POINT MOTOR SWITCH BOX EZE-Wire

[Ian0151]

 

Hi there. I am still fairly new. I am attempting to attach points to a console box. The console box is POINT MOTOR SWITCH BOX EZE-Wire. The points are Hornby. The points' red and green wires are attached to the console box. The console box is attached to the hm2000. This leaves the black wire from the points.  There isn't a thing to attach the black wire to the console.  It seems to want another power source, but I thought the hm2000 was the power. I've attached a photo and circled it. If anyone can help a numpty like me, it would be greatly appreciated.  Cheers 😀 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Ian0151
Spaces

[smokebox]

Black wire to one of the auxiliary output connections of the controller and the blue wire above your circle goes to the other contact on the aux output (I think!)

Edited February 16, 2023 by smokebox

[Ian0151]

8 minutes ago, smokebox said:

Black wire to one of the auxiliary output connections of the controller and the blue wire above your circle goes to the other contact on the aux output (I think!)

 

[Ian0151]

Thanks. But I'm already putting a wire from the console box into the hm2000. If I put the black wire from the point motor itself I would have no more inputs into the hm2000..? The console is supposed to do 5 points.  Cheers 

 

[frobisher]

Not having any indication of the internal wiring of the box I would comment that the manufacturer's documentation seems to be appalling.

 

I would suspect that the lower terminal connections on the side MIGHT be intended for where you are meant to afix the other feed from the controller (because you have no circuit without both), and that connector is where you should also connect the blue circled return to.

[kevinlms]

9 hours ago, Ian0151 said:

Thanks. But I'm already putting a wire from the console box into the hm2000. If I put the black wire from the point motor itself I would have no more inputs into the hm2000..? The console is supposed to do 5 points.  Cheers 

 

Disconnect whatever you've done and since you're using Hornby, connect the black wire to one side (doesn't matter which) of the 'Uncontrolled AC' connector. The blue wire (in the diagram) goes to the other side.

 

https://support.Hornby.com/hc/en-gb/article_attachments/360015928780/R8012-HM2000-Controller-Multilingual.pdf

[Ian0151]

4 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Disconnect whatever you've done and since you're using Hornby, connect the black wire to one side (doesn't matter which) of the 'Uncontrolled AC' connector. The blue wire (in the diagram) goes to the other side.

 

https://support.Hornby.com/hc/en-gb/article_attachments/360015928780/R8012-HM2000-Controller-Multilingual.pdf

Thanks. That would make sense.  But wouldn't that restrict me to two power access points going into the hm2000? Plus room for nothing else? Cheers 

Edited February 17, 2023 by Ian0151
My error

[kevinlms]

4 hours ago, Ian0151 said:

Thanks. That would make sense.  But wouldn't that restrict me to two power access points going into the hm2000? Plus room for nothing else? Cheers 

No, because you have capacity for 5 pairs of red/green wires and the unit has 5 switches to operate them. As per user guide.

 

280-69
EZE-Wire Point Motor Switch Box.
For simple wiring & operation of 1 to 5 Model Railway point motors. For use with a suitable power source of 12-24volts.

[ejstubbs]

5 hours ago, Ian0151 said:

But wouldn't that restrict me to two power access points going into the hm2000? Plus room for nothing else?

 

The HM2000 has two controlled DC outputs (for driving trains with) and two uncontrolled.  What kevinlms advised would utilise one of the uncontrolled outputs (both terminals of it), leaving the two controlled outputs and one remaining uncontrolled output.

Edited February 17, 2023 by ejstubbs

[frobisher]

I think the OP's dilemma is that he's thinking 1 wire, 1 socket/terminal and isn't familiar with the "keep stuffing wires in until you can't" approach we all tend to use.

[Ian0151]

I now have one point working shoving the black wire into the controller.  Its where I put the other four black wires from the other four points.  I'm guessing now there must something you can connect the five black wires into, and then one from that goes into the back of the controller, but I have no idea what that may be to even do a search to buy one....

[Ian0151]

3 hours ago, frobisher said:

I think the OP's dilemma is that he's thinking 1 wire, 1 socket/terminal and isn't familiar with the "keep stuffing wires in until you can't" approach we all tend to use.

I think you may be right but I don't know what I'm looking for... 

[ianLMS]

4 minutes ago, Ian0151 said:

I now have one point working shoving the black wire into the controller.  Its where I put the other four black wires from the other four points.  I'm guessing now there must something you can connect the five black wires into, and then one from that goes into the back of the controller, but I have no idea what that may be to even do a search to buy one....

You send the black wire out to the first point motor from the power source. Then connect the other point motors in a chain. The reds and greens from each motor go back to your module.

[Ian0151]

1 hour ago, ianLMS said:

You send the black wire out to the first point motor from the power source. Then connect the other point motors in a chain. The reds and greens from each motor go back to your module.

They are surface mounted Hornby motors, with the three wires wired into to firmly held in place by the plastic casing. I have seen illustrations of chains for other motors but seems not possible for these.  I wondered if there was some kind of device five black wires, then one comes out the other way to go into the hm2000....?

