Ha! I'm probably dating myself but my first train was an AC Gilbert American Flyer. A 4-6-4 Hudson steamer with five cars. It used a transformer with a rheostat and put AC on the rails. I remember sparks used to fly off of the tender wheels but that was normal. Now we have DCC or DC analog transformers with pure DC and pulse power outputs. Locomotives have either precision "can" motors or open frame with five pole skewed armatures. The locomotives of today run silky smooth with no jerking and as slow as crawling one inch in one hour without over heating. Amazing and it's all due to the Electronic Engineers of the world that are only paid enough to have a respectable lifestyle. Doesn't seem quite right, do it.

I appreciate the kind words. It's just that with the advent of the computer and Google there is a lot of misinformation out there so I prefer to keep mine as factual as possible.

Bonanza! Your schematic is perfect! It's simple enough that even I can actually build it. I really like the idea of using IR for this project. I think I'll set the led and phototransistor at an angle across the rails so they don't "see" each other through the joint in the cars and maybe aim them through some black tube to keep the IR beam from scattering to prevent any false triggering.

Last question, if you don't mind. Would 1/4 watt resistors be sufficient or would you recommend I use 1/2 watt?

I really can't thank you enough for all your help and wisdom in seeing me through to a happy ending on this project. You really did go far beyond the call of duty and I really do appreciate it!

Jack

 

The locomotives of today run silky smooth with no jerking and as slow as crawling one inch in one hour without over heating. Amazing and it's all due to the Electronic Engineers of the world that are only paid enough to have a respectable lifestyle. Doesn't seem quite right, do it.

More than 50% of todays youth think that Electronics Engineers had nothing to do with it at all. According to them all this cool stuff came from an alien space ship that crashed in Roswell NM in 1947. The history of John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley, who discovered the transistor effect and developed the first device in December 1947, while the three were members of the technical staff at Bell Laboratories, just makes their eyes glaze over.

I think I'll set the led and phototransistor at an angle across the rails so they don't "see" each other through the joint in the cars and maybe aim them through some black tube to keep the IR beam from scattering to prevent any false triggering.

I really didn't understand why you wanted to angle the transmitter and receiver but after thinking about it, it makes perfect sense. Is this track a Siding or a Spur?

Last question, if you don't mind. Would 1/4 watt resistors be sufficient or would you recommend I use 1/2 watt?

As is, either one of those circuits (post 18 or 20) could safely use as low as 1/8W resistors but 1/4W is a better safety margin for the IR transmitter, especially if you find that you need more output and thus need to lower the value below 1K. Radio Shack has a nasty habit of not providing anything worth calling a data sheet for their components. So before you put this circuit into service breadboard it and test it on a work bench. None of the resistor values are critical but it's always a good idea to breadboard in case anything needs tweaking.

Just for the record I used to be a big fan of the 555 but since I've moved up to PICs.. not so much any more. Learning how to program and use them would be a great advantage to a model railroader! The automation possibilities are endless. The Picaxe line is perfect for beginners or pros. They're dirt cheap and the programming editor is free.

Chris

 

Chris,

Yes, I'm afraid you are correct about our youth of today. It seems we have done a poor job of educating about people and events that came before us. I know who those three gentleman are you mentioned and I certainly know about Bell Laboratories but neither of my children would have a clue. Too much time spent texting and partying and not enough time studying. Sad. It was once said that children want to start where their parents left off. I'm beginning to wonder if maybe there is some truth in that.

Another option for placement could be to drill holes between the ties and install T1 sized IR emitter and collector led's aimed up and angled towards each other to reflect off of the bottom of the loco and cars and let the shadow of the couplers prevent false triggering between the cars. Although this method could result in a calibration and aiming nightmare they would be hidden from view but since my application cannot be viewed by the general public I think I'll opt for my original idea.

Actually, the detector will be on a branch line. Through deception, I am trying to make the train appear to take much longer to immerge out the other end of the "mountain" to create distance. It's what we model railroaders call "forced perception"...attempting to make things appear deeper or longer than they really are. If done correctly, it's very effective, especially at the backdrop. A little smoke and mirror magic is acceptable on train layouts as long as you can pull it off.

