Electrical "Odds-n-Ends" for Model Railroading Enthusiasts
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Electrical "Odds-n-Ends" for Model Railroading Enthusiasts
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What are some of the common uses for our products?Below are some of the applications and application ideas we've run across so far. Each entry is a hyperlink which will jump you down to that topic on the page.
MTH® O Scale Crossing Gates (30-11012).This application is what influenced us to go into business. MTH® suggests using their ITADs with their crossing gates, which are really cool, but they have their drawbacks. See Relay vs. ITAD Comparison Chart for more information. The better solution? Use either our DPDT-1 relay or MTR-12T relay which are 12V so they run off you current transformer and include easy to use screw terminals - no soldering! The NC (normally closed) and NO (normally open) connect to your crossing gates, and you trigger the relay with a control rail from your insulated block. The tricky part is what to do with the blue wire from the crossing gates - well this brings power back to the relay. Simple once you know the secret! Wiring diagram? Yes, included with the relay is a detailed, easy to follow mechanical wiring diagram. Ok, ok - I've had mixed feelings about posting this info the web (intellectual property of SO&E, you know) but here is the DPDT-1 manual. Hopefully you'll see how easy it is to use. DPDT-1 Crossing Gates Wiring Diagram Wiring instructions for Lionel's New Mainline Auto Crossing Gates (6-14098).The wiring design for Lionel's new crossing gates is very similar to MTH's 30-11012 gates, but the color coding of the wire is different so there may be some initial confusion when wiring with our DPDT-1 (or MTR-12T) relay. Hook up info: As in all other applications with our DPDT-1 relay, terminal 8 goes to the control rail in your insulated block, and terminal 7 is connected to your transformer (10-14VAC). This hook up activates the relay coil. The other connections are as follows:
Wiring Signal AccessoriesMTH's 30-11005, 30-11025, 30-11024, 30-11023, 30-11009, 30-11013 & 30-11011 require a relay because they include NO (normally open) and NC (normally closed) connections. Generally speaking, the green wire is NC, red is NO, you need to provide appropriate voltage to the relay (10-14VAC) to power the lights and the black wires go to your transformer common. Note dual track signals require two relays for prototypical operation.
Signals That Don't Require a Relay:Though we'd like to to sell relays for everything, some accessories only require an insulated rail connection but not a relay. Examples include MTH's 30-11006, 30-11010 & 30-1093 and Lionel's 71-2944-250.
Relays and Lionel Tinplate TrackLionel® and similar tin plate track isolate the center rail but not the outside rails. Because this track uses metal ties, the ties acts like an electrical conduit. Therefore, when the common lead is connected to one outside rail, the opposing outside rail is common, too. Most other track products (i.e. GarGraves, Ross, Atlas, Curtis, and MTH®) by the nature of design isolate all three rails, thus making insulated block control easy. But tin plate-ers aren't out of luck, O Gauge Railroading gives the following instructions in their Primer (a "must have" guide for operators):
Insulated Blocks and MTH® RailKing® RealTrax®RailTrax® users are initially thwarted when it comes to insulated blocks because the electrical connections are made underneath the track. The good news is all three rails are electrically isolated and MTH® makes available 5" insolated straights (part# 40-1029). All you need to do is have one of these insolated straights at either end of your block, unhook the appropriate jumper wire(s) and you're all set! As an alternative, the copper tabs underneath regular track sections which carry the voltage from piece to piece section can be bent so that they don't make contact. This also will create a block. One note, track movement while in operation may lead to the rails making contact and foiling your block. A piece of electrical tape or liquid electrical tape just on the rail ends will avoid that. You can find more information posted on MTH's web site at www.mth.com. Wiring points for your insulated block are underneath the track either at the copper points at either end of the track or you can solder through any one of the convenient holes on the underside where the bottom of the track peaks through. Or you could solder a connection on the side of the track on the outside - whatever suits you better. Another note: You can cut the track with a Dremmel tool to create a block, especially if you want the block to start somewhere in the center of a pre-made section of RailKing® track. A solder joint either underneath or on the top side as described before would complete your block.
