The last 2 months have been insanely busy for me, so up until last week I
haven’t had much time to concentrate on my layout. My goal was to complete
my wiring and control panel by the new year and even though it’s now January
6, I’m not that far off from my goal. My first a most important purchase was
a power pack. I decided on a MRC Tech 4 280 dual cab controller as well as 4
Atlas snap-relays to power my x-section, track signals, and corresponding
control panel indicator lights.
My control panel and controller need to be able to fold away under my
layout when not in use do to the limited space in front of my layout. I
purchased a 1/2” thick hardboard panel to use as the base to which my
control panel and controller will bolt to. The rear of the hardboard panel
will attach to hinges located under my bench work, allowing the entire unit
to swing under the layout when not in use. I used L-brackets bolted to the
sides of the control box to fasten the control panel to the base.
Once the base was cut, I cut a large opening to allow access to the inside
of the control box. I also drilled holes at this time for the controller
wires and power cables. A scrap piece of aluminum the same colour as the
control panel was used as the base for the cab controller, and glued to the
base. I used small black metal eyelets around the drilled holes for the main
power leads to make them look more appealing. At the same time, I attached
my 4 snap-relays to the bottom of the base.
Only the first 8 inches of the base will protrude out past the layout while
the majority of it will be covered by the control box. To cover the visible
hardboard, I attached 3/4” titanium L-molding around the edges, just as I
did on the control box itself. I used PL Ultimate construction adhesive to
glue the trim.
While the trim dried, I used this time to start wiring everything together.
The first item on my wiring list was to connect all the leads from the 8
turnout signals to my resistor board. I also started connecting leads to all
of the LED lights and volt meters inside the control box while it was still
detached from the base.
The leads from all of the LEDs were then connected to their appropriate
leads on the resistor board and all connections were soldered together and
insulated with electrical tape. As I made connections, I tested each circuit
to make sure everything worked. One advantage of having all the resistors
together on the PC board is that it was very easy to test each resistor
anytime I had a short circuit. I also decided that the resistor board would
be mounted outside of the control box due to space limitations
inside.
I then mounted the control panel to the base panel with 4 bolts through the
four L-brackets on the control box. I mounted the resistor board to the
bottom of the base using brass bolts. I used brass nuts and foam blocks to
support and cushion the PC board. I also made a schematic of my resistor
board, making it much easier when testing.
The cab controller also needed to be attached to the hardboard base.
However, it did not have any brackets or holes to mount it. With a little
research and testing, I discovered that the MRC cab controller is quite
hollow and the printed circuit is located right below the top panel, leaving
the bottom entirely open.
I started by drilling two very small holes through the bottom of the
controller to inspect and make sure I wouldn’t hit any important electrical
components. I then drilled larger holes to accommodate a large threaded
screw. I drilled two holes through the hardboard base, passing the larger
screws through and into the pilot holes in the controller. This worked great
and securely attached to cab controller to the base. I ran the power cord
through a hole in the hardboard so it would not be visible from above.
I spent about four entire days wiring everything together. This included
making all the connections, soldering, and insulating. Once each circuit was
made, I needed to individually test them. Everything worked well with the
resistor board for all the LED lights on the system, with only a few shorts
that were located and fixed relatively quickly. I spent a lot of time
setting up all of the snap-relays as well, making sure that the correct
indicator LEDs and switched were lit when the switch control was
flipped.
One of the most frustrating shorts I had to deal with had really nothing to
do with my wiring at all! It had to do with the actual Atlas controller,
selectors, and switches on the top of my control box. It turned out that the
screws supplied to attach each lead to each Atlas device protrudes further
then the base, which in turn contacted the aluminum cladded surface of my
control box, thus causing a large system-wide short. I resolved this by
making a small copper washer for each screw.
Testing everything as I went along took a lot of extra time, but was worth
it in the end. Problems could be fixed immediately and were easily
identified, opposed to having to sift through everything if it was
completed. Another problem I encountered was with my switch overload
indicator lights. This led back to an issue on my resistor board. I didn’t
take into account that when one AC lead was powered that the second AC lead
would also be powered. This was because both leads shared a common
connection on one of the bridge rectifier posts. This was easily resolved by
putting diodes (see below) into each converging AC lead, preventing current
from traveling down the other lead when either was energized.
I temporarily fastened all of the turnout signals to a cardboard holder so
I could easily view them when testing, as seen below. They all worked great
and matched the corresponding positions perfectly. A switch on the control
panel turns the center amber lights either on or off. I then attached an
accessory 12V rectifier to the bottom of the base with brackets. This 12V DC
power source powers all of the future accessories and LED
lights.
I used small brackets to fasten all the cables to the bottom of the base.
There was such a large amount of wiring that it was sometimes difficult to
keep everything organized. All the control panel wires that connect to the
layout run off the back of the control panel base. They will then connect to
their appropriate screw on the layout's terminal strips under my
table.
Now that the control panel and all the wiring is complete, I plan to have
it attached to my layout by the end of this week. Once I complete this, I
will post part two.
3 comments
Reslly like the way you explain things Thank. You Howrd
ReplyDeleteJharkhand Academic Council (JAC) has Developed / Adopted the Jharkhand 9th Class new TextBooks 2023,Curriculum and Text Book are Developed JJharkhand 9th Class Textbook 2023 on the basis of new Philosophy and Approach covering Various issues. Students Download Jharkhand 9th Class Text Book 2023 for Jharkhand it is Very useful,Jharkhand Secondary Students get your 9th Class Study Material by Jharkhand,So Students do not Confuse,Visit Jharkhand Official Website get Assam Study Material All Subject Wise Pdf Format
ReplyDeleteStudents Should Download the Respective Stream wise COHSEM 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Class Exam Syllabus 2023 Subjects of Hindi, English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science etc, Pdf Format Provide Manipur 9th Class Syllabus Check the same From our page here, So, Students need to Start Their Preparation by first Downloading the Stream wise COHSEM 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Class Curriculum / Syllabus 2023 Latest Edition.COHSEM 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Class Revised Syllabus 2023 of All Subjects for the Academic Session 2023 is Available here, We are Providing here the Subject wise Links from where Students can Download the COHSEM 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Class new Syllabus 2023 in PDF format.
ReplyDelete