DCC Wiring up a Manual Turntable

[beiland]

What is the most simply manner to wire up Diamond Scale turntable for DCC train operations. The turntable itself will NOT be indexing, nor powered in its turning,...just simple manual rotation?

I suppose one power lead still needs to come in thru the tower on the bridge, while the other comes thru the circular track in the pit? And I assume this circular track does NOT have to be segmented as there are dual contact wheels at both ends of the bridge?

There will be 3 powered tracks coming into the turntable, and all the remaining tracks (approx 8) will be storage tracks,.... that I would wish to be dead until the bridge is selecting them.

 

[trailrider]

One fairly simple way to power the bridge would be to put somewhat loose track connectors on the bridge rails, then manually align the bridge and slip the connectors onto the end of the incoming track rails. Soldering or just cementing some sort of tab extension to the connectors would make it easier to manipulate. Same thing with the other end of the bridge rails when you align them with the storage tracks. Of course, unless you manually move the locomotives from the storage tracks onto the bridge, you'd have to power the bridge rails, and you could either use the sliding connectors or wire the storage tracks with each controlled by an ON-OFF switch on your control panel.

 

[Selector]

I'm not familiar with the turntable. Many/most have a 'split ring' design, but it's often hidden below the circular pit, maybe even around the pivot shaft...if there is one.

The Walthers 90' kit of old had two brass rings mounted separated around the outside of the pivot shaft. A copper wiper, held by a single screw each, was attached to a mount nearby. The wire from the wipers went into the hollow shaft and up to the inside of the rails. So, in this case, there was no split ring design, and the user was obliged to flick a DPDT toggle to swap polarity depending on which way the bridge had rotated and onto which meeting rails the locomotive was about to travel.

The two rings keep the rails the same polarity, and the lead to the pit wall and the bay tracks are all wired to the same red/black wire orientation. So, when the bridge swapped ends during rotation, and the power was not contrary to the polarity of the oncoming rails, you merely flicked the toggle and you were now correctly oriented.

If the turntable you have has a split ring, and pickup wheels supporting the bridge ride on them, then I would imagine the split ring takes care of the polarity problem when the bridge rotates in either direction crossing the gap in the two rings. This is because the rings don't change their polarity as wired, like the tracks around the pit don't change, but the bridge still reverses polarity when the rails cross the gaps. However, the pickup wheels have now crossed onto rails of opposite polarity than they had when the bridge began to rotate...and you accomplish what the DPDT would otherwise do for you...no need for the toggle switch.

 

[bob]

Do you have the instructions for wiring the bridge? When it comes to transmitting the power, it doesn't really know if it's AC or DC and what control systems you're using. So wire it just like you would for DC. Not being familiar with that particular model, I don't know how they planned for power?