# Next question - track wiring.



## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

Hello again all. Ok so this weeks project is to get the track wired up, and I have questions. Of course I _always_ have questions 

On hoslotcarracing.com, he provides a schematic for a 4 lane track. What I want to know is this: Is this color coding universal? If I wire it up this way and then hook Parma controllers to it, the red will go to the red, black to black, white to white?

Below I attached Greg Braun's schematic. (Please let me know if that is not kosher with message board policy.)

I ask because once upon a time at my friendly neighborhood 1:24 raceway, I blew a fuse and smoked my controller because I wasn't paying attention and hooked the 3 clips up wrong. Embarassing. Don't want that to happen because one guy's version of color coding didn't line up with Parma's.

Also, this track is wired for brakes. What would be different if it wasn't?


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## Dyno Dom (May 26, 2007)

Positive Wiring for single lane with Brakes:

White is power from Positive (+) supply source to white controller terminal.
Black is power from controller terminal to driver's side rail in direction
of travel.
Red is from passenger side rail(direction of travel) back to red controller terminal and Negative (-) side of power source.


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## rbrunne1 (Sep 22, 2007)

The schematic is OK, but don't place the red (brake) post next to the white as you can short the power supply if you accidentally connect them together.

I think the schematic makes it look way more complicated than it is.

Run a white wire from the positive (+) side and a red wire from the negative (-) side of the power supply to each driver's station. Use a large enough conductor (14 ga.) and it can simply be one wire - place a fuse in the white wire.

Run a black wire from each driver's station to one rail and a red wire to the other rail.

This is called "positive" wiring because the controller is placed in the positive wire. Some tracks (Ninco I believe) use "negative" wiring, i.e. placing the controller in the negative wire. This is only an issue for electronic controllers. 

I don't have the drawing skills of others, but the sketch below should let you visualize the wring better.










I think what can be confusing is that both the white and black wires are "positive". They are connected by the controller. Think of the controller as a switch.

The red wires are the "negative", "ground" or "neutral". The car completes the circuit between the positive (black) and negative (red). 

In a controller with brakes, a "load" is placed in the circuit causing the electric motor to stop spinning.

The sketch is over simplified as you will need connections between the drivers station and track. Greg Braun shows terminal strips. I used wire nuts. 










The wires coming through the tables are from the track and are connected to the wires leading to the drivers station. 

The white & red twisted wire are the wires from the power supply to the next drivers station.

Search the track building forum as there are many posts on track wiring.

Bob B.
Clifton Park, NY


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

Isn't the usual standard red = positive and black = negative? That's the way my power supply is marked. Wouldn't it make sense to use that standard on the track wiring as well? Just asking...

Todd


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

yes and no.
the standard in the slot car industry is as stated above for whatever reason. the brake coming into play needs the extra warning of the red color I think.
on a track without a brake circuit, it is not as important.


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## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

Thanks once again for the replies fellas. A couple of follow up (and sorta random) questions.

1. Assuming I went by the original schematic, or rbrunne's, how would the controller hookups work if I was to just use stock race set (no brake)controllers? One controller lead to black, one to red?

2. What would be different in the track wiring if I were to forgo wiring the track for brakes? Is it just a matter of leaving something out, or is it wired completely different? (this is more out of curiosity than anything)

3. Assuming the track is wired for brakes, and I'm using controllers with brakes, what is it that would cause a short out? (one of the black or white controller leads hooked onto the red peg?)


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

1. one to white one to black, the white lead comes from the positive post on the battery and the black lead goes to the left rail of the track in the direction you are running. you vary the voltage through the controller that way.

2. the red lead from the battery/power supply would go directly to the right rail of the track in the direction you intend to run.

3. the black lead from the controller being put on the white post ( positive lead from the battery ) while the red lead from the controller is attached to the red post ( negative lead from the battery ).


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## rbrunne1 (Sep 22, 2007)

I agree with Al 

Don't over think the wiring. What seems to confuse everyone is that since a controller has two leads, one should go to plus and the other should go to negative. The controller is like a switch and switches are placed in-line with one side of the circuit to control a "load". In slot cars, the car is the "load" that you're controlling.

