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Hey Guys,

Crazy question.  Need crazy ideas.

I am building a bump and go strip of track, for my Atlas hand car to go back and forth.  Currrent plan is to provide DC power to run it.

I have everything I need, except that I need to make a stupid simple momentary on/off switch for each end of the track, that will operate when the end of the car bumps into it.

I can make one, but I need to find a strip of scrap metal, that conducts current well,  that will not permanently bend when the car bumps it, but will spring back, that will momentarily interrupt the current.  (Don't ask about the wiring please?)

The only thing I can think of, is that it used to be when you bought a cheap plastic flashlight, there was a long flat strip of brass colored metal inside of the hollow battery handle, that ran the length of the tube and was pretty "springy."   I guess I could buy one of these flashlights,  and bash it to pieces with a hammer and remove the strip.

Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Mannyrock

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Use a short piece of insulated rail to activate your reverse circuit... just change it from NC normally closed to NO normally open(or the other way around depending on your scheme). This way, the handcar won't need to strike anything... when it rolls onto the isolated rail the circuit activates, sending the car the other way.

If you don't want to make that change, raid your parts bin(s) for 1970-up axle wipers or roller contact springs(8209-120) and cut to suit.

Thanks for all of the excellent answers!

I think I'll look through my junk box first, and then go to the little flea market train shop nearby and look at some of the trashy used cars they have for sale, and then if I can't find anything, start looking at phosphor bronze.   .008  thickness seems very thin though, and tempered or not, I wonder how many hits it could take before it got bent permanently down.   :-)

Mannyrock

Can you use a micro-switch ("cherry switch") to accomplish the same action, but in a more elegant and reliable way?

To make any metal "springy," heat it until red, then douse quickly. That puts in "temper". To de-temper, heat until red, and allow to cool slowly.

Ferrous metals, yes. Not for brass and copper. Heating those red hot and immersing in water removes the spring.

Pete

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