The last thing to do was to create a method to lower my control panel under my layout when not in use and to raise it back up when needed. For this, I decided on a winch system. Simply turn the winch to raise the control panel into place and reverse the winch to lower. Because the winch is self locking, it holds the control panel up right when in use.

The system was quite easy to build. I purchased a mini-winch, a couple cable pulleys and the hardware to fasten it to my benchwork. For the cable, I used 1/16” PVC coated aircraft cable and aluminum sleeves to create loops at each end. I planned a path for the cable then drilled the necessary holes through my benchwork for the cable to run through. I used two small pulleys to guide the cable from the winch to the lift point over the control panel.

I used a fixed pulley which I bolter to the underside of my table, right over the control panel. After running the cable over the pulley, I attached it to a U-bolt that was fastened to the control unit. The cable is rated for 95lbs safe working load, so it’s more than enough to lift and hold the unit.

My wiring and control panel are finally complete! My challenge this past week was to move the control panel down to my basement and connect it to my layout. 

I first attached the back of control unit base to the three 4” hinges with six 1/4” bolts. This allows the control unit to fold under the table when not in use. However, I have not yet made a final decision on how the unit will latch when in its upright position. For now I fastened it in the upward position with three screws.

I ran the leads from the control unit and hooked them up to the corresponding terminal screws on the previously installed terminal strips. The terminal strips made it very easy to detect any crossed over wires, and even easier to correct the problems as I only needed to swap the crossed wires to the correct screws. Remember, it doesn’t matter how organized or well planned your wiring layout is, mistakes will happen, so leave room to make corrections!

I kept the layout wires attached to the benchwork using small metal cable fasteners. These can be purchased at any local hardware store. I purchased mine at Canadian Tire for $1.99 for 20, which compared to other products and retailers I found, is a pretty good deal. Small zip-ties also help to keep wires organized and looking neat. 

While testing my control unit, I realized that I needed a higher powered AC power source to power my switch machines, separate from my MRC Tech 4 280 power pack. For this, I mounted an older MRC power pack to the underside of my benchwork and ran the new AC line back into my control box. This second power source can also act as an additional 12V DC source in the future. You can see it in the top right corner of the image above. 

To provide reliable safe power to the different components, I installed a surge protected power bar below my benchwork. This is then connected by and extension cord to a 120V wall outlet. 

I originally didn’t plan a master on/off switch into my control panel design, something I definitely should have done. Now I have no way to turn my components off, including the power packs. To solve this, I purchased a rocker switch ($2.99 from Princess Auto) rated at 120V 20A, which I tapped into the cord on the power bar. 

I then mounted the switch into a standard light switch cover panel. I drilled a hole into the front of my benchwork beside my control unit so the rocker switch panel could fit flush against the bench. This switch now cuts the power off to the power bar so I can leave my layout plugged into the wall outlet at all times. 

The track signals are still all displayed together on a temporary paper panel. This is purely for testing and making sure the signals work correctly when switching tracks. They will eventually be positioned on standards in the necessary positions along the tracks. 

Other than a few small required adjustments, everything works great as far as the electrical system goes. The dual cab control works awesome and I couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out. The next step will be to find a method to easily raise and lower the control panel and latch it when it’s upright. I’m also going to start smoothing out flaws in my track work and most importantly, take out the steep grade coming off of my trestle. 

Also check out my Design and Planning page for updated schematics for different systems on my layout so far!

The last 2 months have been insanely busy for me, so up until last week I haven’t had much time to concentrate on my layout. My goal was to complete my wiring and control panel by the new year and even though it’s now January 6, I’m not that far off from my goal. My first a most important purchase was a power pack. I decided on a MRC Tech 4 280 dual cab controller as well as 4 Atlas snap-relays to power my x-section, track signals, and corresponding control panel indicator lights. 

My control panel and controller need to be able to fold away under my layout when not in use do to the limited space in front of my layout. I purchased a 1/2” thick hardboard panel to use as the base to which my control panel and controller will bolt to. The rear of the hardboard panel will attach to hinges located under my bench work, allowing the entire unit to swing under the layout when not in use. I used L-brackets bolted to the sides of the control box to fasten the control panel to the base.

Once the base was cut, I cut a large opening to allow access to the inside of the control box. I also drilled holes at this time for the controller wires and power cables. A scrap piece of aluminum the same colour as the control panel was used as the base for the cab controller, and glued to the base. I used small black metal eyelets around the drilled holes for the main power leads to make them look more appealing. At the same time, I attached my 4 snap-relays to the bottom of the base.

