I know this might not be DCC related, but I was wondering if there is a substitute for purchasing an Atlas Snap Relay to make a control board to indicate direction of turnouts. I have many and can't justitfy spending almost $10 for a bunch of snap relays. Is there something at Radio Shack or anohter way to accomplish this. I use Atlas snap switches and use the blue button to throw them. I have tested a snap relay to wire to the switch, so each time I throw the switch, it changes the led light to either red or green, depending on the direction of the turnout. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks SC
Arrgh, you are asking a tough one... Normally, I search digikey. There are a lot of choices there (too many choices!). But you want a 12VAC latching relay and they don't have any in stock. (Not a good sign when it comes to price.) However, they (and other people) have DC relay's galore. How to use these? You'll have to rectify the current to DC using diodes, but those can be had for pennies. You might then be able to use a DC relay like this one for $2.57. Someone with a little more knowledge than me will have to confirm that I know what I'm talking about. Rectifying the AC to DC will change the voltage and that relay may not work.
Rather than using AC to operate your SnapSwitch, use DC. It will work just fine and you can then parallel a DC latching relay to operate your LEDs. If you have access to an electronics nut, a simple CMOS flip-flop circuit could be used to do the same thing. Here's a few: http://www.awrr.com/indicator.html
