Re: Seeking hints on building a control panel ...

Mark Sornson wrote:
Arguments about cart-before-the-horse aside,
I'm almost ready to wire my outdoor G-scale
layout, which I'm planning to run using standard
DC power and isolation blocks (as I don't
have engines ready to run any of the various
cab-controlled systems).

I need to build a control panel for a couple
of main loops, one extra small loop, plus a few
sidings, with controls for a mix of LGB and
Aristocraft remote switches, which I have the
respective controllers for.

I don't plan on leaving the control panel
out-of-doors, which means I need one or more
type of snap-in/snap-out connectors so I
can easily connect and disconnect the wiring
(run to a central spot). And I also need to
mount and wire some switches and power selectors
so I can supply/cut power to my sidings (which
I'd like to supply by selecting one of
three separately controlled power supplies).

Since I'm not an electronics hobbiest, and
this is my first layout, I'm looking for
recommendations for a source for switches and
connectors that are good for this sort of
thing. Mail-order is OK. Could I find what
I need at Radio Shack (since they are
everywhere)?

Any other advice anyone would care to volunteer
from experience is welcome, too.

Thanks in advance.
-mark.

Radio Shack is everywhere, so anything you can get from Radio Shack is something that you can get anywhere, and probably find replacements for in the future. Unfortunately Radio Shack is contracting the range of parts stocked, and in a few years may be down to nothing more than AA batteries. Plus the quality of Radio Shack toggle switches is lower than I would like.
Good mail order houses are Mouser, Digikey, and All Electronics. Addresses and such will turn up with a bit of googling. All is a surplus place, offering some good deals, but here today gone tomorrow. By sure to order some spares so that you can replace failed stuff in the future. Surplus house wire makes a good power bus. Surplus telephone wire or LAN wire is good for signal circuits. Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) toggle switches, Single Pole Single Throw (SPST) push buttons are most useful. Model railroading voltage and current levels are low enough that any switch offered will have voltage and current ratings adequate to the task.
Traditional model railroad control panels have a schematic track diagram with the toggle and push button switches mounted on the schematic to indicate which track block or turnout they control.

David Starr





David Starr
.

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