Only the first 8 inches of the base will protrude out past the layout while the majority of it will be covered by the control box. To cover the visible hardboard, I attached 3/4” titanium L-molding around the edges, just as I did on the control box itself. I used PL Ultimate construction adhesive to glue the trim.

While the trim dried, I used this time to start wiring everything together. The first item on my wiring list was to connect all the leads from the 8 turnout signals to my resistor board. I also started connecting leads to all of the LED lights and volt meters inside the control box while it was still detached from the base. 

The leads from all of the LEDs were then connected to their appropriate leads on the resistor board and all connections were soldered together and insulated with electrical tape. As I made connections, I tested each circuit to make sure everything worked. One advantage of having all the resistors together on the PC board is that it was very easy to test each resistor anytime I had a short circuit. I also decided that the resistor board would be mounted outside of the control box due to space limitations inside. 

I then mounted the control panel to the base panel with 4 bolts through the four L-brackets on the control box. I mounted the resistor board to the bottom of the base using brass bolts. I used brass nuts and foam blocks to support and cushion the PC board. I also made a schematic of my resistor board, making it much easier when testing.

The cab controller also needed to be attached to the hardboard base. However, it did not have any brackets or holes to mount it. With a little research and testing, I discovered that the MRC cab controller is quite hollow and the printed circuit is located right below the top panel, leaving the bottom entirely open. 

I started by drilling two very small holes through the bottom of the controller to inspect and make sure I wouldn’t hit any important electrical components. I then drilled larger holes to accommodate a large threaded screw. I drilled two holes through the hardboard base, passing the larger screws through and into the pilot holes in the controller. This worked great and securely attached to cab controller to the base. I ran the power cord through a hole in the hardboard so it would not be visible from above.

I spent about four entire days wiring everything together. This included making all the connections, soldering, and insulating. Once each circuit was made, I needed to individually test them. Everything worked well with the resistor board for all the LED lights on the system, with only a few shorts that were located and fixed relatively quickly. I spent a lot of time setting up all of the snap-relays as well, making sure that the correct indicator LEDs and switched were lit when the switch control was flipped. 

One of the most frustrating shorts I had to deal with had really nothing to do with my wiring at all! It had to do with the actual Atlas controller, selectors, and switches on the top of my control box. It turned out that the screws supplied to attach each lead to each Atlas device protrudes further then the base, which in turn contacted the aluminum cladded surface of my control box, thus causing a large system-wide short. I resolved this by making a small copper washer for each screw. 

Testing everything as I went along took a lot of extra time, but was worth it in the end. Problems could be fixed immediately and were easily identified, opposed to having to sift through everything if it was completed. Another problem I encountered was with my switch overload indicator lights. This led back to an issue on my resistor board. I didn’t take into account that when one AC lead was powered that the second AC lead would also be powered. This was because both leads shared a common connection on one of the bridge rectifier posts. This was easily resolved by putting diodes (see below) into each converging AC lead, preventing current from traveling down the other lead when either was energized.

I temporarily fastened all of the turnout signals to a cardboard holder so I could easily view them when testing, as seen below. They all worked great and matched the corresponding positions perfectly. A switch on the control panel turns the center amber lights either on or off. I then attached an accessory 12V rectifier to the bottom of the base with brackets. This 12V DC power source powers all of the future accessories and LED lights. 

I used small brackets to fasten all the cables to the bottom of the base. There was such a large amount of wiring that it was sometimes difficult to keep everything organized. All the control panel wires that connect to the layout run off the back of the control panel base. They will then connect to their appropriate screw on the layout's terminal strips under my table. 

Now that the control panel and all the wiring is complete, I plan to have it attached to my layout by the end of this week. Once I complete this, I will post part two.

I’ve now added the leads to resistor board I built last month. This will allow it to be more easily connected to my control panel. As I mentioned in a previous post, I know this resistor board isn't required. I simply built it to keep things organized. 

One thing I realized however with adding the leads to the board was the extra amount of wire that is required. This is opposed to having a resistor added directly inline. With this system, leads need to come from the power source, to the board to reach the corresponding resistor, then continue on to the component. The added LED light on the board is for testing purposes only.

Now that my control panel is mostly done, I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to lay out the wiring inside to keep it tidy and organized. There are lots of individual circuits, so I decided to use a grid style PC board for the components, such as the bridge rectifiers and the resistors. 

I realize that I could have probably cut down on the amount of resistors I used. However, I opted to keep a resistor for each individual circuit to keep the wiring as close as possible to my original plan. I’m sure there are several different ways this system could be wired, this is just one of them. I used my soldering iron to attach the components directly to the PC board. I will then eventually attach all my wiring to the back of the board to each appropriate component.

