# Connector strips - usage?



## novice (Feb 2, 2011)

I used to have a book that told me how to do everything I've been asking (except for cleaning) - that book is no where to be found - was a great darn book too.

Anyway, I have these strips (think that's what they're called) and I believe I used them to hook up accessories.










Am I correct that I can hook up a transformer to these, then hook up the accessories to these as well?

I'm assuming I would connect the red wire to one connector on say the top row, and the black wire to the corresponding connector on the bottom row?

Then I would connect the accessories to the remaining connectors?

Trying not to fry the few accessories I have 

Thanks as always in advance.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

They're terminal strips, great for organizing your wiring. 

If you want to fan out one transformer to a bunch of feeds, you daisy-chain the transformer connection on one side to as many as you need, then connect each accessory wire to the other side of the block. It's basically a large splicing block.


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Per John's description ...

Run one of your power leads (say the hot or + wire) into say the top-left terminal screw. Now, use short pieces of wire to connet that screw to top #2, another wire to connect top#2 to top #3, top #3 to top #4, etc. All top screws are now joined with your main power wire.

Now, you can used the bottom screws to conveniently run leads from there to your various track needs.

Some terminal strips (though not the ones in your pics) have break-away jumpers built in that do the "first row jumping" for you.

TJ


----------



## novice (Feb 2, 2011)

Sweet thanks guys - don't think that's how I had them set up last time, but I'll try it this way.

I suppose I do the same thing with a black lead also and another strip?


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Sure.

1000 uses for these things, really.


----------



## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

everyone uses them


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

What in the world is that Stan Looks like a battery powered something...


----------



## Artieiii (Apr 25, 2011)

also useful for connecting jumpers to various parts of your track.
-Art


----------



## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> What in the world is that Stan Looks like a battery powered something...


A control cabinet for traffic signals :thumbsup: Batteries just give about 1 hour of backup time.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Those signals need LED lamps, many of the signals around here have gone LED to save power.


----------



## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

LOL John we are 2 decades ahead of you guys, we are all LEDS :laugh: I remember being near WiksBare* a few years back and they had a signal system strung between a building and a tree :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
You are limited to an hour because you still have to run the conflict monitor and controller, and everything is AC including the leds. Just having incandescent bulbs for the ambers, will drop run time down to less then 5 minutes.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Well, unless that controller is running 100 traffic lights, you still need some help with the design! You got a lot of capacity there in the battery power!


----------



## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

This is not a great photo, but will give you an idea of how you can work with the strips.










The left wire is daisy-chained to the left half and the right wire to the right half of the block: connect an accessory hot lead to one side and the ground to the other side, and you're in business. This is also good when you have a power-loss in a section of track---you can simply run a new set of wires to the problem section and bypass wherever the break is occurring.


----------



## novice (Feb 2, 2011)

Thanks for the replies everyone somehow I don't remember ever linking all the terminals like that - I seem to remember only hooking up individual accessories to each pair and then connecting to the source.

Maybe I've just got "train" brain and can't remember crap anymore


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Nov,

There are other types of so-called terminal strips. One sub-type is really a "bus bar", which is essentially a metal conductive strip with a series of screw terminals along its length. Perhaps that's what you used in the past?

TJ


----------



## novice (Feb 2, 2011)

Thanks TJ - the pics are the ones I've had for years so I don't think I used anything else.

Wish I could find that darn book I had


----------



## erkenbrand (Dec 6, 2010)

Ok, I know this is cheating, but one day I got tired of making the little wire jumpers to connect the terminals together and bought a few of these at Radio Shack. It makes life much easier. 

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103227&clickid=prod_cs


----------



## novice (Feb 2, 2011)

LOL - cheating is good


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Erk,

Those are the little "break away" things I was talking about ... I didn't know their formal name. Thanks!

TJ


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

That really IS cheating!  For the original junk man, I'm shocked and saddened that you'd resort to such measures. :laugh:


----------



## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

lol Erk that is way better then daisy chaining them with spade terminals and cheaper, it even looks pretty cool too :thumbsup: I know the way Reckers shows his, is fast and cheap but it fails the nicey nicey look. That is one cool tip, Thanks


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I just use a piece of solid wire and loop it around each screw and on-and-on. Very easy.


----------



## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I just use a piece of solid wire and loop it around each screw and on-and-on. Very easy.


Very easy; yes in deed  but not very nice to look at  
A line from work "What is the matter, your cleaver did not fit in there so you used the sausage grinder" :laugh: :laugh: Then again if I showed the under side of my layout, someone would shoot me to put me out of my misery :laugh: Birds could lay eggs in mine


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Actually, if you do it properly, it looks pretty neat. I form the wire to the proper size, I don't leave a big loop hanging out for each connection.


----------

