Signals And Switches

If it is a powered switch it is mostly likely the same basic design and can be used.

Sid's Trains posted:

If it is a powered switch it is mostly likely the same basic design and can be used.

I kinda figured, but I wanted to be sure, 

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

If it is a powered switch it is mostly likely the same basic design and can be used.

I kinda figured, but I wanted to be sure, 

Yeah, the three terminals on the Marx switch works the same as the three that the controller on the FasTrack switches connect to.

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

If it is a powered switch it is mostly likely the same basic design and can be used.

I kinda figured, but I wanted to be sure, 

Yeah, the three terminals on the Marx switch works the same as the three that the controller on the FasTrack switches connect to.

Alright cool. I'll just use that instead of the lionel switch. 

The next question is, can I use an Atlas signal board with the lionel switch? Would I hook it up like in 12:29 of this video or like in the thread above? 

Trainlover9943 posted:

The next question is, can I use an Atlas signal board with the lionel switch? Would I hook it up like in 12:29 of this video or like in the thread above? 

Yes, because the black cable connects to the plug on the board and the bare wires connect to the FasTrack switch just like with the Atlas switch motor.

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

The next question is, can I use an Atlas signal board with the lionel switch? Would I hook it up like in 12:29 of this video or like in the thread above? 

Yes, because the black cable connects to the plug on the board and the bare wires connect to the FasTrack switch just like with the Atlas switch motor.

Sweet! Will make using the Atlas signals easy. I'll have to do a bit more work for the other brands but it shouldn't be too difficult. 

Wonder if I could make or just buy the atlas control board separately so I could use MTHs or others signals with the atlas board. 

Trainlover9943 posted:

Wonder if I could make or just buy the atlas control board separately so I could use MTHs or others signals with the atlas board. 

You don't have to use atlas boards to connect signals to switches. You can sometimes just directly connect them.

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

Wonder if I could make or just buy the atlas control board separately so I could use MTHs or others signals with the atlas board. 

You don't have to use atlas boards to connect signals to switches. You can sometimes just directly connect them.

That would be cool and easy to implement.

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

Wonder if I could make or just buy the atlas control board separately so I could use MTHs or others signals with the atlas board. 

You don't have to use atlas boards to connect signals to switches. You can sometimes just directly connect them.

That would be cool and easy to implement.

Usually a signal has three wires coming out of it. Usually black for ground and red and green for thru and diverting. Basically the signal lights, with those wires can hook directly to the switch and function just as the lights on the switch controller do.

I wired the leads shown in the photo. The lights work but don't change with the position of the switch. 

Trainlover9943 posted:

I wired the leads shown in the photo. The lights work but don't change with the position of the switch. 

Try switching them around. I have also had issues with Marx switches being slightly different. Have you tried a command switch yet?

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

I wired the leads shown in the photo. The lights work but don't change with the position of the switch. 

Try switching them around. I have also had issues with Marx switches being slightly different. Have you tried a command switch yet?

Switched the wires and no change. I haven't tried a command switch yet. Should I go there next? 

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

I wired the leads shown in the photo. The lights work but don't change with the position of the switch. 

Try switching them around. I have also had issues with Marx switches being slightly different. Have you tried a command switch yet?

Switched the wires and no change. I haven't tried a command switch yet. Should I go there next? 

I say try a FasTrack switch because I'm pretty sure they will work.

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

I wired the leads shown in the photo. The lights work but don't change with the position of the switch. 

Try switching them around. I have also had issues with Marx switches being slightly different. Have you tried a command switch yet?

Switched the wires and no change. I haven't tried a command switch yet. Should I go there next? 

I say try a FasTrack switch because I'm pretty sure they will work.

Alright. I'll pull one and try it, wire it the way I wired the marx switch? 

I pulled one of my CC switches. Wired thru output to green lead on the signal and the out output to the red lead on the signal and connected the common to my common power. When power is applied the red and yellow lights on the signal light up and when I try to throw the switch it doesn't throw but the motor buzzes. I'm getting somewhere. 

Also, when I wire just one color (I tried green first) the switch throws straight fine, struggles a little in curve and the signal cycles from yellow to green when thrown. 

Trainlover9943 posted:

Also, when I wire just one color (I tried green first) the switch throws straight fine, struggles a little in curve and the signal cycles from yellow to green when thrown. 

In the video are you using the Atlas board?

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

Also, when I wire just one color (I tried green first) the switch throws straight fine, struggles a little in curve and the signal cycles from yellow to green when thrown. 

In the video are you using the Atlas board?

Nope. I don't have any Atlas signals yet. I only have the MTH 30-11009 for now. 

Trainlover9943 posted:

https://youtu.be/KgPvQ_atA4A

Do you have any LED Diodes on hand that you can simply wire up to the switch?

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

https://youtu.be/KgPvQ_atA4A

Do you have any LED Diodes on hand that you can simply wire up to the switch?

Unfortunately I don't. I take it I need them? 

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

https://youtu.be/KgPvQ_atA4A

Do you have any LED Diodes on hand that you can simply wire up to the switch?

Unfortunately I don't. I take it I need them? 

Do you have any sort of light bulb with wires?

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

https://youtu.be/KgPvQ_atA4A

Do you have any LED Diodes on hand that you can simply wire up to the switch?

Unfortunately I don't. I take it I need them? 

Do you have any sort of light bulb with wires?

Yes I do. 

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

https://youtu.be/KgPvQ_atA4A

Do you have any LED Diodes on hand that you can simply wire up to the switch?

