sulzer71

Just make sure you get a DPDT version of you are wanting to use them to switch tortoises

Jeremy , they are Red/green bi colour LEDs for mounting in the panel to show the set route and yes , I wanted the switch itself to illuminate (the reason for buying that kind of switch in the first place) but didn't want it lit in it's centre off position

All done and dusted , just need to crack on with the layout now and get them fitted VID_20240215_213002.mp4

Yes it's just a single colour LED on the Halo ring of the switch

The help from everyone has been invaluable , think I'm going to look at the illumination of the switch itself which I managed to get working from jumping a positive and negative feed to but wouldn't mind seeing if I could rig it so it's on when switched left or right but off in the centre position

You sir are a star! works as required , even managed to add 2 bi colour LED's into the circuit as I wanted to see if I was capable of doing that , connection to switch illumination left off until it's fitted to the facia Thanks again VID_20240215_072335.mp4

Jeremy , it's the ones later in my post not from the beginning so just separate positive and negative feeds although on the switch I have used to turn on some lights I have that wired so it will only come on when the switch is on so will need to experiment possibly to get that to function in the same manner As below

Cheers , will give this a try this evening For the LED side of things I'm thinking it will be possible to place a jumper across from one of the positive and one of the negative feeds?

Jeremy , that is one configuration I haven't tried funnily enough

I'll give this configuration another try this evening

I have indeed tried this configuration to no avail , throws the tortoise one way but then you need to switch the positive and negative to throw it the other way

Thanks Jeremy , apart from simple bus wires I'm not clued up on electronics too much , I seriously think there's no possibility that this type of switch can be wired to reverse the polarity I'm going to order some of the 2 position 2NO 2NC type without the centre off , if they don't do the job then I'll have to resort to using the 'standard' type switch

I'm now starting to wonder if I am connecting this switch incorrectly , I have seen diagrams where this type of switch did not have the negative feed from the power supply connected to it at all , it went straight out to the negative side of the device , the switch had one connection to the common post and that was a positive feed?

I will look into this also Jeremy , thanks

Seems to me from what has been discussed my error was ordering a 3 position 2NO 2NC rather than a 2 position 2NO 2NC I have some of the 'standard' type switches that people use on their way but the only reason I didn't choose these in the first place is because I wanted something a bit more 'fancy' so to speak I am still going to order some of the 2 Position 2NO 2NC type ones as presently the layout doesn't have any track down once again so no great rush for them arriving I'm sure if those don't do the job I'll find uses for them elsewhere

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what I have , so I'm guessing if I was to order some of the type in the middle and wire the 2 NO + 2NC together in the cross figuration , put positive and negative to the commons and the outputs to the tortoises on the NC posts that should work as per the normal type of switch people use? Thanks

I have just found this diagram from a seller of a similar switch , it appears they offer a 2 position DPDT one which would maybe have been a better choice ? Ignore on the diagram that the 'C' is in the centre of the picture because if you look at the switches in the picture then the positions are in the same positions as the ones I have https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33017259461.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.17.62a1428agzhJJp&algo_pvid=9f9f3269-3885-4348-aa45-f436f54fa801&algo_exp_id=9f9f3269-3885-4348-aa45-f436f54fa801-8&pdp_npi=4%40dis!GBP!3.59!2.87!!!4.40!3.52!%402103846917078147997564313e1f28!12000033283826390!sea!UK!132658013!&curPageLogUid=4CdG79cWJSPY&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A

Doesn't appear to be a £9.99 version on the site

It is something I will invest in soon

Thanks for all the input guys , I have been mailing the seller and trying to explain what I need the switch to do but as can be expected they don't really understand! I have got one switch to do a normal function (turn on power to something) , for this I have wired a negative feed to the bottom left common post , then one from the same side of the NO to negative side of the device that needs switching on , my positive feed goes to the right pin on the NO and then to the device , I've found that you can do this on either side of the switch Turn the switch right and device switches on , turn it centre it's off , turn it left and nothing happens When you do the same but on the NC pins it turns device on when switched to the left but also stays on when in the centre position , turn it right and the device goes off Am I missing something? Cheers

Nigel , this is exactly what I thought and wired it as such (no differently to what others do with the standard type switch just a different way around) but for some reason when crocodile clips are attached it will spark/arc as if there's a short and the lights on my 12v solar generator it's connected to for testing (12v DC OUT) go off Re the centre off , I know what you're saying but this switch will stay locked when turned to the right and as I can get the tortoise to switch one way , it backs off slightly when the switch is turned back to the centre My hopes with the switches was that they would operate the tortoise correctly as in when thrown left or right of the centre off Thanks

Well , I've gone from being constructive to destructive once again I was not happy with the way things were going with all the track on the layout as the original intention with this build was the 'less is more' approach After damaging the double slip trying to remove the springs after installing it I decided to rip it all up again I also decided the 'branch off the branch' didn't work and wouldn't really be prototypical so I ripped up all the raised track bed and blanked the exit hole on the end board So this is how it sits at the moment , I'm unsure when there will be any further progress again as I'm currently giving consideration to going down the EM/P4 path! , this all depends on the likely hood of certain locomotives/stock to be converted

Evening all Has anyone successfully converted one of the new tooling 20s to EM or P4 yet? Tia

Paul , it does indeed Here's a link to the actual item , I bought the DPDT 3 position latching version https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003539167770.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.4.17c61802XF9TQm Thanks

The switches I bought are DPDT , here is the link to them https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003539167770.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.4.17c61802XF9TQm I bought the 3 position LATCHING version , I don't need the LED Ring but I like it , it doesn't need to be wired but I have other uses for them anyway , eg last night I wired one to control something else but did it in a configuration that it comes on when the switch is turned on I bought them for the tortoises as they were DPDT which is needed to run them on simple DC power and assumed the 3 position one would be correct Thanks