Do you make or use a wiring diagram

[CBCNSfan]

This came to mind a couple of nights ago

as I cut out some wiring to a snap relay that I decided to use as a fwd/rev switch for a walkaround throttle. I couldn't remember why I had put it in, or what it was supposed to do. Since there were only 4 wires on it and the coil terminals wern't hooked up I figgured it wasn't doing very much. When I finished cuting out the wires, I thought to myself, I'll bet the trains won't run and I was right . I traced two of the wires to the terminal blocks in the control pannel The control pannel operates the switching for 6 loops two reversing relays three individual routes with power routing

. A little note would have saved me a lot of time trouble shooting . Ah Well it's all working again, I know now what it all does, but still haven't written a note on it

Cheers Willis

 

[modelbob]

I've rarely, if ever, made a diagram, but I do try and label wires. That helps quite a bit, especially if your layout has been an ongoing project. What may seem clear when you build it may seem totally confusing later.

Also, don't scrimp on wire ties and run your wiring neatly. Using a bit of extra wires so you can gather all of the wiring together helps you troubleshoot and also keeps the wires out of the way and less likely to get damaged than if you have a 'spiderweb' of mystery wires going every which way.

 

[kenw]

My problem has been that when I DO make a diagram, I forget where I put it....

 

[CBCNSfan]

I forget where I put it....

Yep! me too! I have a few for the power routing across the single track bridges, Thankfully, I wouldn't dare touch that stuff without it. But the rest especially the control pannel and assoc. circuits I always meant to label them or make a sketch but never got around TOOIT The cheapie walkaround is finished an it works, so next step is to put things back the way they were and label it

Cheers Willis

 

[Larry]

I'm like all the other guys & gals that try to place their wiring diagrams. I finally put everything on a clipboard & put a small chain on the clip & screwed it to the train table. All my undertable wiring is marked w/small(1" sq.) string labels. The labels hang down so I can see them real easy. I started out using colored tabs, but can't find those anymore, so I just mark them w/a plus or minus & then write on them where the wire goes. I also use wire clips to hold the wire up against the boards under the tables.
Over the years I have tried almost everything that has been invented for railroaders
in the wiring field & the string tabs work the best.

Larry

 

[CBCNSfan]

Hmmm! sounds like labeling is the way to go, at least then I wont cut out any necessary wiring just because I think it's

not needed

 

[grumpybob]

Quite a while ago i got some Elevator Wire from a friend in the business. The good news was that each wire was numbered so a Diagrahm was easy to put together. The Bad news is that when i made the conversion to DCC, i ripped it all out. Now i am back to #12 bus wire Red and Black and i am re-wiring the switch machines.

 

[modelbob]

> Quite a while ago i got some Elevator Wire....

Years ago they ripped an old phone system out of the office I was working in. The fellow pulled out a length of about 30 feet of copper phone wire, with probably 200 pairs, all color coded. I said "what are you going to do with that?" He replied "toss it out since it has too much insulation to sell as scrap, do you want it?" and I happily said "Yes, I sure do!"

How do you color code 200 pairs? You have a base color and then colored rings on the wire, i.e. grey with alternating red and blue stripes... Not sure just how many permutations you can get, I think it would about 1000 if you had 10 colors (10 x 10 x 10, and they probably used 8 (no gold or silver like on resistors) so that would be 512 possible combinations. In any case, it was always nice to be able to have each wire be distinctive. I have no idea where you'd find that kind of wire though...

 

[Peter-f]

Well... yes. Mostly because I'm not a pro... just a bit better than most.

My Dad was an electronics engineer... circa 1960, he built a power supply that works to this day...
I'd like to duplicate it, but he included no schematic...
I understand what's in it, and what most of the parts do.. but I don't understand:
- the 2 transformers in parallel between 120VAC and the outputs side (12 VDC, or 16VAC)
- the selenium bridge rectifier (is it center-tapped?)
- or how it delivers 12V - at all speeds! (It modifies available current to control speed)

My OWN diagrams will be in a notebook under the benchwork of my new layout... they seem to be on the backs of envelopes, now.

 

[sushob]

Ugh...permutations...our math lesson a few days back...actually everyone likes them because they're the shortest problems on the homework

 

[CBCNSfan]

2 transformers in parallel between 120VAC and the outputs side

Well I'm no engineer either but but two transformers in any configuration can give a few wonderfull effects because of phase relationships, adding too and subtracting from the current. I seem to recall something about ( buck boost) in power supplies where the current was controlled by the load while the voltage remained constant. Man that was years ago.
If the selenium rectifier has 3 terminals it will be a full wave bridge, if two terminals it will be a rectifier diode.

Not much help I'm afraid, but Cheers anyway
Willis

 

[Peter-f]

Full wave makes sense- but there are more than 3 terminals (if I recall) and several are connected- I need to check again...
Transformers in parallel...
power in to Both primaries...
One secondary is Center tapped... other is not
Secondaries lead to connections at A, B, C, and D
first transformer leads to A & B
second to B, C (the center tap) and D.

Would function similar to a large primary and a secodary with 2 taps. (I think)

Understand, I like its performance . . . and I do NOT intend to rework it... just understand it!

How does it deliver a fixed 12 VDC at varying amperage?