Control Panel Questions

If you were happy with the stiffness of the plywood, how about a thin plastic sheet over plywood? That way you don't need to pay for a more expensive thicker plastic. Has wood come done much? Maybe plastic is less expensive than wood at this point.

I used 1/8" plastic over a 1/4" fiberboard base. Sandwiched between the two, is a printed sheet with my layout depicted. The back of the fiberboard has terminals to accept the wires from the switches and LEDs. A multiconductor cable runs from these terminals out to the tortoise switch motors.

The off-(on) switches are hard to find and premium priced in my experience.

I get the (on)-(on) toggles and just use one side of it for solenoid motors.

@CAPPilot posted:

I just tried putting together a panel next to my freight yard with a thin piece of plywood.  For switches I am using simple SPST off-on (or off-none-on) toggle switches (Amazon has them at on-off toggle.  The plywood did not like drilling a larger hole for the switch, kept splitting.  So it looks like I need to go to a thicker plywood, but I would like to try plastic.

So, what type and thickness of a plastic sheet do you use for mounting toggle switches.  Needs to be stiff enough to work without a frame (they will be attached to the layout framework on one edge).

Also, I want a momentary off-(on) toggle but there does not seem to be any two position ones, only (on)-off-(on) three position switches.  I do not want a push button, so are there two position toggles like off-none-(on) and where can I find them.

Thanks!

What are the dimensions of the panel you are building?

You might look at plastic cutting boards as a source or PVC sheets.

This panel will be for my 4-track staging yard, so it has just a few switches for turnouts and power.  I guess I could have a diagram, just do not think it necessary for this application.

If I use thick enough plywood I would just stay with that.  Would 1/8" acrylic/plexiglass/ABS be stiff enough by itself?

The switches will be is one row, so 4" or 5" X 12" or 14".  Maybe longer to keep the switches more separated.

I did order a three pack of (on)-off-(on) toggles to see how they will work.

@CAPPilot posted:

The switches will be is one row, so 4" or 5" X 12" or 14".  Maybe longer to keep the switches more separated.

I did order a three pack of (on)-off-(on) toggles to see how they will work.

I would say that 1/8" acrylic would be fine. Here is a photo of the switch panels I built for my PW layout.

If you decide to go back to wood, 3/8" -1/2" plywood should be fine. Put some painter's tape across where the holes will go on both sides to help prevent splintering. Also, use a piece of scrap board underneath so the drill bit has something to go into and not splinter the backside. For larger holes I like using a circular hole saw, like for drilling a hole for a doorknob, with a power drill and, once the pilot hole is in, to run it at high speed and let the drill and hole saw do all the work.

Using an appropriately sized washer can also hide any imperfections.

PLCProf and Richie, thanks for the pics - really helps.  Richie, I will try your method on my 1/4” to see if it works, otherwise I will get a thicker one.  Like the washer idea.

Here's what I do when I want splinter-free holes on both sides of the wood:

1. Drill Press at medium- high RPM with (as Ritchie suggested) a back-up block (ideally affixed to the press table)
2. Drill 1/16 or 5/32"" pilot holes at each marked switch location from the front of the board and then flip it upside down
3. Using a very sharp Forstner bit, sized for the switch, start each hole (from the back side), slowly advancing into the wood very gradually and stop after the material from the first ply is removed.
4. After partially drilling all the holes like this, flip the board right side up again and start each hole, advancing slowly at first as before.

This method will give you very clean splinter free holes without tear-out.  The key is taking your time and using a sharp Forstner bit.  I would suggest not using Painter's with this type of bit as it will gum up and not cut cleanly.

Ron

i can laser cut the panels and holes exactly  for you. just email me a sketch with dimensions.

My approach is pure retro.  Simple & basic,  1/8" Masonite coated with several coats of Mod Podge.

The color of tape on the track plan and on the MTH terminal panels correlate to the color of tape on the selectable AC or DC power source.  This is the track layout along the back wall.

Every power block has an on-off toggle

I've a prototype at the moment as it is my first control panel build and I opted for 1/4" plywood... a new *fancy* one will replace it sometime in 2022.  I just added a couple more toggles for the tortoises and three more yard toggles to the right.  I haven't much space so very quick and easy access is important.  Not very impressive looking but it's getting me to where I want to go.