Any good sources to recommend where one may get some idea of what is involved in building a control panel?
thanks!
Ed
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I suggest doing a forum search. Many good threads on the subject over the years.
Depends on how and what you operate. Conventional, DCS, TMCC, Legacy? Large Pike, small Pike, walk-around or one central control location?
Conventional....maybe running two trains off of a KW. A dozen or more switches and various accessories. Just would like to know what options are re materials. All wood or is plexiglass popular for board as well
How about doing a simple Google search for O gauge control panel? I saw plenty of info there, including some pointing back to this forum.
Mine is a plywood box on casters. ZW Transformer. Atlas Selectors and controller for track blocks. Traditional O Switch controllers and UCS Controllers and doorbell buttons for un-couple tracks. In the lower part of the box there is a power outlet strip, additional old slot car transformers for accessories, and the box with the meter is a voltmeter with a selector switch that will switch between A,B,C and D ZW Posts. Note the Fob. That is the Power On/Off
Picture below is for track blocks. White wires are ZW U Post Common. Red wires on the right come down from the Atlas Selectors for Block Control. White and Red wires in the middle are the wires going out to the track.
Back Side. Upper row of terminal strips are for accessory power and USC and U-Couple Tracks. Terminal Strips on the Lower Left are for the O- 22 Switches. Lower Right, more USC Tracks. All wires go through the black flex tubing to under the benchwork. White wire is the power outlet strip.
This is the remote wall plug. Sold for Christmas Lights. The Fob on the control panel in the first picture turns the power strip for the control panel on / off.
Steve
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Here is a link to something I posted a few years back. Not prototypical, strictly toy train.
Nice example Steve.
Ed, I started with a rusty cookie sheet. I set my ZW and a VW transformers on top of a computer table with a slide-out shelf. Track voltage out goes to a standard power strip. Lamp cord runs from the power strip to all power drops. Pretty runs second to function on my railroad. Label everything. Labels last longer than my memory. Here come pictures...
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Thanks Gents! Will take all under consideration!!
Ed
From back in the day(2010)--about as simple as one can get. Two power districts--dual mainline (black) and service Yard (red) illustrated via auto striping schematic on vinyl shelf liner over Masonite board.
Tortoise switch motors operated by simple toggles with leaning position of switch handle indicating 15 remotely located Ross track switch point's position. VAC black & red panel meters on top panel row reflect 18 VAC TMCC voltage, Green meter reflects 12 VDC for Tortoise motors. Bottom row are two 0-15 range AAC meters and a spare DC meter.
The two black boxes with green eyes are just for fun. They are expensive,obsolete ($80+)Power Guards designed to clamp voltage spikes. However 50 cent TVS do a better job, just absent the flashing red and green lights.
Attic layout's Power Center also shown right below:
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As a pioneer in miniaturized electronics, I tend to keep things small. The pictured control panel measures 30" by 5" and powers a two level layout. It provides variable AC or DC track voltage plus TMCC and controls 12 remote turnouts, 7 sidings, 13 illuminated buildings/towers, a log loader, a barrel loader, a culvert loader, a transfer depot, 2 cranes, 4 uncoupling tracks and reads train position from 6 IR sensors.
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With 12 switches it is hard to keep track of which switch controller operates which switch. My layout has grown to 31 switches and I can not imagine operating without a Active Touch Track Diagram Control Panel shown below for my Main train board. Switch buttons are red and green.
It is simple and quick to locate the switch location on the track diagram and just push the proper button for the track switch.
The control panel uses mini push button switches and slide switches for track and accessories. This means you will not need the Lionel switch control buttons and there two power hogging lights.
This picture shows the whole Main control panel with LW transformers, turntable control and switches on the side for accessories and lights, etc.
You can see a complete description on how I built it in post 8 on page 1 of the OGR link below.
https://ogrforum.com/...ra-027-layout?page=1
Charlie
