Tri-color LEDs

Can any Bi-Color//Bi-Polar LED be alter to create 3 colors ( Red Green And Yellow), or do you need to get a tri-color LED?
Which manufacturers are the best for these types of LED's? I was thinking wither minitronics(2 color) or Tomar (3 Color)........

Thanks,
Mark

A Bi-color red/green when both sides are powered (provided it is a 3-prong, not current direction baised) will provide a yellow glow. A green led and red led in close proximity to each other, viewed at proper distance will look yellow.

You can still get "yellow" out of it even if it's a two-pin device. Hook it up to a 555 oscillator. You can pick them up at radio shack, and there are designs for making it into an oscillator on the Internet.

RussNelson wrote:You can still get "yellow" out of it even if it's a two-pin device. Hook it up to a 555 oscillator. You can pick them up at radio shack, and there are designs for making it into an oscillator on the Internet.

100% Correct. All the signals on the HO layout at my model RR club use this principal, so it is very do-able. The oscillator can also be adjusted to change the "tone" of the yellow.

Hello everyone.

I am curious about using either tricolor, or bicolor leds for turnout indicators. I DO NOT need the fancy singal masts and evrything else that maes them pretty and clean looking. I am just starting my layout, and just want something to show me the status of the turnouts themselves. something like, displaying red when the turnout is closed, or grenn when it's safe to proceed. I wanted to run it off of track power, and I am aware I will need to introduce an appropriate sized resistor to reduce trackpower from 17-18 volts down to about 2-3 volts. I would like someones opinion on my idea of using the turnout ITSELF as the "on\off" switch. Can this be done? I SUPPOSE I should note that I am using ATLAS brand code 100 custom-line turnouts, and one Wye. I have been reading about doing this with dcc(I am using DC ONLY), and the site said that atlas turnouts are all easy to do this to(using DCC) and I don't know how weasy it s to do with DC. ANY help will be appreciated.

kf7strng wrote:Hello everyone.

I am curious about using either tricolor, or bicolor leds for turnout indicators. I DO NOT need the fancy singal masts and evrything else that maes them pretty and clean looking. I am just starting my layout, and just want something to show me the status of the turnouts themselves. something like, displaying red when the turnout is closed, or grenn when it's safe to proceed. I wanted to run it off of track power, and I am aware I will need to introduce an appropriate sized resistor to reduce trackpower from 17-18 volts down to about 2-3 volts. I would like someones opinion on my idea of using the turnout ITSELF as the "on\off" switch. Can this be done? I SUPPOSE I should note that I am using ATLAS brand code 100 custom-line turnouts, and one Wye. I have been reading about doing this with dcc(I am using DC ONLY), and the site said that atlas turnouts are all easy to do this to(using DCC) and I don't know how weasy it s to do with DC. ANY help will be appreciated.

This can be done with DC or DCC and Tortoise machines very simply. Currently on my DCC layout at my club we use the same output to the switch machines from the decoder, that powers the machine, to power a bi-colored LED. The bi-colored LED is one with two legs, but with polarity one way, is green, and the other, is red. Using this principal, the output of the switch decoder will output the poliarty one way when the turnout is normal to hold the machine that way, the other when its reversed to hold the machine the other way for the open, or reversed position. So connecting a two leg, bi color LED to this output will give you the green light if the turnout is normal, and red light when its reversed! (dont forget your resistors, of course) You can use this same idea when your doing DC since with tortoise machines your going to either be putting power to it one way to hold it normal, and reversing polarity it to put it in reverse.

At my club we built diagrams of yards and interlockings and built little panels which got mounted into the side walls of the layout to do this type of turnout indictation. it works very well, and if theres a failure of a decoder for whatever reason the bi color LED will not light,since the decoder is not putting out any power to hold the switch in that direction. Very good troubleshooting tool! If you would like photos of what we have done at my club layout I can have them after this wednesday. In fact, i can even make a youtube demonstration of how it works!

