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 Posted - May 01 2016 : 8:55:41 PM
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one of my pet peeves is having to constantly connect a power pack to something...ANYTHING...track accessories, etc. , so I finally decided to use the parts I'd acquired long ago to make what I should have done long ago - a quick disconnect power system to use with track or accessories.
Basically you need two things to do this : a Terminal strip, and a set of speaker wire clasps. I've long thought of using speaker wire clamps before, and had bought some, stuck them in a drawer, and of course they get lost/forgotten over time. But cleaning up ( to clean out some ) I found them again, and with the terminal strips close by, I got busy.
I found out that the terminal strip I had wouldn't work with the speaker wire clasp as made, the spacing between the screws was a bit short and not even between terminals and the clasp solder lugs. But it looked like if I cut it in half, it would fit on the outside of adjacent pairs of screws. I'd also have to cut some of the solder lug away to go around the screw threads.
I made the first one, with two pairs of terminals on one side. This one I will keep permanently attached to a power supply to use for testing engines on track or accessories. The second one, I put the clasps on opposite sides of the strip, this way I could quick disconnect BOTH the power supply AND anything that needed testing. This will become a floater unit, able to be used on anything needing power, or testing different power packs.
Ok, enough chatter, here's the pictures.
Jerry
<EDIT ADDITION> Oops, you know, I thought about it after looking at the pictures, I COULD have just soldered the two halfs together, black/black and red/red, OR just hot-wired them together without even cutting in half.  Would take out the need for the Terminal strip itself, which can be pricey sometimes. But, since I had both, and figured on using the other terminal lugs maybe later, and this way you can screw the terminal strip to something stable...do it however it suits you. :)
Above, here's the start.
the two main parts of this project
unit cut apart
solder lugs cut
Above, both styles of power clasps
Above, testing some accessories
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
Edited by - AMC_Gremlin_GT on May 01 2016 9:02:05 PM
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Country:  USA ~
Posts: 3974 ~
Member Since: January 04 2009 ~
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