I agree that the color coding is confusing, too. In home wiring, black is "hot" (positive) & white is "neutral (negative). You would never want to directly connect black to white!

I'm not sure how in slot cars black became positive and red became negative - the exact reverse of most power supplies.

The reason this convention is important is that if other people come to your track, they'll hook up their controllers properly.

If the controllers are hooked up properly...no short. If you use posts, the alligator clip from the white post could simply touch the red post causing a short...that's why you want the black post in between. Plugs or recessed posts are safer for that reason...you can't accidentally contact two connectors.

Search the forum as there have been numerous posts explaining all this in great detail.

Bob B.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Trevor it might be easier to think of the white wire and the black wire as one wire.
One end of the white wire goes to the positive side of your power,and one end goes out to your left rail.
Where the white and black wires would be joined or spliced together is where your controller goes.
Then you run another wire from the other (righthand) rail directly back to the negative side of your power supply
Brakes can be retro-fitted at anytime down the road.
The red brake wire goes directly to your negative post on the power supply.
The guys above have pretty well got it laid out.
It helps if you can draw yourself a picture,i use a pencil and paper lots to lay out wiring diagrams.
Draw out your 2 track rails,and your positive and negative of your power supply,then run a pencil line from the positive side of your power to your white controller post,then another pencil line from the black controller post to your left rail,then the third pencil line goes from the right rail back to the negative side of your power.
A fourth pencil line goes from the red brake post also back to the negative side of your power supply:wave:
Rick


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## rbrunne1 (Sep 22, 2007)

Rick - that's just how i was trying to explain it, but that's much clearer :thumbsup:

One other tip: build your assemblies (i.e. driver's stations and power taps) using the color coded wires. Once you have the proper color wires in place, it's just a matter of connecting white to white, black to black & red to red 

Bob B.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Wow there's some great ideas here!

Maybe some of this info could have helped me out???


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## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

Wow...that's some rat's nest!


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

*Switch*

What can i buy for direction switches per lane?
Thanks sjj


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## rbrunne1 (Sep 22, 2007)

sidejobjon said:


> What can i buy for direction switches per lane?
> Thanks sjj


You need a "double-pole double-throw" (DPDT) switch. I think I used this one - $3.99 at Radio Shack: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062537

The 10A rating is overkill, but the center off allows me to turn off a lane if I want to 

If you search "DPDT", Radio Shack lists 59 items: http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=dpdt&origkw=DPDT&sr=1


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

Bob,
How about wire diogram? You new that was coming?
Thanks SJJ


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

*Double pole double throw switch*

Found it http://www.1728.org/project2.htm

Thanks sjj


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Go through this post ,Dslot and Gene have some good pic's showing the cross-over needed for directional changes

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=285660


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

Thanks All & quick
SJJ


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## beast1624 (Mar 28, 2009)

Thought I would post this one since no one else has yet. We used it to wire our 4 lane Tomy with reverse switches at each drivers station. Believe it or not, turned on the power and the whole thing worked!


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Here's another version,showing a couple differant options of wiring,and also shows a Trackmate diagram

http://www.oldweirdherald.com/techtips/ho_atw_2_2004a.jpg


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

The Accutech diagram is superb- used that for my scale mile track using 10 power feeds and it all worked near flawlessly right outta the gate.
:thumbsup:


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

Great Diogram i am fallowing it. My new Question is Solder or connectors??
Thanks SJJ


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## Black Oxxpurple (Jul 3, 2011)

Just my .02 cents worth Solder does not just come undone. It has to be heated to come undone. I soldered all of mine.


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## Dyno Dom (May 26, 2007)

Same here, I used HD spade connectors, crimped & soldered.


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## rbrunne1 (Sep 22, 2007)

I used wire nuts...cheap, fast & reliable.


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

Lap counter if I put car on sensor and drive off counts if I drive over even slow it don't count seems like back wards?
Thank SJJ


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

yes it's in settings normally open worked.
thanks SJJ


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