# LGB connector, but which one?



## GscaleTed (May 13, 2010)

Hi ALL!
I have a piar of these LGB connectors, well... I think there LGB. Does anyone know the part number? OR, if there NOT LGB, who are they?
Many thanks, Ted
http://home.roadrunner.com/~TBiernacki/LGBcon.jpg


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## Axel Tillmann (Jan 10, 2008)

These are probaly not LGB, because they are much longer the the regular "mini banana plugs" which you find on our web site. I have never seens these from LGB or Maerklin or anybody else.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

I hate to disagree with Axel, but I think that those plugs came with the orange LGB switch control box. As I recall it had four switches to control signals and switches. They had to be attached to the wires that brought power to the box.

Chuck


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## Jerrys RR (Jun 28, 2010)

Posted By chuck n on 07 Jan 2011 06:02 PM 
I hate to disagree with Axel, but I think that those plugs came with the orange LGB switch control box. As I recall it had four switches to control signals and switches. They had to be attached to the wires that brought power to the box.

Chuck 


I agree with Chuck. They look like the connectors LGB furnished with the 5075, 5175 etc. to connect to the ends of the switch controllers.

Look inside the plastic bag below:












Jerry


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Jerry, when I got a chance I was going to go and take a picture of the controller in an LGB catalog.

Chuck


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

LGB 5075/5175/5080/5180 Parts Diagram[/b]


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

The controllers could be daisy chained by plugging one into the preceding one using the 2 pins on the right side of Jerry's picture. The black and white plugs went on those two pins to provide power to the first unit and all following units.

Chuck 


I used several of these units on my railroad in Denver. They worked well, but when we moved to Virginia, I went to all manual switches. With the amount of S##t that falls on the track here and all the water rusting the switch motors nothing worked reliably. I think that they are great for indoor layouts, but if you want to use them outside, it depends on your local environment.


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## Axel Tillmann (Jan 10, 2008)

If you stop learning you die







Those (above) are the regular LGB female (there is of course also the male version) that I knew. So I went to the shelf of the brand new units and guess what - they are no longer including any of the long one


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## Jerrys RR (Jun 28, 2010)

Posted By chuck n on 07 Jan 2011 06:49 PM 
The controllers could be daisy chained by plugging one into the preceding one using the 2 pins on the right side of Jerry's picture. The black and white plugs went on those two pins to provide power to the first unit and all following units.

Chuck 




Here is an example:











Sometimes I use the connectors on the end and sometimes I use a screw terminal at the back.

Jerry


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Axel, I think that you have the standard female plug that LGB sold for connecting power between cars. They come in black, red and green. White was never one of the colors, that I know of. The plug that Jerry and I are talking about is longer and the diameter of the hole in the plug is at least a mm wider. The male that goes with the one you pictured is to small, I just tried it. These plugs were specific for the switch controller. I haven't seen them used anywhere else, as far as LGB related products is concerned.

The diameter of the pins on the switch control boxes is significantly larger than the standard LGB pin that plugs into the power jacks on the locomotives and the usual LGB power connectors. If I can locate mine tomorrow, I'll measure the diameter of the plugs on the box. Perhaps Jerry could measure it and keep me from tearing the basement apart. I haven't seen these units for 17 years!!!


Chuck 


PS My grandson loves the Jackson Hole Cable Car I ordered last month.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

I have that in both white and black and these were used for the LGB control boxes for AC power and the wire colors match the connections on the box. 

EPL switch drives have the orange and white colors on them and this is the color of the connection on the box you would use.


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## Axel Tillmann (Jan 10, 2008)

Chuck: 

Yes we are carrying them for our customers who ise them for the car to car connections (inlcuding the males). Waht I was trying to say, if they came in the past (as it looked like on the photo) as part of the switch box then the current new units don't have them in there anymore (only the instruction manual and the stickers). 

I am glad that your gradnson loves the Jackson Hole. You know I am working on a conversion kit that allows you (for permanent istallation) to install carrier wires and use pulleys for the gondolas to run and the carrier wires (about 12 pulleys per arm). This will make for a very sweet operation.


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## Axel Tillmann (Jan 10, 2008)

Chuck: 

Yes we are carrying them for our customers who ise them for the car to car connections (inlcuding the males). Waht I was trying to say, if they came in the past (as it looked like on the photo) as part of the switch box then the current new units don't have them in there anymore (only the instruction manual and the stickers). 

I am glad that your gradnson loves the Jackson Hole. You know I am working on a conversion kit that allows you (for permanent istallation) to install carrier wires and use pulleys for the gondolas to run and the carrier wires (about 12 pulleys per arm). This will make for a very sweet operation.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Axel:

The plug you showed and the one Ted and Jerry showed are not interchangeable. The male on the switch controller has a diameter of 4mm and the usual LGB power plugs have a diameter of 2.5mm. 


Ted:

To answer your original question, your plugs are only useful if you have one of the orange controllers. In the LGB world, I know of no other applications. You might be able to find some banana plugs at Radio Shack that would mate with yours, but other than that they are pretty much useless.


Here are a couple of pictures of the controller (LGB # 5175) and the two types of plugs.




















Chuck


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

LGB part 5018 was a black and a white female connector with a dual length of white wire for connecting up the switch boxes. I still have an original bag unopened with these.


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## Jerrys RR (Jun 28, 2010)

Posted By chuck n on 08 Jan 2011 07:16 AM 
Axel:

The plug you showed and the one Ted and Jerry showed are not interchangeable. The male on the switch controller has a diameter of 4mm and the usual LGB power plugs have a diameter of 2.5mm. 


Chuck 



Posted By Axel Tillmann on 08 Jan 2011 06:53 AM 
Chuck: 

Yes we are carrying them for our customers who use them for the car to car connections (inlcuding the males). what I was trying to say, if they came in the past (as it looked like on the photo) as part of the switch box then the current new units don't have them in there anymore (only the instruction manual and the stickers). 






Hi Chuck,

I don't think Axel was disagreeing with you. I think he was just saying that the plugs are no longer included with the controllers but if anyone wants the car to car connectors he does have them (the small car to car connectors) available. 

Speaking of the smaller connectors I've bought some of them used over the years and at first I was surprised to find that many came either with a brown tube or Scotch transparent tape over them. Eventually it dawned on me why.

The brown tubes (perhaps once provided by LGB?) or heat shrink or tape are a good idea to use to cover (insulate) the small round connectors in that it is possible (especially with thicker wire) for the compression screw heads to stick up slightly making it possible for one wire connector screw to short to the other wire connector screw. This could be a difficult to find problem as the short could be momentary and repetitive.

Jerry


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## Axel Tillmann (Jan 10, 2008)

Thanks Jerry - absolutely correct.


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