Need help with wiring

I think my note wasn't clear maybe?  I have the 12v power transformers (one for camera and another for power to monitor). That's not my issue. My issue is - I don't know how to wire this thing so that I can turn it on/off when I turn the yard power on/off. I can't wire it to the same toggle that powers the yard as that is powered at 18v by the PH brick. 

Basically, I will need to wire it per the diagram BUT because this is going in my layout and not in a car, there is no "shifting into reverse" to turn it on/off.  I need to figure out a way to get it to turn on/off via a toggle switch or some other method, when I want to use the yard.  And the power will be running through the 12v converters, so it's not as simple as just connecting it to the existing toggle switch for the yard (because that is and needs to be 18v).  I understand what needs to happen but just don't know how to accomplish the goal.    Peter

So basically if you want to manually turn it on/off, you can add a toggle switch on one of the 2 wires that comes out of the 12v wall wart.

Many other fancier options available....but this is the down and dirty method to get you started.

B

Here is a photo of the 12v converter to show it has a plug in housing that connects to the camera wire housing - if this helps.

Could really use a simple diagram showing what the wiring should look like (what wires go to toggle and which wire goes to which toggle post, what camera wires go to toggle and to what toggle post, etc.).

Change your switch out. Put in a dpst (double pole single throw) switch. Wire the yard to one side and the camera to the other.

Ron

Wouldn't that be problematic?  As I said in my earlier post, the power source to the toggle is 18v and I need 12v for the camera.

If both the power supply for the yard and the power supply for the camera will be turned on and off at the same time, the simplest way to manage that would be to get a switched AC power strip, available almost anywhere.

 

Larry

       
       


Thanks but I'm running command control. The yard is basically wired to a toggle that runs to a terminal block that in turn runs to the DCS unit.

A spst (single pole, single pole - basically a light switch) controls one circuit.
A dpst (double pole, single pole - 2 lights switches controlled by one lever) can control 2 circuits - yard on one side, camera on the other)

       
       


As a non-electrical guy, I realize a DPDT does double duty, but didn't realize each side of a DPDT toggle switch is electrically isolated from the other side? Meaning, each side must be powered independently for that side to work, allowing me to put 18v (via my PH brick) to yard side and 12v to the camera side of the same switch?

Peter

...each side must be powered independently for that side to work, allowing me to put 18v (via my PH brick) to yard side and 12v to the camera side of the same switch?

 

 

Correct.

 

As a non-electrical guy,

Well, by definition, if you want to play with electric trains, you need to be an electrical guy.   I suggest that you find yourself a book on simple electrical principles and components and study them.  Try a Goggle search for "toggle switch" for a start.

PJB,

   That's correct. The double pole, single throw switch will work. Just use your 12v supply on one side and the track voltage on the other input. You have to keep your head straight on which is which during the process.

Arthur,

   I can't resist because you and I have the same peeve. Do you often Goggle for toggles?

       
       


Well, I drive a car and don't hold a degree in internal combustion engineering. - but thanks for the extremely helpful post.

I actually have a good book on electronics but was posting from work and didn't have it handy.

Thanks.

The double pole single throw switch will do what you want. It is two separate switches operated by 1 lever. It needs to be rated for the highest amperage you will be using, I'm sure that's the PH-180, so 10 amps or more. You can verify it's operation and isolation with a volt/ohm meter.

 

Wiring Your Toy Train Layout by Peter Riddle is a good basic wiring book about train wiring. Very well written and easy to understand, IMO. That would explain some of the basics, not electronics, just basic train wiring. As others have stated, it is a very good thing to know some of the basics about train wiring.   

Thanks, but the problem is I still don't know how to wire the camera. The power, the ground. I suppose I need to cut off the housings at the ends of the camera-provided wires in order to make things work with a DPDT switch. That's why I posted the diagram of the parts and was hoping for a simple schematic of how to wire and where each wire would specifically go.  Peter

The camera and the monitor are separately powered. They need to be powered together at the same time so the first step is to hook the positive and negative wires from the camera and monitor together. Red to red and black to black.

Hope this helps Ron

I can't see your pictures well enough to tell what kind of jacks they are. It looked like there were bare ended wires that went to the power sources? What are the red and black bare ended wires? Better pictures might help for those of us that no longer see too well.

OK, Peter. This is easy.

