Aboveis various parts used to build mounting and wiring harness. (3/32 and 3/16 drill bits)

Magnetic sign strip material is cut to 1/2in X 5/16in and a 3/32 hole drilled 5/16in from end centered.

Magnetic strip paper removed, wired threaded through the little hole and magnetic strip with adhesive side up is attached to the bottom of signal.

Connectors then soldered to wire leads and colored shrink wrap or tape added to color code leads. Various materials can be used for connectors. Common leads on single head signals need to be using 18 AWG solid wire because both leads need to go into the one common slot on TSMK.

Then the signal leads threaded through either a magnet base or a washer. If magnet base take care to ensure polarity is correct.

Once threaded, the signal is upright. if hit, it will bend over but not break.

Wire leads then connected to Digtrax Terminal Mounting Strip (TMSK) which is then connected via 10 wire ribbon cable to the SE8C.

Next we will discuss programming. We are working on a method to dispatch via Internet using JMRI Panel Pro. Click here to see CTC panel which is being built.

© 2004  Kent Williams, a member of NMRA, and UNW All Rights reserved

SIGNAL wiring and mounting

In order to connect to the SE8C, we needed an easy way to mount the signals so that if the signal is hit, it would bend over and not break. Originally we tried using Radio shack 68 pin IC socket connectors (276-1995) which were glued to the bottom of the signal with the little fragile wires soldered to the pins in a certain order. THen lead wires were soldered to another Socket connector which then were connected to the signal boards. while this worked, it proved tedious to build.

Phil Klein suggested using sign magnets on the botton of the signa then putting either a washer or more magnet material onto the layout, then soldering little pin connectors to hte lead wires and screwing them into the Digitrax SE8C terminal mounting strips. This proved to be quite easy, and works well.