Hi there. I plan on going with DCC sometime a couple years or so in the future, but right now to get things up and running I'd like to use DC. Since I'm making an N-scale layout using Kato Unitrack and I've got the Kato power pack, I wanted to know how many of the clip-on Kato turnout control switches I can clip on to the power pack and still have it functional. Right now my layout is a simple loop but after it's completed there will be 11 turnouts total. Can I clip on 11 of these control switches and have them function, or is there a limit to the expansion?
Since the switches do not draw any power except when being thrown, the only limit is how much space you have.
I'm up to 18 and about to add a couple more. I'm sure at some point electrical resistance kicks in, but I've not seen an issue yet. At 18, it's at a point where I'm thinking it would be better to break them out into two groups just in terms of ergonomics and wire organization. One thing you'll want to do once you get past a couple is to anchor them down in some fashion so you don't accidentally disconnect them. They've got screw slots in the back. I run a strip of masking tape along the top and then write down where the switch goes on that and that anchors them pretty well too. These also provide a nice bridge to DCC. As long as you disconnect the power pack from the track, you can continue to use it to power the turnout controls while you run the locos on DCC. I honestly am not sure I'd want to throw turnouts from my cab, so unless I decide I wanted to go with JMRI for control, I'd probably stick with this well into the future for at least this set of turnouts.
i have 17 switches and 2 double crossovers connected and they work like a charm. the only thing i have been told just dont try to throw them all at once.