I don't really like buying anything from Radio Shack. They're date sheets, if any, leave a lot to be desired and I'm not sure about their quality although I've never had one of their components fail me. I usually like to buy from Mouser or Digi-Key but I don't have an order list in the works and Radio Shack is close plus they have them in stock. The reviews I read on their IR led's was not very favorable. Most said they were supplying photodiodes rather than phototransistors. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the difference between the two is that a phototransistor is two photodiodes together in one package. Is that correct? I know there is a lot more to it but at the end of the day if it boils down to range, we are only talking about maybe 3" so I would think that a photodiode would suffice in my situation. Your thoughts?

Thanks for your input on the resistors and the importance of breadboarding this circuit first. I learned my lesson the hard way once by building and installing a circuit that I did not test first. The first time I lit it up it became a very effective but short lived smoke generator. Enough said.

I have to plead ignorance on the Picaxe line. I will certainly investigate them as I am intrigued by electronic components and what they do. Now that the scenery is nearing completion on the layout, the final frontier for me is effective animation. I have been playing around with micro controllers but struggle to program them to do what I want them to do. The 555 has been around since dirt it seems and has been the anchor IC for most of my projects but I know it's time grows near with the advent of the new generation of chips so thanks for the heads up on this new line and I'll research to see how I might be able to employ them on the layout. Would love to have an underground elevator ascend through a downtown sidewalk like the old days.

Thanks again, Chris, for all your input and trouble you've gone to in helping me with this project. It is much appreciated indeed. I would also like to thank the other members and this forum for their assistance.

Jack

 

Chris,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the difference between the two is that a phototransistor is two photodiodes together in one package. Is that correct? I know there is a lot more to it but at the end of the day if it boils down to range, we are only talking about maybe 3" so I would think that a photodiode would suffice in my situation. Your thoughts?

Actually, in simplified terms, a Phototransistor is a transparent bipolar transistor with photosensitive material at its base and thus has current gain. That said, the first circuit that I posted may work with a Photodiode. I attached a modified schematic using one. The switch and the test points were used by me to spice this. You don't need them.

I have been playing around with micro controllers but struggle to program them to do what I want them to do.
Jack

In my next post I'll give you a link to download the Picaxe Programming Editor and the pdf manuals. You're going to find that Picaxe Basic is an easy language to master and the manuals are chuck full of simple examples. Best yet, the Editor includes a Simulation mode that lets you test your code without even having the chip!

 

Here's the link to the Picaxe editor. I believe the help files are included. If not, come back and get them.
http://www.rev-ed.co.uk/picaxe/

 

Wowsers! I hit a gold mine when I found you. Most Engineers I've talked to (Digitrax included) would have become bored with me by now. I really like your schematics...I can understand them. I'm anxious to test these circuits and to give the Picaxe a go as it sounds like they would really work well with my animation projects. Thanks again for sharing this information. Great stuff.

One last question on your schematics, then I promise to leave you alone. You refer to the capacitor's value as 100n. I am familiar with uF and pF but I'm afraid I have not been introduced to n. Is it the same value as uF?

 

One last question on your schematics, then I promise to leave you alone. You refer to the capacitor's value as 100n. I am familiar with uF and pF but I'm afraid I have not been introduced to n. Is it the same value as uF?

This should help. n = nano

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SI_prefix

 

Wowsers! I hit a gold mine when I found you. Most Engineers I've talked to (Digitrax included) would have become bored with me by now. I really like your schematics...I can understand them. I'm anxious to test these circuits and to give the Picaxe a go as it sounds like they would really work well with my animation projects. Thanks again for sharing this information. Great stuff.

I think that you will find that all of the senior members of AAC are more than happy to help, are very friendly and very knowledgeable people. I say senior members because if a member has made it that far it usually means that he's civil, helpful and doesn't have a propensity for being obnoxious. Thus, hasn't been banned.

