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duncan1_9_8_4

duncan1_9_8_4

UK Railway Signaller and Garden Railway Operator
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United-Kingdom
One of the things I find frustrating about garden railways is getting up and running, particularly the control aspect of it. Not having an outbuilding I can leave it all in and simply switch on, I decided to have an outdoor socket put on the side of the house, with what is in effect an extension lead running to a two pin plug in a plant pot in the garden. The MTS is now in a portable box, meaning it can be transported outside in one go, meaning at least 3 less runs up and down stairs, which annoys the other half......... and the equipment now benefits from true indoor storage when not in use.

DSC_0095.JPG DSC_0096.JPG DSC_0093.JPG DSC_0094.JPG
 
There may well be enough air in that box but dont forget ventilation for cooling!
 
Good point, i hadnt thought about that. I will drill some vent holes in the sides, dont want another disaster.
 
It is just the photo playing tricks??

You have not used the same connector on both leads have you? - One being mains into the transformer, and the other Power out to the track.
 
PhilP said:
It is just the photo playing tricks??
You have not used the same connector on both leads have you? - One being mains into the transformer, and the other Power out to the track.
Click to expand...
A similar thought occurred to me at first, although I think one is male and one is female? I was concerned that both were mains power implying there could be an exposed live male (oooh-err!) when unplugged. But on second look I can see the exposed male was to plug into the mains and the female is the track output.

I'd definitely use a different style of connector for the track (eg. banana plugs and sockets), just to be clear that one is mains and one is low voltage. If they are the same type of connector, then as it stands there's nothing to stop someone plugging the other (unseen) wiring that's connected to the track directly into a mains socket?
 
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They are done so that they cannot be plugged into one-another. 2pin off transformer lead//holes from extension cable (outdoor socket). The the wires out of the MTS have the holes//and the wires from track have the 2pin. So it is impossible to plug the wrong one in. There are also colour coded dots on the side not visible too.
 
If they are the same connector.. CHANGE THE LOW VOLTAGE ONES NOW!!!

You have mains on a 2-pin socket extension, and a 2-pin plug on the lead to your track.. You know what you are doing, but it is not good practice to have similar connectors in a situation like this.
There is the potential for someone to plug the 2-pin plug to the track into the 2-pin socket with mains on it.
 
[quote Duncan1_9_8_4] ...So it is impossible to plug the wrong one in ....[/quote]

Are you really sure? It seems to me someone else unfamiliar with your arrangement could simply bypass the control box altogether and plug the track directly into the extension socket? Seriously, use different a different type of connector for the MTS output//track wiring.

[edit] Ah, PhilP posted while I was typing. We're both saying the same thing

change the low voltage connectors now before you have a fatal accident!!

[/edit]
 
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Leaving aside the matter of the connectors (and on that, never forget the old adage that "Even if you make something Idiot-Proof, Nature will just make a better Idiot..."), the idea of putting the whole setup into a single box is a good one and saves a lot of time and hassle while setting up each time. When I had an MTS2 setup, I did pretty much the same thing but using one of the grey plastic outdoor electrical boxes (about the size of a shoebox) and fixing the transformer and central station into them with heavy-duty velcro tape. I put blue and red banana-plug sockets in one end for the outputs to the track.
When I upgraded to a 1200Z the MTS2 (still in its box) went to Gizzy who is still using it today, it's very convenient for carrying the gear around to run his portable micro-layout!

Jon.
 
I suggest fit a twin terminal post (which takes bare wires or banana plugs) to the side of the control box, for the outputs. Then use banana plugs on the wires to the track.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/twin-terminal-post-jk24b
twin-terminal-post.jpg

Simples, and less than £8 for the twin post and a pair of bananas.
 
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ntpntpntp said:
I suggest fit a twin terminal post (which takes bare wires or banana plugs) to the side of the control box, for the outputs. Then use banana plugs on the wires to the track.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/twin-terminal-post-jk24b
twin-terminal-post.jpg

Simples, and less than £8 for the twin post and a pair of bananas.
Click to expand...
Thanks mate, I have ordered some. They are something I never considered, and they will fasten nicely to the side of my box. Thanks again. I will update with a pic when I have done them.
 
I've seen that photo before Greg. Kind of surprised that you've got good thick wiring to the track but only thin stuff into the NCE unit? I know the terminal connections are small, but I doubled up on the wiring as recommended in the NCE manual.
Actually in the end I removed the terminal connector (the other end had rusted up after being left outdoors) and hard-wired thicker wiring direct from the board to my main plug.
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