Hi there and welcome to the forums.

The M83 is the correct decoder for turnouts while the M84 is used to accessories that need constant power, like illumination.

You will need to have a transformer to power the manual switches. Perhaps this one: https://www.maerklinshop...afety-transformer.-32-va

The simplest schema is to connect the turnout motor's yellow wire to both, the M83 central terminal and to the yellow connector in the transformer. You need to split the yellow and blue wires from the turnout motor to two per wire.

You then connect two of the blue wires to the red and green port of the M83 and that gives you digital control over the turnout.

Now the remaining two blue wires will need to be connected to a manual switch. The switch should be spring loaded threeway switch. Blue wires got to the both sides of the switch, while center of the switch should go to the gray port in the transformer.

This is the very basic setup, but there are things to consider:

- Diodes. I think (other members, please correct me if I'm wrong) you need to restrict the power to flow only out from the transformer and the M83. So transformer can't power the M83 and vice versa. I believe this is crucial. Not sure if ground needs to be treated like this also, as ground is just ground...

- Splitting the wires. You will need a way to split the gray wire from the transformer to go to the center of all the switches.

- Same splitting thing for the yellow wire coming from the transformer.

Please other, validate this as I may be wrong.

All of this will be a hell of a wire mess.

BR,
-Eino

The whole point of using a lighted board with rocker switches is to get the girls to follow the turnout diagram(s) and not hand them the (expensive CS3) controller. Not only that but similar pictures I have seen of this setup look really nice, especially if a LED/Light is lit next to the switch.

As they get older, I'm sure we can add in all kinds of things and maybe even automation. But for now, I'd like a simple version.

yes, I get it, but a button is a button 🔘 wether or not it's a mechanical rocker or on a screen. They can watch the turnout moves and hear the clicks. Kids today are way ahead of us at their age. In a short time, they will be setting up events in the CS3 for automatic activation.

You are right. A tactile interface is different experience. I enjoy running my analog Z layout with switch boxes and fondly recall 6021 with attached keyboard for control of early digital HO. Never much liked the look nor feel of cramped screen cs3, so I transitioned to PC interface.
Ben