No.17 Adding to the electrics
The panels are made from 3mm thick high density fibre board,
hardboard as I used to know it. After
drawing the line of the new siding on the front of the panel the next task was
to drill two pilot holes where the new switches were to be located.
These initial pilot holes were gradually opened out using
ever bigger sizes of drill bit, up to 7mm as required for the push button
switches. Having positioned the switches it was then necessary to work on the
underside of the panel and to connect up the AC supply to each switch:
I used to be a civil engineer not an electronics engineer. I
do like things to be tidy. All my panels
are constructed around three feeds made from the copper conductors stripped out
of 30amp (2.5mm) power cable used for ring mains. I then use small diameter wire with a single
core so that it can be bent to shape to fit between the main conductor and the
switch. I use the brown and blue
conductors to supply the two feeds to single pole double throw centre off
Section Switches for 'cab control'. I
use the uninsulated copper earth to feed the push button switches for the point
motors. This is perhaps seen more
clearly in the view below which shows the underside of the completed panel with
the two new switches at the top right finally connected up to the blue and white
wires at the top of the picture that go off to feed the point motor. This panel is 'special' because it
incorporates the Section Switches for one of the reversing loops. These switches have to be double pole double
throw type switches and as well as feeds from the two cabs, there has to be a
feed from the 'common return' which I have sheathed here in red. Just to add to the confusion one of the
'cabs' for the reversing loops comes from another panel - hence the black covered copper connector.
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