized for the connection from transformer, you now have 8 Hot and 8 Common outputs for multiple track feeders. You can do the same on a smaller scale with a 4 and or, 6 position terminal strip.
It is far more effective and trouble-free if you use spade connectors for fastening to the strip’s terminal screws.
John correctly notes cheaper catalog prices at ALL ELectronics where I have bought diodes, meters and strips over the years. However, their minimum $7 S&H stated in my last catalog is very high and has stopped me from buying unless a large order. If using just a few strips or other products, the Shack or an Automotive Fastener distributor is better.
Thanks guys - to go with the 4 2x4 strips I bought yesterday, I bought 2 2/10 strips at HD. They were pricey, but since I don’t need anything else, about the same price as with s&h of $7 I guess! I’m going to design a small box for this layout - it’s only about 3.5 ft by 8 ft, but I like lots of moving stuff, so want to have room. I guess that when I build a bigger layout in the basement one day, I will just get some thin brass bar stock and matching screws and make a some long busbars. I looked at the busbars they had at my HD, but I wasn’t sure how well those big screws would lock the thin wires I’m using… Having said that the MTH version was pricey, I figure I’ve spent about the same amount for 18 slots!!! Oh well, chalk it up to experience.