[Dagworth]

56 minutes ago, Ian0151 said:

  I wondered if there was some kind of device five black wires, then one comes out the other way to go into the hm2000....?

https://twen.rs-online.com/web/p/standard-terminal-blocks/4649700

[kevinlms]

1 hour ago, Ian0151 said:

They are surface mounted Hornby motors, with the three wires wired into to firmly held in place by the plastic casing. I have seen illustrations of chains for other motors but seems not possible for these.  I wondered if there was some kind of device five black wires, then one comes out the other way to go into the hm2000....?

Dagworth has pointed out a common way of joining multiple wires, but several methods can be used, including just twisting wires together and securing.

Building a model railway often requires gaining new skills that you may never have thought of before, one of these is to use a soldering iron, a skill once learnt, you wonder how you ever got on without it! Often wires are just too short, knowing how to extend them, is something always useful.

 

Do you know someone who lives nearby, or perhaps a club? Often these skills take forever to describe in text form like here, but a few minutes to show.

[ianLMS]

10 hours ago, Ian0151 said:

They are surface mounted Hornby motors, with the three wires wired into to firmly held in place by the plastic casing. I have seen illustrations of chains for other motors but seems not possible for these.  I wondered if there was some kind of device five black wires, then one comes out the other way to go into the hm2000....?

I use a 3-way terminal block as shown by Dagworth adjacent ti each point motor. For the black, one wire in, 2 out. The second black goes to the next point and so on. 

 

The other is twist the 5 wires together and into a terminal block with the one wire from the HM2000. 

 

Failing that, use a single bus wire from the controller, and feed it around the layout running near each point motor and take a feed wire off the bus and join it to the black wire for each motor.

 

Another option is to solder all 6 black wires to a piece of copper or brass or use a tag/brass screw/brass washer.

 

 

Alternatives:

https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/news/connecting-multiple-wires.html

 

 

Edited February 18, 2023 by ianLMS

[Ian0151]

8 hours ago, ianLMS said:

I use a 3-way terminal block as shown by Dagworth adjacent ti each point motor. For the black, one wire in, 2 out. The second black goes to the next point and so on. 

 

The other is twist the 5 wires together and into a terminal block with the one wire from the HM2000. 

 

Failing that, use a single bus wire from the controller, and feed it around the layout running near each point motor and take a feed wire off the bus and join it to the black wire for each motor.

 

Another option is to solder all 6 black wires to a piece of copper or brass or use a tag/brass screw/brass washer.

 

 

Alternatives:

https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/news/connecting-multiple-wires.html

 

 

I think the 3 way block may be worth looking at.  I suppose that's using the same principle as lining them up in bank like I've seen in a Peco illustration.  I'm assuming the terminal block needs to have a high voltage to cover this (each Hornby surface point motor is 15v).  I've also made an enquiry on the link you sent.  Thanks!

[Ian0151]

17 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Dagworth has pointed out a common way of joining multiple wires, but several methods can be used, including just twisting wires together and securing.

Building a model railway often requires gaining new skills that you may never have thought of before, one of these is to use a soldering iron, a skill once learnt, you wonder how you ever got on without it! Often wires are just too short, knowing how to extend them, is something always useful.

 

Do you know someone who lives nearby, or perhaps a club? Often these skills take forever to describe in text form like here, but a few minutes to show.

Many thanks for this!

[Ian0151]

17 hours ago, Dagworth said:

https://twen.rs-online.com/web/p/standard-terminal-blocks/4649700

 

17 hours ago, Dagworth said:

https://twen.rs-online.com/web/p/standard-terminal-blocks/4649700

Thanks!

[kevinlms]

21 hours ago, Ian0151 said:

I think the 3 way block may be worth looking at.  I suppose that's using the same principle as lining them up in bank like I've seen in a Peco illustration.  I'm assuming the terminal block needs to have a high voltage to cover this (each Hornby surface point motor is 15v).  I've also made an enquiry on the link you sent.  Thanks!

No, the '15Volts' will always be the same, they are not cumulative. Any terminal block you buy will be fine regards voltage. One thing you do have to look out for is the diameter of the screw terminal, because obviously if you twist more together, the larger the diameter becomes. Just like a snowball, if you add more snow.

[Ian0151]

3 hours ago, kevinlms said:

No, the '15Volts' will always be the same, they are not cumulative. Any terminal block you buy will be fine regards voltage. One thing you do have to look out for is the diameter of the screw terminal, because obviously if you twist more together, the larger the diameter becomes. Just like a snowball, if you add more snow.

Thank you 😊 

[john rayking]

I do think it should be made clear about the eze wire switch box that it only works on a controller ,will not work off a transformer ,nowhere to put the black wire ,in the passed i have bought a number of control boxes and they all have a screw connection for the black wire( common return) attatched to the side .I fwhat i have written is correct ,i shall have to discard the box and go back to switches ,but i would welcome if someone could tell me how to work the box useing a 16volt transformer.