Hello this is my first post so bear with me please.... I have an HO scale layout and had recently purchased a few tortise switch machines. I am using a digitrax zypher dcc controler. I am having trouble wiring these bad boys. I cannot even get any power out of them!!! I have been in this hobby for a few years but as i get older i am starting to get more involved and "high tech" if you want to say that. I really could use some help on the issue of getting these to work because the directions that come with them are not very helpful to me and i thank you in advance!!
Welcome to TrainBoard! I'm not familiar with Tortoise switch machines but assume, as with any switch machine, that they need an AC power source separate from the DCC system. Ben
Thanks you for the welcome. That is what i also assumed but in the directions they said it needed to be hooked up to dc which confused me.
I use the AC terminal of an old DC power pack for powering my Kato switches. If the Tortoise machines require DC, I suppose that would not work for you. I use the Zephyr for DCC power but I don't see any way to power switch machines using it alone. Hopefully someone who uses Tortoise machines will see your post and be able to help. Ben
How are you hooking them up ? First you need to used DC. They don’t run off a push button like many other switch machines. You need to use a switch to reveres the current to the turtle to get them to go the other way. This type of switch machine always has current running threw them and a standard push button switch will not work. They work much like a reverse switch on a power pack. The best way is to use a DPDT switch ( Double pole Double throw ). Double Pole means that the lever on the switch has tow positions , some what like on / off. The double throw means that it is like having 2 switches in the same housing. The first pic is a side view of the DPDT. No what mess most people up is all the contacts at the bottom. Please excuse the condition of the switch in the photos. Its been well used. When you look at the bottom of the switch you will see 6 contacts. Lay the switch so it has 3 on top and 3 on the bottom. Now the top 3 set of contacts is one set, and the bottom is a second set of contacts. Look at the ruff drawing I made. Note that wires that are spliced have circles where they splice together. If the wires are not spliced no circle. I hope this helps.
Ben welcom abord. You need a deticated DC power supply for your switch machines. Do you have an old power pack laying around? You can use that to power your switch machines or a wall wart as long as it is a 12volt system. Do not hook them up to your power supply to your Digitrax DCC that uses AC current and it will fry them. DCC stands for Digital Command Control. Also take a look at WWW.ToneystrainExchange Hope that helps. "Still Training After All These Years"
I have just gone through this, myself. The Tortoise can be powered either with AC or DC current. The instructions sheet that comes with the Tortoise is quite clear. I found the easiest way to do this was with AC. Get two cheap regular power packs (the old LL blue packs will do). Ignore the DC connection and just use the AC connections. You can use SPDT switches with the AC setup. If you don't want to mess with the swtiches themselves, you can use banks of Atlas Selectors which happen to be Single Pole Double Throws SPDT. Don't use any snap type relays. They will only give a short burst of juice and will not operate the Tortoise.
BNSF Fan Can you handle a soldering iron OK? Are you wanting to build your own control circuits for the Tortoise and other stall type points motors? They are several different places that have Model Railroad electronic circuits plans available. Go to :http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/CircuitIndex.html#index for more information. I've built several circuits off this website and had no trouble with anything I've built. As has been posted here several times, just use an old power pack to supply the power for the Tortoises. The trick is finding the right way to CONTROL the AC/DC coming from the pack to the points motors.
