model railway short circuit

Posted on Feb 4, 2014

Short circuits in the tracks, points or wiring are almost inevitable when building or operating a model railway. Although transformers for model systems must be protected against short circuits by built-in bimetallic switches, the response time of such switches is so long that is not possible to immediately localise a short that occurs while the t

Click here to download the full size of the above Circuit.

rains are running, for example. Furthermore, bimetallic protection switches do not always work properly when the voltage applied to the track circuit is relatively low. The rapid-acting acoustic short-circuit detector described here eliminates these problems. However, it requires its own power source, which is implemented here in the form of a GoldCap storage capacitor with a capacity of 0. 1 to 1 F. A commonly available reed switch (filled with an inert gas) is used for the current sensor, but in this case it is actuated by a solenoid instead of a permanent magnet. An adequate coil is provided by several turns of 0. 8 1 mm enamelled copper wire wound around a drill bit or yarn spool and then slipped over the glass tube of the reed switch. This technique generates only a negligible voltage drop. The actuation sensitivity of the switch (expressed in ampG¨re-turns or A-t) determines the number of turns required for the coil. For instance, if you select a type rated at 20 40 A-t and assume a maximum allowable operating current of 6 A, seven turns (40 G· 6 = 6. 67) will be sufficient. As a rule, the optimum number of windings must be determined empirically, due to a lack of specification data. As you can see from the circuit diagram, the short-circuit detector is equally suitable for AC and DC railways. With MG¤rklin transformers (HO and I), the track and lighting circuits can be sensed together, since both circuits are powered...

Leave Comment

characters left:

Related Circuits

Color sensor

Color sensor. Colour sensor is an interesting project for hobbyists. The cir- cuit can sense eight colours, i.e. blue, green and red (primary colours); magenta, yellow.

Dew sensor

Dew sensor. Dew (condensed moisture) ad- versely affects the normal per- formance of sensitive electronic devices. A low-cost circuit described here can be used to.

Audio Visual Ringer

Audio Visual Ringer. Many a times one needs an extra telephone ringer in an ad-joining room to know if there is an incoming call. For example, if the telephone is installed in.

Multipurpose Circuit for telephone

Multipurpose Circuit for telephone. This add-on device for telephones can be connected in parallel to the telephone instrument. The circuit provides audio-visual indication of on-hook,.

Off line Telephone tester

Off line Telephone tester. Here is a circuit of an off-line telephone tester which does not require any telephone line for testing a telephone instrument. The circuit is so simple that.

Telephone Headgear

Telephone Headgear. Acompact, inexpensive and low component count telecom head- set can be constructed using two readily available transistors and a few other electronic.

Telephone line based audio muting and light on circuit

Telephone line based audio muting and light on circuit. Very often when enjoying music or watching TV at high audio level, we may not be able to hear a telephone ring and thus miss an important...

Telephone Ringer using 556 dual timers

Telephone Ringer using 556 dual timers. Using modulated rectangular waves of different time periods, The circuit presented here produces ringing tones similar to those produced by a telephone. The.

New Circuits

Zero consumption Anti-theft High power Code Switch for E-Bike Batteries

This project fits more for custom made battery casing that can have more space to hide things inside. This switch with few alterations can be used for any other project as well but is designed based on e-bike needs! This project use a clever functionality of....
Ultrasonic distance finder circuit

The circuit described here uses ultrasonic oscillations and operates based on the propagation velocity of these oscillations in the air. Thus, we can easily determine the distance of two points if the time within which the wave travels this distance is....
Simple Metal detector circuit with CD4030

Sometimes the precious metals are hidden too deep and are not detected except with complicated devices. In many cases, however, small pieces of precious metal buried near the surface can be detected by relatively simple means. Everyone is very attractive to....
Fully automatic watering circuit for flower pots

Many times for various reasons we forget or can not water the plants that we have in our homes. And many humidity sensors units just notify us with a beeping sound or with a flashing light, that the pot needs watering. But what if we are away from home? This....
Simple deep searching metal detector circuit

The principle behind a metal detector is really very simple. Proof of this is the circuit that follows, in which it proves that the construction of a metal detector can be done in the minute, with few components that we find very easily everywhere. With the....
Sub-Harmonic Bass Converter for Electric Guitars

The sub-harmonic bass generator is a sound producing unit for guitars. The sound it produces looks very much like that of the bass guitar. The octave generator is sometimes quite unusual since it does not produce any of the usual ways of coloring the sound,....
Echo Depth Sounding Sonar for Boats

In the past the sounding (sea bottom measurement) was done with the "bullet", that is, with a heavy lead object that the seamen plucked into the sea hung from a calibrated rope. As soon as the "bullet" reached the bottom, the depth appeared directly from the....
100W HiFi Audio Amplifier Circuit

This Amplifier was designed to have the following specifications: Distortion less than 0.1% at full power of 100W even at 20KHz. Power has to be attributed to an extended bandwidth. The output transistors must be protected against short circuits. The power....
Plant-Pot Water Level Indicator Circuit

A series of LEDs serve to alert the gardener when plants need water. Using two conventional digital integrated LEDs and a series of LEDs, we make a very useful device for gardening. The device detects the amount of water in the pot and alerts the grower.....

Create NOW your QR MENU for your Restaurant / Hotel / Bar / Caffe,

Comprehensive ordering/paying features. fully personalized to suit your Business.

Update Anytime! Easy and Simple!

Popular Circuits

Under-Temperature Switch

The reference current is fed from the supply voltage via Rl, to the inverting terminal, and the...

How to Read Cellphones Schematic Diagrams

Schematic Diagram is a layout of symbols and and connection of every electronic components...

Wien-Bridge Oscillator Using HA2541 Op-Amp

A Wien-Bridge oscillator circuit can be built from HA2541 and some basic components. This circuit...

phase locked loop pll oscillator

This 860 MHz Phase Locked Loop (PLL) oscillator circuit is for 1200 MHz transverter`s local...

Digital to analog converter using R 2R ladder network and 741 op amp with simulated output waveform

What is DAC Digital to analog converter (DAC) is used to get analog voltage corresponding to an...

High PoE made easy

The IEEE standards for so-called "high power-over-Ethernet" (HPOE) have yet to be resolved, but...

Low-Power Amplifier with digital volume control

Amplifier with digital volume control can we make predictably because the circuit is made simple...

Solar Mailbox project

The purpose of this project is to develop a self sufficient Mailbox (real one) that will be...