Well I did some searching and can not find my answer so i will ask for my first question. First I would like to introduce myself. My name is Robert and I am 41 from Lake Geneva Wisconsin. I was given some HO stuff and watched it go around in circles until I got bored and threw it all in a box. I have decided to revisit the Hobby but this time learning to do the modeling and scenic work. I just purchased the Unitrack WGH plan. I have a Bachmann EZ command and am going to try DCC. Now the Command unit also came with a DCC engine. The plan has manual turnouts so I purchased the modules to electrically switch the turnouts. I am trying to figure out how to power them so I can switch them by buttons. So if you have any advice on how to do this the simplest way possible, Oh yeah and cheapest :tb-biggrin:. Thanks for your help guys!
Why not just use the Kato ones? I know there not the cheapest but the WGH trackplan only has 4 turnouts, these can be found online for about 5 bucks each.
Hi Robert and welcome to trainboard. A little more info is required here. For example what track are you using, have you bought the turnouts already, which modules did you buy already, and do you want to switch the turnouts by control panel switch or another way? Angie
Welcome! Your switch motors/actuators will probably want AC current, but low voltage, and depending on their type, on and instantly off. So, you can power them with a suitable wall wart, the kind that Radio Shack and other suppliers sell. But you have to distribute the power from the wall wart, and so you would need a terminal of some kind with the wire leads to the actuators terminating on the terminal board. R Shack and other places sell spools of four filament 22 Gauge wire, each wire colour insulated, and the whole wrapped in a white tubing. I used this for my feeders and I would also use this for powering turnout motors. Shop around if cheap is a key factor. R Shack is going to be more, if handier often. To control each actuator remotely (near you), you'll need a mounting board, a switch for each turnout mounted in the board, and wire each switch in series between the terminal board and the motor. If the actuators you purchased have their own series of activating buttons/switches, it might be better to simply use those, although the cost is likely to be higher.
Kato switch motors use DC. To use the Kato switch controllers you need one 24-842 "DC converter" and as many 24-840 "turnout controls" as you have switches. The other option is to use double pole double throw (DPDT) momentary switches. I attached a drawing of how to wire the DPDT switches. If you have a supply that has a DC accessory output you don't need the diode. If your supply has an AC accessory output use the diode. You don't need a diode for each switch will drive all of them. Use momentary DPDT switches because you don't want the power applied to the switch continuously or the motor may burn out.
Turnouts Hey guys thanks for your answers. I am using the Kato Unitrack and have purchased the Kato turnout 2-503 and 2-504 DC turnout control. I purchased the Kato switches 24-840. The switches run off of DC but there is no way to run them from the Bachman EZ command controller. Correct me if I am wrong from the searches that I have found the turnouts need 12VDC 3A max. So my question is what power supply can I use and how would you hook up the wires. There also is a DC Converter 24-842 that Kato has to hook to AC power supply. I guess I am asking for some input on a power supply to use and how I would hook up the switches to the turnouts. I don't want to make costly mistakes. Thanks for your help
In your initial post you said you were running trains before you got the DCC setup. Use the power supply that you originally used. There should be an output for accessories. It's usually AC so you'll need the Kato DC converter or a diode.
I have old Tyco controller with just a slide switch on it. There are 4 connections 2 for track whick is DC only and then 2 for AC accessories. It says 6VA(total) 18V DC, 20V AC. So I should be ok hooking it to the AC with the AC to DC converter. I just wanted to make sure the powerpack would be ok. I actually have 2 of them so I will use one for the turnounts. So this voltage on the AC side should be fine right Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it!
convertor Kato sells a convertor that will let the kato switches work off of your transformer. It converts the AC terminal output to DC the the turnouts can use....HTH>>>>Mike