1. Take both the reverse power wires and the DC power cable and connect them together, black to black, red to red.

2. Connect black to neg. of your 12 volt power source.

3. Connect the red wires to one side of your DPDT off/on switch.

4. Connect + of your power source to the other terminal on the switch.

5. Wire your track power through the other side as if it were a single pole switch.

When track power is on so is the camera system.

The position of tabs on a switch may vary.

Ron is sketch is basic, but right.

I would slice the wall-wart cord, then cut the wht/blk (the + = red) and install as in the version below. 

Use the dvd/ front camera input, instead of reverse input, and it should work.

 A second camera could be added.(green/orange) Attaching a second switch to divert the wall-wart power to also power the positive input(red), on the reversing lead would switch between the two video inputs.

 

 

 

Also, a properly selected, single, but multi-position switch could be used to turn all on/off and switch cameras on one toggle. But I would avoid it so accidental shut downs of trains don't happen. 

The diagram above is along the lines of what I was hoping for. The thing is, I know from one of my books that a DPDT switch has more posts and not exactly sure how to wire all camera components (each actual wire) to a DPDT switch's actual poles (and the returns or common wires).  Below is the photo from my book and close-up pics of each actual camera component. Thanks again for the help on this.

Peter

Difference between a single throw and a double throw is the number of connections as you have noticed.  A double throw allows either 2 sources for one destination or 2 destinations for 1 source.  A double throw swoch can be used as a single throw.

B


Sent from a smart phone....please excuse the brevity and any typos

PJB,

 

The issue you have is that the way this system is designed, when 12V DC power is applied to the "reversing light power" cable, the screen says, "Oh, the camera is on, I'd better display the picture I'm getting".  In a car, you wire that cable to the wire going to the backup lights on your car.  When they go on, the power is also fed to the camera, which signals the monitor to display the signal (only when the car is in reverse).

 

If you connect the "DC power cable" red and black to the "reversing light power" cable red and black, you can then run the blacks straight to a wall wart black (or "-" terminal).

 

The reds will connect to one side of a DPST switch which is fed by the red (or "+" terminal) from the wall wart.

 

If you use the wall wart you show, you're going to have to cut the plug end off.  There will be 2 wires in the cord.  You will need to determine which is red "+" and which is black "-".

 

The other side of the DPST switch is used to switch 18V (center rail) to the yard.

 

Like this:

 

Where the switch is illustrated, if you use a DPST, there will be 4 terminals, if you use a DPDT there will be 2 extra terminals (shown in gray) which are not used.

 

Ed

       
       


Really helpful diagram.  My DPDT switch has a small red light on it to indicate when switch power is on/off. What differences in wiring would I make to accommodate the light?  Thanks

Peter

       
       


This is also really helpful. Another dumb question - do I determine what wire in the wall wart is + and - by plugging it in and then putting my multimeter probes to the two wires and see when the multimeter has a "-" sign?

Plug it in.

 

Set meter for DC

 

Connect red meter probe to one wire.

 

Connect black meter probe to the other wire.

 

If a positive voltage is displayed, the red probe is touching +

If a negative voltage is displayed, the black probe is touching +

Looks like eddiem has you all connected.

Yep - absolutely. Thanks for all the help. Also - would anyone know how to connect all this to a DPDT switch that also has a small red light that indicates on/off?  My DPDT switch has such a light and I find it incredibly helpful to stick with these. Thanks!

Peter

Hey fellas,

My twins just enlightened me.  They said - 'why not power the camera via another switch so that we don't have to electrify the yard just to see what's in it?'  Can't argue with the logic. So I'm back to a SPST switch I think.  The ones I have have a small red light on them indicating on/off. Photo of switch is attached. Can anyone tell me how to wire the camera to this three post SPST switch?  What wires go where where, basically.  Sorry for being such an electrical ignoramus.

Peter

See these two threads, cjack explains the diode needed for the LED and switch wiring.

 

SPST LED Toggle ratings I think this one has all the information you need, but the link to the other thread is in my post in this one. I think your switch is covering the wiring diagram in your picture here.

You should check the thread out, but basically the "earth" tab on the new switch is a path to return some flow through the led. Connect earth to the negatives (blk).

You have a knack for sound logic, electrical wont be hard to pick up over time.

Nobody wrong, just said in different ways. Sometimes it takes that to learn.

Electrical is a puzzle, most pieces are optional, can you finish?