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

"Mark Sornson" <sornson@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:44E0D5F6.6010804@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Excellent question - I just faced the same problem, so I offer the solution
I chose and look forward to other's comments on your question.

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 have elected to go the same way.

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.

My layout is basically two reverse loops connected by single track, with a
passing siding at the half-way point on the single track, plus some
additional spurs. Most of the main line track is Aristo, with an 8' dia.
min radius, and to carry-over this minimum, I'm using the LGB wide radius
(8' dia.) turnouts. I bought an LGB turnout controller (the orange box
thing), but decided instead to use Radio Shack push-buttons integrated into
my panel fed through an appropiately wired pair of diodes. I am using the
LGB auxiliary contacts added to the EPL turnout motors to cut-off power to
the spurs when the turnouts are set for the main line - saves wires back to
the control panel. I am using the spring switch feature of the LGB manual
turnout controls to correctly route my trains around the reverse loops and
onto the right hand passing tracks. This has worked fine with metal wheeled
Bachmann cars, LGB and Aristo locos, and heavier Aristo rolling stock even
with plastic wheels. I did have to add weight and a spring to get Bachmann
4-6-0 pilot trucks to track through the spring switches reliably.

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).

I initially also planned to use multi-conductor connectors to make my panel
removable, but could not find any that were weather proof at reasonable
(i.e. really cheap) cost. I instead decided to make my panel semi-portable
on a semi-permanent cable pendant. I went to a local estate liquidator's
shop and found a nice metal box that had apparently been designed to hold
"IBM" Hollerith cards that was about the right size. Inside just below the
lid I mounted a piece of 1/8" white plexiglas as the contorl panel surface
and mounted my control toggle switches and pushbuttons to that surface. On
the base of the panel I mounted Radio Shack European style terminal strips,
the transformer from an old Marx 75 watt toy train transformer asmy main
power supply, and an Aristo "Train Engineer" walk-around control receiver.
I found a tail end scrap of 24 conductor 18 gauge stranded cable at a local
electrical supply wholesale house at a good price, and use this to attach
the control panel box to my layout central terminal connections under the
deck behind my house. The rest of the layout wiring is all done with
low-voltage outdoor lighting UV resistant 16 gauge zip-cord from Lowes and
Home Depot - again cheap and low voltage drop. It's only been 3 months, but
so far leaving the box connected and storing it between operating sessions
in a plastic bag under the deck has worked fine with no moisture or bug
problems. I do plan to disconnect the 24 wires from the under-deck terminal
strip in the fall (a couple minute job) and bring the panel & cable inside
for the winter.

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)?

I used Radio Shack pushbuttons as they are small and readily available, but
as another responder has noted, RS quality is declining - the pushbuttons
would start to melt if I was not careful in my soldering, letting the
terminals sag into the plastic cases and upset pushbutton relability. I
fortunately had 40 year old Cutler-Hammer DPDT's left over from another
project to use for the track power controls. I suggest you try a local
electrical supply wholesaler or an industrial supplier like Grainger to find
good quality switches.

Any other advice anyone would care to volunteer from experience is
welcome, too.
Thanks in advance. -mark.

You're most welcome. Geezer


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