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SHUT OFF ISOLATED TRACK POWER

 

I have some staging tracks on my DCC Z scale layout where I would like to park locos and kill the power to the tracks. They are all isolated right now. I would like to use one of my simple On/Off toggle switches with a LED indicator to control power flow to the tracks and show me with the light when they are live. What is the best way to wire this? I am using a Digitrax Zephyr with a step down attachment that puts out 8 volts to the tracks.?
 

Why do you want to turn those tracks off? Leaving them on does not hurt them. And, they lights can stay on.

Power Routed turnouts would easily resolve this. Nothing else needed except 2 wires to the track, to connect an LED.

To 'disconnect' the staging tracks, you will need to isolator joiners at the turnout. Then wire a DPST Toggle (or Slide) Switch to the track and also to your DCC. Make sure you keep the same polarity of the wiring. On the Track wired side, connect additional 2 wires to the Resistor and LED (polarity on these 2 wires not necessary as it is only an LED.? See attached.


Note the position of the Toggle switch !? It 'points' to the end contact it is connected to. (Solid outline position points to Staging track/LED). When you want the Staging track off, move the Toggle to the dashed outline position (points to 'no' contacts.

DPST are relatively popular but DPDT are generally more popular. Wire the same, just leaving the other 'end' terminals unused.
Slide switches make this more obvious, with the slide handle 'slid' over the connecting contacts.

Happy Ho-Ho's

Jeff
SF Bay Area Z
a.k.a. 'The BAZ BoyZ'
 
Edited

?
Thanks as usual for the tips, Jeff. I believe I have a bunch of DPDT switches I got accidentally while shopping for something else. They are the On-OFF-On type with six points. If I understand your diagram and instructions correctly, the leads form the DCC power would be wire to the two center pins on my DPDT switches and I just ignore one of the outer pairs, correct?
?
 
Edited

Jeff, Anthony,

I've found that DPDT - Center Off gives you more versatility.? I have my layout broken out into about 25 blocks, and can run 3 trains simultaneously.? That center-off position allows you to run up to a "dead" block, then have one of the two controllers take over.

Good luck!


- Rick Saviano
 

If you're using Rokuhan track, they have a new switch to power on or of blocks.?
Rob, editor of Z track magazine might be taking pre-orders. I would reach out to him.

You can see the device on the Rokuhan site. Select the Japanese option on "News etc." Then use google translate to view piece. The description is in somewhat of broken English buy you'll get the idea.

Cheers,
Kian
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

If it were me I'd wire the tracks to the center pins and the controller to one set of the outer pins, strictly because that's how to wire two-cab DC block controls and so that's what I'm familiar with. Either way will work though, all the voltage cares about is connection.

I echo the question though, if you are running DCC why turn the track power off? The beauty of DCC is you can eliminate all the extra wiring and switches that are needed for DC block controls.

V/R
Larry P. Card
Franklinton NC
? ?_________
./___________\.
(]]]___o___[[[)
|\_o_______o_/|
|__|.......|__|


From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Anthony Azzara via groups.io <afazzara@...>
Sent: Monday, December 7, 2020 2:19 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [z-scale] SHUT OFF ISOLATED TRACK POWER
?
Thanks as usual for the tips, Jeff. I believe I have a bunch of DPDT switches I got accidentally while shopping for something else. They are the On-OFF-On type with six points. If I understand your diagram and instructions correctly, the leads form the DCC power would be wire to the two center pins on my DPDT switches and I just ignore one of the outer pairs, correct?

On Sunday, December 6, 2020, 06:08:10 PM EST, sj_baz_man via groups.io <justforreg1@...> wrote:


Why do you want to turn those tracks off? Leaving them on does not hurt them. And, they lights can stay on.

Power Routed turnouts would easily resolve this. Nothing else needed except 2 wires to the track, to connect an LED.

To 'disconnect' the staging tracks, you will need to isolator joiners at the turnout. Then wire a DPST Toggle (or Slide) Switch to the track and also to your DCC. Make sure you keep the same polarity of the wiring. On the Track wired side, connect additional 2 wires to the Resistor and LED (polarity on these 2 wires not necessary as it is only an LED.? See attached.


Note the position of the Toggle switch !? It 'points' to the end contact it is connected to. (Solid outline position points to Staging track/LED). When you want the Staging track off, move the Toggle to the dashed outline position (points to 'no' contacts.

DPST are relatively popular but DPDT are generally more popular. Wire the same, just leaving the other 'end' terminals unused.
Slide switches make this more obvious, with the slide handle 'slid' over the connecting contacts.

Happy Ho-Ho's

Jeff
SF Bay Area Z
a.k.a. 'The BAZ BoyZ'

 

Incidentally, I want to isolate those tracks because they will be in a hidden staging yard so I won't see the lights anyway. The turnouts will be mostly switching between two isolated tracks so if I keep them power routing then one will always be live.

Anthony

On Sunday, December 6, 2020, 06:08:10 PM EST, sj_baz_man via groups.io <justforreg1@...> wrote:


Why do you want to turn those tracks off? Leaving them on does not hurt them. And, they lights can stay on.

Power Routed turnouts would easily resolve this. Nothing else needed except 2 wires to the track, to connect an LED.

To 'disconnect' the staging tracks, you will need to isolator joiners at the turnout. Then wire a DPST Toggle (or Slide) Switch to the track and also to your DCC. Make sure you keep the same polarity of the wiring. On the Track wired side, connect additional 2 wires to the Resistor and LED (polarity on these 2 wires not necessary as it is only an LED.? See attached.


Note the position of the Toggle switch !? It 'points' to the end contact it is connected to. (Solid outline position points to Staging track/LED). When you want the Staging track off, move the Toggle to the dashed outline position (points to 'no' contacts.

DPST are relatively popular but DPDT are generally more popular. Wire the same, just leaving the other 'end' terminals unused.
Slide switches make this more obvious, with the slide handle 'slid' over the connecting contacts.

Happy Ho-Ho's

Jeff
SF Bay Area Z
a.k.a. 'The BAZ BoyZ'

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