Wiring of MTH® SignalsWiring other MTH® accessories, i.e. dwarf signals, 3 over 3s, 1 over 1s, block signals, etc., is a little different that the crossing gates - but still very easy. The only difference is you have to bring power (10-14VAC) from your transformer to the relay. It still operates accessories with a combination of NO &NC connections, triggered by a control rail in a block. Much easier than the suggested ITAD/TAD combination and you can supply lower voltage to the NO & NC contacts so the lights aren't quite so bright and they last longer. Using DPDT-1 or MTR-12T with Lionel® AccessoriesHere are general instructions for the DPDT-1 relay which can apply to most accessories that include NO/NC connections.
Using DPDT-1 Relays for Block ControlOur DPDT-1 relay is a great choice for block control because of the ease of wiring, wiring flexibility and most importantly, coil voltage/amperage capability (good up to 15 amps on the relay, 10 amps on the base!). Being able to take the higher power is important because in block control we are turning on and off (in the simplest of terms) power to the center rail. With block control the relay coil is being triggered by an outside control rail, just like aforementioned accessory control, but the relay is controlling the center rail of another block. O Gauge Railroading Primer is an excellent book with block control information, as are Greenberg's wiring books. When determining control blocks, priority needs to be assessed. In other words, when your train is in one block, which has priority, the power in another block is turned off - or turned down - so that collision doesn't occur. With reverse units going into neutral when power is turned off, it is sometimes better to instead decrease the power to the secondary block and stall the locomotive rather than turn it off completely so it can progress forward when the occupied primary block is clear. Another option is to simply lock the e-unit in forward. Below are some wiring examples:
Most often I see a loop broken into three blocks. The block the train currently occupies turns off the power to the block immediately behind the train. Also note that our MTR-12T works well for most of these applications, too.
Auxiliary Transformer Applications1. New suggestion: Using T45 to charge MTH® batteriesFirst of all, thanks to the Chicago based model railroad club that suggested this application. I think it may be of great interest to all who own MTH® Premier and RailKing® engines and need a way to charge the batteries without taking out the battery or firing up the big layout: Using our T45 along with the supplied line cord, hook up the T45 12V output to a lock on and then to a piece of three rail track. Choose a piece of track long enough to handle your longest diesel engine or steam engine/tender combination. Turn off the smoke unit (if applicable) and place engine or engine/tender combination on track. Plug in transformer to household 110V wall jack....and charge! No need to flip through the "reset/forward/neutral/reverse" combination because the battery will charge in the initial reset mode (per my conversations with MTH®). 2. Using T45 to power MTH® track interface units (TIU)Many have chosen to power their DCS™ systems with smaller transformer such as the MTH® Z-750®. This is a great little transformer but it doesn't include any accessory outputs. The TIU requires 12VAC - but not a lot of amps - to power it. Our T45 will work great on this application. FAQ: Applying Voltage To RelaysIt may be a hard concept to follow, but it's important that what ever transformer you use to power the positive side of the coil on our (anybody's) relays is the same transformer as the common side (negative) that is the control rail. Though one would assume that "common is common" it amazing that voltage wants to find its way back home to its source. The relay simply won't function if this is not done. Customer suggested BR-1 application (rectifier, only):"I bought three bridge rectifiers from to to convert some Lionel® DC engines for AC operation. They do the job perfectly. .... market these items for this application with confidence." - SG FAQ: Nominal ratingsA number of transformers include auxiliary outputs for accessories, typically 10V and 14V AC. Our DPDT-1 and MTR-12T relays are rated at 12V, nominal. More specifically, 10 - 14 volts AC will activate the coil just fine. This page will be updated on an ongoing basis. Check back for updates and/or submit your own! Using Scott's Odds-n-Ends Relays with Z Stuff for Trains DZ-1011 block signal detectorThis is a question we get a lot at the train shows, and the answer is Yes - you can use our MTR-12T or DPDT-1 relays with Z Stuff detectors. I'm a big fan of Z Stuff products and have used their switch machines for years. The comment I hear is some would like a more robust relay to use with their DZ-1011 when controlling MTH crossing gates, etc. The output of the DZ-1011 can trigger our relay. For hook-up, the DZ-1011 red connects to one input of our relay, the DZ-1011 white to the other.
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