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Reply to "Lighted toggle switches for power districts in conventional"

4%20switches%204%20relays%20hookup

Above photo hijacked from this OGR thread may shed some light on the method Leo suggests.

All the control-panel wiring would be 12V DC which could come from a wall-wart AC-to-DC adapter.  These adapters are less than $5 shipped.  Another photo from linked thread:

12v%202a%20dc%20with%20screw-terminal%20adapter

LED-illuminated automotive toggle/rocker switches are widely available but are meant to switch 12V DC.  Should be able to get them for about $1 each shipped.   Note that while you can solder wires to the terminals, you might want to get a bag of crimped spade press-on connectors.  Also, the hole size for these is something like 1/2" (or more) so measure-twice, drill-once (!).  That is, if cutting an acrylic panel you might need a special drill bit.

12v%20automotive%20illuminated%20switch

Then you use 12V relays to switch the actual train track AC.  As Leo says 10A relays are readily available in 1,2,4,8 and even 16 channel modules... maybe $2-3 per relay.  Following photo hijacked from this OGR thread showing relative size of automotive switch, 1 and 4 channel relay module, and O-gauge track.

IMG_4670

As discussed here and there, one benefit of using 12V lighted switches and 12V relays is you can typically reduce the amount of heavy-duty, thick wiring.  By this I mean all the control panel wiring and the wiring from the panel to the relays carry relatively low-currents so you can use thinner wires which are easier to work with behind a crowded control panel and to construct wiring bundles or harnesses.  If you sketch out a "to-scale" drawing of your layout showing the required wiring runs or 12V control signals and AC track voltage you might see using, say, two 2-channel relay modules and one 4-channel relay module can make for "neater" wiring than a single 8-channel module.

If this approach is something you'd like to pursue, we can identify specific Amazon listings if that is your preferred supplier.

 

 

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  • IMG_4670
Last edited by stan2004

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