Unfortunately I don't. I take it I need them? 

Do you have any sort of light bulb with wires?

Yes I do. 

Hook that to the switch and power and see what it does?

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

https://youtu.be/KgPvQ_atA4A

Do you have any LED Diodes on hand that you can simply wire up to the switch?

Unfortunately I don't. I take it I need them? 

Do you have any sort of light bulb with wires?

Yes I do. 

Hook that to the switch and power and see what it does?

Will do, should I wire the bulb alone to the switch or keep the signal connected too? And hook the bulb to what terminals on the switch? Thru and out? 

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

https://youtu.be/KgPvQ_atA4A

Do you have any LED Diodes on hand that you can simply wire up to the switch?

Unfortunately I don't. I take it I need them? 

Do you have any sort of light bulb with wires?

Yes I do. 

Hook that to the switch and power and see what it does?

Will do, should I wire the bulb alone to the switch or keep the signal connected too? And hook the bulb to what terminals on the switch? Thru and out? 

If you have multiple bulbs, hook on to thru and the other diverting. Then take the the signal off.

Alright I will give that a try. I'm pretty sure I have two bulbs. If not I've got LEDs I could use unless they won't work with the switch. 

I had to use an LED as I didn't have any bulbs. Basically does the same thing as the signal. 

Trainlover9943 posted:

I had to use an LED as I didn't have any bulbs. Basically does the same thing as the signal. 

It seems as though something isn't working right here. I am going to get a switch out and try the same thing and see what happens.

Sid's Trains posted:

Trainlover9943 posted:

I had to use an LED as I didn't have any bulbs. Basically does the same thing as the signal. 

It seems as though something isn't working right here. I am going to get a switch out and try the same thing and see what happens.

Alright. Let me know what your findings are. 

Took a controller apart. 

Atlas dwarf lights hooked to Atlas switch motors.  There is a PC board that senses the impedance of the switch throw and changes the light.

There does not seem to be a link to the Atlas site for these items.  Probably no longer available.   IMO, Mike CT. 

 I'd like to help but recently folks seems fail to make the effort to curteously check off the little check box that says "insert image image into text large sized".  I have no clue why.

   Photos/video are a draw for this site per our last CEO, not really a data burden like some smaller sites.  The end result is that I usually pass over such posts... but here you seem to be having a bit of trouble. (there is no big difference to the amount of data comsumed at your end doing it either) 

  ''Insert in text" appears mid box after the upload in the attachment tool reaches "success", before you hit "finish"... and if forgotten, appears AGAIN in blue at the bottom of each thumbnails box located at the very bottom of the composing screen.

  The "second chance" also gives a size choice of lrg. med. sm.  for the extremely rare occasion of a very large photo size, bigger than an actual page, or when large really isn't needed.

Forgot twice? Under each post's dots menu at the right, you can hit "edit" and follow the second chance method mentioned above.

What your doing with the turnouts is very basic stuff, but I can't open the thumbnails to confirm what you are doing is right or wrong.

I'll be back if it changes. Good luck to you either way 😘

Adriatic posted:

 I'd like to help but recently folks seems fail to make the effort to curteously check off the little check box that says "insert image image into text large sized".  I have no clue why.

   Photos/video are a draw for this site per our last CEO, not really a data burden like some smaller sites.  The end result is that I usually pass over such posts... but here you seem to be having a bit of trouble. (there is no big difference to the amount of data comsumed at your end doing it either) 

  ''Insert in text" appears mid box after the upload in the attachment tool reaches "success", before you hit "finish"... and if forgotten, appears AGAIN in blue at the bottom of each thumbnails box located at the very bottom of the composing screen.

  The "second chance" also gives a size choice of lrg. med. sm.  for the extremely rare occasion of a very large photo size, bigger than an actual page, or when large really isn't needed.

Forgot twice? Under each post's dots menu at the right, you can hit "edit" and follow the second chance method mentioned above.

What your doing with the turnouts is very basic stuff, but I can't open the thumbnails to confirm what you are doing is right or wrong.

I'll be back if it changes. Good luck to you either way 😘

So are you complaining that you can't see Matt's images and videos?

Adriatic posted:

 I'd like to help but recently folks seems fail to make the effort to curteously check off the little check box that says "insert image image into text large sized".  I have no clue why.

   Photos/video are a draw for this site per our last CEO, not really a data burden like some smaller sites.  The end result is that I usually pass over such posts... but here you seem to be having a bit of trouble. (there is no big difference to the amount of data comsumed at your end doing it either) 

  ''Insert in text" appears mid box after the upload in the attachment tool reaches "success", before you hit "finish"... and if forgotten, appears AGAIN in blue at the bottom of each thumbnails box located at the very bottom of the composing screen.

  The "second chance" also gives a size choice of lrg. med. sm.  for the extremely rare occasion of a very large photo size, bigger than an actual page, or when large really isn't needed.

Forgot twice? Under each post's dots menu at the right, you can hit "edit" and follow the second chance method mentioned above.

What your doing with the turnouts is very basic stuff, but I can't open the thumbnails to confirm what you are doing is right or wrong.

I'll be back if it changes. Good luck to you either way 😘

I can view them fine. Of course, it may be different since I'm the OP. 

Mike CT posted:

Atlas dwarf lights hook to Atlas switch motors.  There is a PC board that senses the impedance of the switch throw and changes the light.

You know if they are in stock at dealers? 

Here is a simple circuit I designed a while ago which uses a 2 position E-unit to show via LED's the position of a pair of switches.