Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
This evening I added the two other traverser tracks (which locomotives never used)...
I've always assumed the outer 'unused' tracks were there simply as a safety precaution against rolling stock rolling into an 'empty' space so to speak.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
A quiet time over the weekend, just some French railway photos added. I have, however, been pottering in the railway room, checking this and that and actually ran two trains simultaneously on the main line ovals last evening. I have fitted Peco buffer stops to all the sidings and glued track to the small Tufnol board that will be the wagon hoist.

More electronic bits have been sourced from Amazon.fr, including a 12 volt 5 amp power supply for the Arduinos, both planned and future.

Simond’s comments about coupling the linear motor to the traverser have had me thinking about alternative ways to do this. So far a rubbery connection sounds like it could work (the problem is that the sensors might interfere with each other and so should be isolated in some way. I have also ordered some more micro switches, ones without rollers. The wagon hoist should be a much simpler job with a direct drive.
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Locomotive moves off traverser and travels down the release road.

index.php

With all electronic wizardry associated with the traverser.....

...how about a switch mounted (about two coach lengths from the traverser) between the release road rails activated by the loco to reset the traverser to the 'normal' position? :)

The action of the traverser 'resetting' itself then resets the rail mounted switch ready for the next loco (assuming the release road would only be used for releasing passenger train locos).

It would appear the other traverser would be trickier to automate in this way as the position of the central road will dictate the arrival platform.
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Dave,

Thanks for the suggestion. It took me weeks to program it, Paul hasn’t even tried it, and now there’s more to do!! :)

Joking aside, it’s an interesting thought.

From a software point of view it doesn’t offer any particular challenges, but I think the logic needs to be considered. As you say, on the P3/Release traverser, there’s only one sensible place for the traverser to be parked, but on the other one, between P1 & P2, I’d be very wary of anything automated, unless there were considerable efforts to ensure that there was no risk of stock being on the traverser, or being pushed onto it, when it’s about to be moved, or is moving. A sort of locking bar arrangement if you will.

If Paul does want to pursue the idea, I’d probably recommend a photodiode or similar to detect the loco leaving the traverser on the release road, they are easy to interface with an Arduino.

The locking bar is more challenging. I’ll have to have a think about that. In principle, the points “can tell” the traverser which road to be at in order to meet an incoming train, but ensuring that it’s not blocked, without fail, is more complicated, I fear.

Meanwhile, I do need to fix one gap in the sketch I sent to Paul last week; if the stepper is connected the “wrong way” the switch that signals that the carriage is in the “down/left/near” position won’t get triggered first, the other one will, and it won’t stop. Couple of lines of code will fix that.

Then I’m hopeful of positive reports that it works as intended.

Atb
Simon
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Thank you, Simon! I don't want you to feel stressed in any way and will get there when I can. I am hoping to have all the bits delivered by tomorrow and will then crack on with the assembly and testing. Although Dave's contribution is interesting I actually think, on reflection, that it would not be as versatile as the real world would have wanted. The release road was sometimes used to hold overnight fruit and fish trains when passenger trains were not running, for example.

I assume the micro-switches should be controlling the linear motor and not the traverser?

Best, Paul
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Hi Paul,

no worries, tongue firmly in cheek!

I've fixed the "oops" that I talked about. Latest & greatest attached.

I suggest that the limit switches should be as close to the track as possible - so on the traverser bed and triggered by the traverser itself, rather than the linear motor. You might want to put a pair on the linear motor, so that they are "outside" the desired travel of the table - if they are wired in parallel with the same switches on the baseboard, then operating either switch would cause the Arduino to recognise end-of-travel. This also means you can test the motor off the baseboard, then install it with a bit more confidence. And it means you can adjust the traverser switches with the aid of a multi-meter, with the linear motor physically disconnected. You do need to ensure that the switches are wired "C" and "NO" - ie, when pressed, they make a circuit.


I'm going to take up Adrian's suggestion and start a thread on Arduino stuff, which I hope will attract the contributions of others more experienced than I. Anyway, please find the latest. Do let me know how you get on!

best
Simon
 

Attachments

  • moor_street_traversers_28may19.ino
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simond

Western Thunderer
Oh yes, forgot to mention. There's a chap on RMWeb who developed some software and the necessary hardware to operate his stepper-driven turntable by DCC. In principle, this could be added to your traversers and hoist in due course.

atb
Simon
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Simon, the rubber drive on my turntable has perished so that might be a priority!

We've been out all day, driving and hiking in the Pyrenees, so no progress at all on the railway front. Except a 5 amp 12v PSU did arrive while we were gone. My left hand got a knock the other day and is not happy holding things though the steering wheel was an exception today perhaps because I was thinking more about driving off a 2,000m high mountain pass than any pain signals from my hand. But the day was exhilarating to say the least and now I am sitting with a "16" in one hand and trying to type with the other. Funny, the "16" is in my gammy hand. Oh well, alkihol to the rescue again.

IMG_0391.JPG
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
The first thing today has been to re-wire the power supply for the Arduino(s) using the new 5 amp 12v DC power supply.

IMG_0394.JPG

The Arduinos and other circuitry will all be powered from the 5v DC voltage regulator, while the stepper drivers and motors will be fed directly from the 12 volt line. The power supply unit came with a neat socket which will allow an easy (and quick) de-connection should that be necessary.

My next task is to design the coupling between linear motor and traverser. I am going to try a fairly "hard" single point coupling first. I will also be mounting the newly acquired micro switches as suggested by Simon in post #189. These tasks may keep me occupied for a day or two!
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
It's been a slow weekend and the only real progress has been track wiring, small steps at a time. Not exciting until future trains stop for no apparent reason due to a poor fishplate connection or two. Local events have precluded much progress on the Arduino front and today was my first foray into the skill required in piloting a SUP (stand up paddle) board, except so far my board is a KUP (kneel up paddle). The experience was interesting and I can only get better! Which I have to before les petit enfants arrive in 6 weeks time to show me how it's done.

I do have some interesting news, though, on coaching stock. I have acquired (though yet to receive) a rake of 7 choc/cream Mark 1 coaches to run on the main line and no doubt visit Moor Street from time to time in reduced format. More on this later.
 

Peter Cross

Western Thunderer
My 3 year old knows how to scroll, swipe aside unwanted items. What certain icons bring up that interest him, along with making phone calls. Me at three I'd be digging muddy holes in mums best flower beds.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
My 3 year old knows how to scroll, swipe aside unwanted items. What certain icons bring up that interest him, along with making phone calls. Me at three I'd be digging muddy holes in mums best flower beds.
When the iPad first came out I remember the critics saying that it would never catch on. Why they thought this was, to my thinking, simple. They used conventional computers with keyboards, they were grown up and no longer finger painted in a kindergarten. They also ignored the needs of the elderly who wanted a way to communicate with the grandchildren without depending on the generation in between.

I too find it amazing how very young children latch on to the concept of a flat screen. My grandchildren are, however, older but still run rings around us all when it comes to using these devices. Happily they also like to be outside enjoying fresh air! OK, back to the railway room for more wiring.
 
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simond

Western Thunderer
Well, I tried, and tried and tried to get my mum to use a laptop when we went to India, she took lessons, we had pals call round and show her, but no use.

I then bought her an ipad. I might as well have bought her a cheese grater, for all the help it is in communication. She simply doesn't believe she can do it, so she can't.

To be fair, she'll be 93 next week... Still it's a shame. Maybe if the ipad had been available in 2007, we'd have had more luck.

Talking of "never catch on", I think it was the CEO of IBM who said that the world requirement for computers could be as many as 5...



best
Simon
 
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