Phone cable for throttle connections?


J

JimmyG

Member
Electricans, I still run DC on my layout. I see handheld throttles that seem to use telephone cable to connect to the layout. I use two handheld throttles I built years ago from schematics. One is a small DC throttle with about 13 volts input and the other is a SCR throttle with about 24 volts input (12v. output). I run only one engine per throttle. I would like to have plugin connectors on the other side of the layout so I can follow the trains better. Is telephone cable big enough to carry the current to and from the throttles and use as a connector or do I need something bigger? :confused: Thanks for any help you offer.
 
Telephone wire isn't going to be big enough, alto for 1 engine it might suffice at times. I would recommend you get "lamp cord" (18awg) wire to run to and from the throttle. It is what I use (on a DC system like you have) and it safely handles 3-4-5 ancient Athearn engines at once.

For the connectors I use an older 4 point telephone jack/plug which is much larger and can carry a lot of current, I can't find them at Radio Shack any more; but the newer 'modular' connections aren't going to handle the current you use in a DC system. The throttles you see using telephone wire/connectors are using DCC and don't have the current (amps) issues.

I would suggest you look at the "molex" style connectors, they are a bit of work to assemble but can carry the juice. Or the 'banana' style plug/jacks would do as well but aren't keyed.
 
I still have some tethered throttles that use phone line but I don't think the track voltage runs thru them. They plug into a phone jack that is connected to the board that then goes to the track.
Are yours four wire lines with voltage from power to the controller then going to the track? There are other connectors you can use with heavier gauge to make tethers, I've done it before.
I'd try a test on a piece of track first but 12 volts may be alright depending on the current draw.
I know 9 volts from a battery works fine, I made another portable controller for shows that was basically a nine volt battery with a reverse switch and two alligator clips. No speed control but you could test a loco on a piece of track.
 
kenw,
I thought the phone cords were too light for the current, just as you stated. I used molex connectors for a good connection to a duckunder bridge. They are a little trouble to set up but work fine, plus they are keyed. The only problem is they don't disconnect quickly and easily. Radio Shack doesn't sell much else. Like you said, banana plugs aren't keyed and the older 4 prong phone plugs are hard to find. I'll keep looking.
 
JimmyG said:
kenw,
I thought the phone cords were too light for the current, just as you stated. I used molex connectors for a good connection to a duckunder bridge. They are a little trouble to set up but work fine, plus they are keyed. The only problem is they don't disconnect quickly and easily. Radio Shack doesn't sell much else. Like you said, banana plugs aren't keyed and the older 4 prong phone plugs are hard to find. I'll keep looking.
Click to expand...

You could always got to Digikey or Mouser online and get 4 or 6 pin Cinch connectors and sockets. They will handle your voltages easily, and are extremely durable. They beat the heck out of those RipShack Molex connectors anyday!
 
All of my walkaround throttles use 6 wire phone cable. You can get them almost anyplace that sells phone wire. Radio Shack, WM, Target, etc. I use a CM20 by MRC.
I don't have any problems running up to 4 engines on 1 track. No loss of power. In fact MRC recommends that U use 6 wire phone cable. I also use female phone plugs that have a 6 wire connection in them. The cables I use have 2 different sized plugs on 1 cable. The small end goes in the phone plug & the big end goes in the handheld. You can buy these cables w/the ends already on them. I have a 12ft, 15ft & 25ft. cord.
They(MRC) recommends that you don't go further than 35 ft. from the main power supply.
 
Anyone got a diagram for a DIY DC tethered controller?

I found one thru google but can't find it now.
 
Larry said:
All of my walkaround throttles use 6 wire phone cable. You can get them almost anyplace that sells phone wire. Radio Shack, WM, Target, etc. I use a CM20 by MRC.
I don't have any problems running up to 4 engines on 1 track. No loss of power. In fact MRC recommends that U use 6 wire phone cable...
Click to expand...

With the CM20, track power does not pass through the handheld portion of the throttle, so I would not expect telephone wire to cause any problems with it.

With a throttle where the track power does run through the cable to the handheld portion, telephone wire would probably still be alright only running one engine per throttle, especially if it is a relatively new engine with a small current draw. I would advise, however, that you keep the cable as short as possible. One thing to be aware of is, if you have lighted passenger cars they can end up drawing more current than the engine.
 
Fazby said:
Anyone got a diagram for a DIY DC tethered controller?

I found one thru google but can't find it now.
Click to expand...

If you omit momentum it's just basic electronics, really, and I think you could get momentum reasonably easy. Don't ask me how, though, as I really don't know.


All you need is a plug, some good-quality wire, a couple of buttons, a variable resistor and corresponding knob, and a project box, all of which should be acquirable via RadioShack. If you want momentum you'd need a bit more than that though.
 
I'll skip over the wire issue since you guys seem to have that worked out. I wanted to use my walkaround throttle (I use 3 fixed and 1 walkaround, DC.block wired) the way you describe and had a similar problem with plugs. I ended up using a 4 pin microphone connector from radio shack . I bought 1 male for the thottle and 3 females to mount around the layout. They've worked very well...they easily handle the power, they have a notch to orient the pins, and a screw ring to lock them together.
 
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