? lighted buttons for accessory activation

A couple of searches...CW80 is just fine for the LEDs. The CW80 is AC but the LEDs will only conduct on half the cycle. You can put one diode in series with the LEDs to protect them from a reverse voltage peak.

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/led-arcade-button

http://www.aliexpress.com/popu...-arcade-buttons.html

Thanks.  I'm an amateur at electrical work.  How do I identify a proper diode?  Any tricks to wiring?  Red wire or black wire side?  Thanks

With AC out of the CW80 it won't matter red or black post, but just for clarity, connect the red post to the + side of all the push button LEDs connected together and connect the - side of all the push button LEDs together and from there to the arrow (+) side of a diode and connect the bar (-) side of the diode to the black post. The push buttons all have an isolated micro switch, each of which can then be the switch in line with the power to each accessory. The normally open terminal and the common terminal of the micro switch would be the micro switch connections used to turn something on when the button is pushed.

Set the output voltage of the CW80 to about 15 to 18 volts for the desired brightness. The LEDs will only see half the AC waveform so that even with the CW80 set to 18 volts, the LEDs will only see an effective about 12 volts DC.

I have installed numerous pushbuttons on our club layout which is open to the public.  Children of all ages love to push those buttons.

One problem I have encountered with using lighted pushbuttons (I've used doorbell pushbuttons) is that accessories that are "activated" (think MTH fire station) will continue to cycle.  I had to got back to an unlighted pushbutton that completely opens the circuit.  Lighted pushbuttons work well for regular accessories such as the gateman, log loader, etc.

Don

Are you saying that the doorbell pushbutton had their lamps in series with the switch for the accessory? That is not the case for these pushbuttons. The LEDs are completely isolated from the switch that turns on the accessory.

Yes they were in series.

Don

Ah that makes sense. I was thinking about the lamp current, but wasn't thinking when I said series. And now that I think, the lamp used to go off when you pressed the button. But anyway, these LED lighted buttons are isolated from the micro switch. I never knew about these "Arcade" type push buttons until I did this search. The micro switch apparently snaps on to the push button mechanically and the button pushes on the lever of the micro switch.

I couldn't find any information as to how much current the microswitch can carry.  Some of the older motor driven accessories such as 397 coal loader can pull a fair amount of current.  Are the microswitches up to it?

Don

Garrett76 posted:

I'd like to place some buttons along the outside edge of my Christmas layout for guests to activate accessories.  I'd like to use red and/or green arcade game style buttons that light up... 

1. Are the buttons "momentary" where the guest must keep it pressed to keep an accessory on?  Or do the accessories run one "cycle" or to completion with a momentary activation?  Or perhaps there's a follow-up question about timers and such.

2. Are the button lights meant to be on all the time?  Or do the button light comes on when the accessory is running?  Or maybe a button blinks to indicate "press me" and then turns off until the accessory is ready to be activated again?

I had a button activated smoke-generating accessory at a public display.  To keep the kids from running it constantly, I ended up including a timer to limit how frequently it could be activated.  A light in the activation switch would come on indicating "ready".

CArolina Shagger posted:

I couldn't find any information as to how much current the microswitch can carry.  Some of the older motor driven accessories such as 397 coal loader can pull a fair amount of current.  Are the microswitches up to it?

Don

Microswitches can be had in ratings of 30A or more, so I suspect one can be found that will do the trick.   The dinky little Cherry switch that Lionel uses for a chuff switch is rated at 3A/125V.

Kind of depending on what the accessory requires, the LEDs can be wired to go on, go off, or just be on all the time with out affecting the accessory. The easiest to describe as above is just be on.

Ok, I bought a few of these lighted arcade buttons.  No instructions were included.  The center black unit inserts into the left green unit.  How do I wire the center and right items?

Does the microswitch slip into the lamp holder?  If so, I suspect the center piece is the lamp connections, and the microswitch gets wired like any other one.  If you look close at the microswitch on the right, it should have nomenclature for the pins, COM, NO, NC.  Of course, with no documentation and nothing to really look at in person, it's hard to say what voltage or polarity the light assembly might require.

The button you bought has a description of the LED voltage I guess. Do you have a link to the place/item where you bought it?

The microswitch does snap into the bottom. The LED is isolated and probably 12 volts. If using AC, then put a diode in series with the LED terminals and polarity does not matter. Anyway a description of what you bought and what you are operating is needed.

I bought on eBay:

LED lit Arcade Push Buttons MAME Multicade

Ebay item # 110934669362

• Comes complete with LED, Nut, and Microswitch
• Auction is for 1 button, but buy as many as you like.
• Requires 12vdc to power the LED
• Fits standard 1 1/8 holes

I did send a message to the seller to see if instructions could be produced

Well, since you need 12VDC to power the LED, I think it's pretty much figured out.  The Microswitch is a standard part, follow the wiring on the side.  The LED needs 12VDC, you'll have to figure out how to get this from whatever you're powering or by adding additional components to power the light.  Now knowing the application, I can't really recommend specifics.

I intend to use several of these to activate operating accessories on my Christmas layout.  For example, the MTH crossing signal w/bell.  I don't want to hear the bell every time the train completes a trip around the loop.  So, I thought it would be better to include a lighted button for at will activation.  There will be several other items including crossing gates, aviation pylon, rotating beacon

If you have 18 vac or so anywhere, you can parallel the LEDs all together, plus terminals to plus terminals and negative to negative. Then plus side to the 18 vac, the neg side to the anode of a diode (1N4003) and then the cathode of the diode to the other lead from the 18 vac. That will light the pushbuttons always on if that is what you desire.

And you understand the micro switch leads are NO normally open, NC normally closed, and Common. So energize a circuit for an accessory by connecting the power for the accessory to the Common and the NO normally open to the accessory.