One last question on your schematics, then I promise to leave you alone. You refer to the capacitor's value as 100n. I am familiar with uF and pF but I'm afraid I have not been introduced to n. Is it the same value as uF?

As Len Whistler stated, that's nano. I don't like marking my prints that way, as I prefer uF or pF but my spice forces conversion when I set a cap value as .1uF. Btw, that value (in your application) is not critical. A .01uF or even a .001uF would trigger the 555. Heck, even a 1uF would work because I'm assuming that your timer interval is at least a couple of seconds.

 

Oh, I'm going to like this forum alright. It is refreshing to find a place where you can share ideas, get help and advice from those wiser and more knowledgeable than you. I hope I can return the favor to you and others in this forum sometime.

My timing interval will be closer to sixty seconds so shouldn't be a problem with any of those values from what you say. I usually have a whole bunch of caps laying around so at least that's one thing I won't have to add to my Mouser order list.

You have been a breath of fresh air for me on this project Chris. Many thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge, wisdom and time and delivering it to my level. You are a true gentleman.

And thanks to you too Len, for your response.

Super forum!

 

That was just SPAM , Bertus

This is an odd post. You quoted IONic's question and pasted Circuit Breaker's anwser. Is there more?

 

Jack, PM me if you start anymore topics. Definitely PM me when you get your own model RR web page. You don't, by any chance, live in S. Florida?

Merry Christmas.
Chris

 

Nope, not me. The post came from nikole.957, a new member including a couple of links to a U Tube video about I Pads. I'm not sure what that's all about either .

I breadboarded both your circuits today and they work perfectly! Now I'm anxious to install. I'm going with the phototransistor circuit .

BTW, if you ever feel like getting giddy again over a model train layout I invite to to visit George Selinos's Franklin & South Manchester layout. It is an absolute work of art set in the 1930's with weathering and detailing beyond believe. He is my mentor and inspiration when it comes to model railroading .

http://markfielder.photobook.org.uk/c247615.html

 

Chris, no wait, stop. How do I PM you? Remeber, I'm a rookie on this forum.

No, I don't happen to live in South Florida, but I do happen to live in Omaha, Nebraska. You've probably never heard of it being from South Florida. I'll bet you live next to South Beach, don't you? I'd probably have a heart attack if I just strolled the beach there .

Merry Christmas to you as well, my good friend

 

I took the tour through the link you posted.....WOW! Absolutely awesome! Jack, to PM someone just click on their avatar and a drop-down will appear.

Glad to see everything worked, see you next time around.

Chris

 

Alright Chris, until next time keep your CDRIVE driving and thanks again

 

This is quite the model railway. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN_oDdGmKyA



----

 

Yes indeed, this is quite the model railroad and it is, in fact, the largest in the world. I have seen this layout before but your link must be an updated version which is new to me so thanks for sharing Les. Just the thought of the electronics and wiring to make all this work literally takes my breath away.

 

I'm afraid that I have to be contrary here. I've been to the German link before and find it more suitable for Disney World. It would appeal to children and the untrained or unappreciative eye. It's more of an attraction than a model railroad. The link that Jack posted embodies, down to every minute detail, the art of adult model railroading. As large as that German layout is it lacks this big time. It will garner awe simply because of its sheer expanse and automation..... Dazzle effect!

 

For whatever it's worth, as a serious model railroader I am inclined to agree with Chris. Although monstrous, the German layout appears toyish and full of fantasy. Everything is too squeaky clean, bright and fresh looking. If you have ever spend time around trains/or train yards you know that everything is kind of sooty, dirty, rusty and grungy. Railroads do not spend much money (except on locomotives) maintaining their equipment or structures. The one thing a true modeler is trying to achieve is a certain level of realism to a point where it is believable and when you look at Selinos's layout you can readily see he is a master at that. It's believable to the point where you think you have just stepped back in time. I marvel at his attention to every detail right down to miniature crumpled newspaper in the alleys and street gutters.