Since my last update, I have been working almost daily on my new control panel. I have also finished the wiring plan and schematic for all of the switches and electronics. The plan includes the wiring for the control panel, all lighting and signals, switch machines, power blocks, and under-table wiring. I have been working and modifying this electrical plan for quite some time now and though it looks quite complex, it’s actually quite simple. It just looks like a lot because it shows absolutely every circuit. Some of this is already wired, such as the under-table switches, but the majority of it will be in my control panel. 

As for the control panel, it has been quite a learning experience with a lot of trial and error, blood and frustration. In the end however, the almost-finished product turned out pretty good. 

I planned the control panel to be a box-style panel, with all the lights and switches on top and all wiring and electrical components stowed inside. I decided to use 1/4” hardboard to construct the controller. Like always, I first made a detailed plan on paper of what I wanted to build. This makes things so much easier when it comes to construction. After drawing out the panel pieces on the hardboard, I used a jigsaw to carefully cut them out. I then glued them together with Weldbond white glue. 

Once the glue had cured, I measured and cut out the holes for the voltage meters. These meters will eventually monitor the CAB 1 and CAB 2 outputs from my power pack. I decided to go with analog gauges instead of digital ones for a more of a traditional look. 

I was originally planning on painting my control panel, however I realized that paint was not going to be enough to cover many of the imperfections. I decided to cover the box with recycled black and wicker aluminum cladding from a scrap yard. I was not able to bend the cladding well enough to cover the box, so I cut individual pieces for all 5 sides. 

Cutting holes through the cladding for the voltage meters proved to be quite the challenge as I didn’t have the right tools to cut a perfect circle. Instead, I used a small drill bit to drill several dozen holes around the traced circle. I then re-drilled these holes with a larger bit until the holes joined and the center circle fell out. With a bit of modification and filing, it fit perfectly over the control box holes. 

Using PL Ultimate construction adhesive, I attached 1/2” steel L-molding to the edges and corners of the panel, giving it a finished look. The finished panel turned out better than I expected, though there are some noticeable imperfections. At this time I also installed all of my Atlas switches on the face of the control panel. 

Next I installed the controller components onto the face of the panel using small screws. For these, I used an Atlas Controller, three Atlas Selectors, and four Atlas Switch Control Boxes. The Controller will allow me to reverse direction on both CAB 1 and CAB 2, as well as select which CAB controls the turntable. The selectors will control the twelve power blocks on my layout and the four switch control boxes will switch the track turnouts. See the Wiring Diagrams page for detailed explanations of how all these components work. 

The next item for construction was the display for the turnout positions as well as the 13 track power blocks. I decided on two separate diagrams; one for the overall layout and one for the turnout points. This kept the diagrams much less cluttered and easy to understand. I cut frames for each diagram out of 1/16” craft wood board and stained it dark ebony. 

For the diagrams, I used digital vector images I created in Photoshop instead of using the traditional tape method. I printed these images on photo paper and glued them to the back of the wood frames. I then fastened the frames to the face of the control panel with PL Ultimate adhesive. The numbers on the diagrams correspond to the switch numbers and the power blocks. 

Next I drilled holes through the switch position diagram and installed my LED lights which will indicate the switch positions; red for the turnout and green for the main line. Switches 1-3 are all for the main line yard and switch 4 is for the turnout to the turntable. I also drilled holes for the switch and accessory indicator lights, such as layout and power LEDs. 

The yellow LEDs at the top of each Atlas switch are for switch machine overload protection. I’ve heard that Atlas switch controls sometimes stick and will burn out switch machines so I added this little feature that will indicate a stuck switch. The LED will light only for the moment that the switch is pressed. If the switch sticks, the LED will stay lit, indicating power overload. You can see how I wired these in the wiring schematic at he bottom of this post.

Once everything was attached, I started to label all of the Atlas controllers, switches and selectors. The numbers that were included with the switches didn’t fit correctly nor did they look good, so I constructed my own in Photoshop. I opted for a black background and white text, making them blend perfectly with the Atlas switches. Once printed, I cut out each letter and number and stuck it to each switch using double sided tape.

I will still need to label the rocker switches and some of the other LEDs on the control panel, but I'm pretty happy with how this turned out so far. The next step will be all of the wiring. The control panel will eventually be mounted to a piece of plywood with the cab controller right beside it. The final plan is to have the entire unit fold away under my layout when not in use.