27 Jan 2012
Power distribution Panel
I have spent far too long working on a power distribution panel to tidy up the mess of plugs and sockets that currently feed the layout -
I have worked out that I need the following power supplies -
12V DC for DTM30 and SIGM20 boards as well as for Led building lighting circuits
15V DC for BDL168 and DAC20 boards
16V DC for Kadee electromagnetic uncouplers
Then I need the power supply for the DCC system.
As time goes by I will probably need at least one other supply - so a spare would be useful.
I decided to build a little control panel - inspired by the front panels used by "expat" aka Trevor of the MRF board.
Here is the wooden box that I used to contain the wiring:-
I mounted five mains sockets on the back:-
The front panel is made of a 3mm acrylic sheet on which the switches are mounted and then this is screwed onto an MDF sheet which was painted black.
Here is the internal wiring:-
I used a pile of heatshrink to cover up the terminals - what I had ignored was that when I got the wife's hairdryer to shrink the heat shrink - then it also bent the acrylic a bit - bother!
The whole unit is designed to slide into the front of the Lgirder benchwork I am using. so the width is largely dictated by the width of the studs in the wall! as these dictate the width of some of the cross pieces. Here is the rear view of the unit in situ:-
I used illuminated rocker switches - as I am forgetful and it is a good way to see if I have left anything switched on.
The front labels are made by using heavy photo paper in the printer and then after it was printing giving it a coat of clear spray on varnish every day for five days. - it took several attempts and I am not completely happy with it even now.
Here is the front view - of the unit - but it is only resting in the bench as it is not in the final position - when it is finally positioned then the cables will be routed neatly out of the way.
11 Jan 2012
Latest Layout
Despite the fact that I have started to build the baseboards already I have not yet finished the track plan - I have just got bored with it.
The rear wall I am just going to have as a temporary simple shelf right now and will worry about a bigger better design later.
Here is where I currently am - I need to modify the station to add the curves that Banbury has - and I need to check a pile of dimensions.
