# need schematic for turnout switch with led's



## jargonlet

I thought I found the schematic that I needed the other night but now I'm just confused. With that being said I am still pretty new to wiring. I have two turnouts on my layout and am currently using the Atlas brand click switch boxes on my control panel. I want to make a switchbox to house my controls and quit using the Atlas 2 way switches. I have the on/on switches but I'm not sure how to wire them. I want to wire the two way switches inline with a green and a red led on each one to show the direction of the turnout. With this said I am not sure which resistor I would need. Would someone please be kind enough to post a schematic for two switches with LEDs?


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## timlange3

Using Atlas twin coil switch machines (or any twin coil switch machine) you will want to use good MOMENTARY switches to control them to be sure the power is only on MOMENTARY. Power to these for more than a second or two will cause them to overhead and melt surrounding plastic.

Also consider using capacitors store a momentary burst of power which will allow you to use a less powerful transformer. Twin coil machines can use either AC or DC power.

Using LEDs means having a DC power supply that is alway sending power to the LEDs. To use them with twin coils you would need a 'latching' relay that would change position based on your MOMENTARY switch and then keep DC power going to the LEDs. Resistors may be needed in series with the LEDs.

I am not familiar enough with these things to make a diagram and specify actual components. Sorry.

I use stall motors (Tortoise by Circuitron) to control a few of my turnouts. I use a 0.5A 12vdc power supply to my DPDT switches (to change polarity) and then LED in series with the stall motor.


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## Big Mike

I also went to the tortoise switch motors,because tring to wire up the twin coils that come with Atlas seemed to hard, expensive, and unnessary.
the tortoise comes equipted with two switches built inside of it so you can wire your L.E.D.s right to it, very simple and a lot less wire ,and no expensive extra circuit boards to buy.
also a cleaner look on the layout,no switch motors to look at.

.......Mike


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## Davidfd85

Is this what your looking for? That is using a SPDT (on/off/on) Momentary switch for the Atlas switch machines that I am using. I don't have anything showing how to wire it with an LED.


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## tankist

well, LED is indicating the position of turnout, right? then why not take the reading from turnout itself with a position sensing switch? PECO with "underground" machine shown, but it can be perfectly done with atlas and without digging deep.











now if you ask me about actuating a coil then IMHO a button even good one is not enough. CDU (Capasitor Discharge Unit) ONLY! thats the contraption i built: http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=2246
circuit is taken from here: http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/CDPSU.html 
Rob also has a page on LED indication and other very nice circuits for MRR hobby

regards!


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## jargonlet

I found this on another forum. The one that I need is the last one of the three wire switches shown in the picture. I think that I could just take the momentary button out.


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## wvgca

if you want the leds to stay on after you select and push the momentary but you will need a flip / flop latch circuit, pretty easy to do... will require a seperate supply.. 12vdc or close.


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## NIMT

The last diagram on the list will do what you want, to some degree.
If the switch machine coils gets too short of a pulse from your pushing the momentary switch or if you throw the switch and forget to push the monentary switch, the LED's will give you a false indication of the direction of the switch. I would also recommend like Tankist has stated get or set up a CDU (Capasitor Discharge Unit), it will give you much better results in the switching.


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## timlange3

If you leave power on to the switch machine for more than a couple seconds, they will melt!


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## jargonlet

Thanks, everyone. What I am wanting to do is to have the LED stay on to show which way the switch is flipped. I am not wanting the momentary switch that's shown in the schematic. I have a pair of dpdt switches, the momentary ones that automatically go back to the middle. I had these on a layout years ago and I would like to use these again. My grandfather wired these and even though was great at wiring stuff he passed several years ago and I don't know how he had these wired. I have a 12 volt power supply to use with these and I have 2 dpdt momentary switches.


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## jargonlet

How would I wire multiple color LED's with this setup? Would I wire them the same way as there is 3 leads instead of 2? I think I would just use them the same as if the end of 2 LED's were wired together.


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## NIMT

Then your going to need a latching relay, easy just get the atlas 200 snap relay, quick and simple hook-up!









Now if you want multiple LED's like Green, Yellow, Red, well then your going to have to step up your game and go to a SE8C LINK


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## T-Man

You could experiment, burn out a few things, then switch over to a DC opearted system that has LED attachment. That is the simplest way, not very though. It is the main reason simple sets do not have light indicating switches.


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## T-Man

OK OK OK I got it. You need the T-man corny switch. This is so new that no pictures exists. 

Two momentary switches are needed. Both are normal of. The first uses AC and operates the switch. The other momentary switch operates on DC and is placed next to the other switch. What you need is a DC power supply, your LED light tower. and a simple transistor flip flop switch circuit.

Now the best part, take a corn dog and eat it. Use the stick and glue it across the two switches. TADA a corny switch. press the bar presses both switches. 

Look at the first bistable flip flop circuit. It operates on one switch.

Bowden hobby circuit

I have not made this circuit but it is simple.


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