*Note, as far as i know, this will not work with coil based switch machines

ApproachMedium,
Thank you for the answer. It's what I was loking for except that I don't have powered switches yet. When I siad the turnout itself, I actually meant the rails that move(the frogs) Because my understanding is that say if the switch is open to the sidingthen contact will be broken on one rail, right? (or do the insulated frogs have a safe way to transmit power without shorting? This is the site i saw, and I'm not schematic-friendy
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches_atlas_roco.htm

I think they are doing what i want (sort of) but then they are also using DCC. I know it's EXTREMELY easy to do , with a switchmachine.. like you just said, but how about the way I described? any other components i need to take into consideration than just rails, and a bi-color LED? Maybe some way of automatically reversing polarity when the switch is open/closed? COme to think of it, i think we can do that because when i was reading up on this iI remember readin something about NOT letting your trains hit a closed switch (closed on the main, open to the siding) as it will cause a short in the locomotive. So, somthing like that could be possible that way maybe? Ok, before i confuse myself, r make myself look dumb, I'll let you figure this out. Thanks again for your help!

kf7strng wrote:ApproachMedium,
Thank you for the answer. It's what I was loking for except that I don't have powered switches yet. When I siad the turnout itself, I actually meant the rails that move(the frogs) Because my understanding is that say if the switch is open to the sidingthen contact will be broken on one rail, right? (or do the insulated frogs have a safe way to transmit power without shorting? This is the site i saw, and I'm not schematic-friendy
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches_atlas_roco.htm

I think they are doing what i want (sort of) but then they are also using DCC. I know it's EXTREMELY easy to do , with a switchmachine.. like you just said, but how about the way I described? any other components i need to take into consideration than just rails, and a bi-color LED? Maybe some way of automatically reversing polarity when the switch is open/closed? COme to think of it, i think we can do that because when i was reading up on this iI remember readin something about NOT letting your trains hit a closed switch (closed on the main, open to the siding) as it will cause a short in the locomotive. So, somthing like that could be possible that way maybe? Ok, before i confuse myself, r make myself look dumb, I'll let you figure this out. Thanks again for your help!

The link you sent me is for power routing frogs. this only works if you have solid metal frogs on your switches, and they are power isolated from other track components. The power routing switch they show is actually contacts inside a tortoise machine. We use the same prinicpal for handlaid switches since they are all metal with metal frogs. The circuitry in the tortoise machine will automatically change your frog polarity for you.

The only option that may work for you is to connect a red and a green led up with the points somehow, not sure how to do it this way. But in all other options it looks as though your gonna have to use a switch machine weither tortoise or one of them fancy manual pull knob undertable ones, I believe they have power routing as well.

ApproachMedium,
Thanks a bunch! The layout track package comes with customline switches WITH metal frogs. here's the description of the #4 custom-line Mark IV turnout "HO Code 100 with black ties and nickel silver rail. Custom-Line Turnouts have metal frogs that can be powered if necessary. NOTE: A Snap-Switch and a #4 Custom-line Turnout are not interchangeable in Atlas layout plans." So it SEEMS like I could achieve what I want somehow But i would then use 2 leds, since it would elimiate the need for reverse polarity, correct? I know I am making this more difficult than it needs to be, but i would like ATLEAST 10 indicators, and the retail pice on block signals is something like $15 each. So if i could rig up a cheap, fast, and extremely dirty way of signaling, i'd like to do it.

Thank you for your continued assistance!

if your not going with remote switch controls, do what I did: Go to radio shack and get the small DPDT slide switches. Get some piano wire and drill a small hole into the slide switch and wire the lights to that and that small slide switch will control the turnout.

- Mark

Well, It's looking like the most cost effective thing for me to do is use remote switch machines. NHS Hobbies http://www.nhshobies.com Is running a sale on switch machines right now and they are about $6 a PIECE, instead of 8 or $9. I know I will need the switch control boxes as well (as they require momentary AC), but from what I see ONE small toggle is about $3, plus the tie and effort to make it work correctly. I assume atlas switch machines will give me the ability to do what I want?

Anyone here have any suggestions for dropping resistors for TOMAR LED's, Tri color, for a 12 volt systme, or even a 9 volt system? I have NO idea how to figure out resistor values.

Mem, Look here http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz That should work for you