Parallax BS2 control of an HO scale rotary dumper and train positioner.
Parallax BS2 control of an HO scale rotary dumper and train positioner.
A locomotive positions a unit train at the gate servo arm. Either a button on the hardwired control box or the IR remote control (from a Sony DVD) is pressed to activate the sequence. The positioner lifts its arm and moves to the rear of a car and lowers the arm to grab the coupler. The gate arm is turned to clear the track and the brake servo arm is lowered. The positioner pushes the train cars forward, the the gate is swung and the brake arm raises to grab the leading car axle. The sequence is repeated and thus 1 car is inside the dumper. The dumper rotates to unload the coal from the car and back to upright. The sequence of moving a car and dumping it is continued until a light detector mounted under the tracks signals that there are no more cars to dump - a car is not over the detector when it is checked prior to the positioner moving another car in the sequence. When the sequence is complete the Siren sounds and 'Frere Jacques' plays thought the piezo speaker.
The servos, switches, buttons, LEDs, light-photo detector were connected to 3-pin servo connections. The speaker and IR detector are mounted on the board. The IR detector has a 3 pin connection for future mounting off the board. Each servo has a 3 pin connector with input, power, and ground. The 3 button inputs are connected to a 3 pin connector with a separate wire for the Vdd power. Ditto with the 3 switches. The 2 LED and a ground wire are on a 3 pin connector. The light-photo detector uses 2 wires of its 3 pins.
An HO scale Walthers rotary dumper kit was used with a Parallax continuos rotation servo. The positioner has a continuos rotation servo as movement and a standard servo for the arm. An old Futaba servo is used for the car brake under the track and a Hitec retract servo is used as the gate servo. The unit train is from Walthers and the Control box gondola is an E&C coalporter kit-bashed leftovers. The track is mostly Atlas and sundry other railroad manufacturers. The rotary couplers were made by Paul Mack. The positioner was built by me.
Other than to model railroaders this project probably has little significance. Portions of the code might be interesting in providing 'squashed' versions of the sound and IR detector used with the Remote control providing use of 10 buttons.
Attachments : the BOE and Homebrew code and photos, circuit schematics pdf, zipped blog of the daily progress during construction, a link to my U-Tube Videos.
http://www.youtube.com/user/HOtrainHobby
well, the photos will have to be redone to a much smaller size as they are all way over 2M... actually not a very big size for a photo these days [noparse]:([/noparse]
Will try to make a schematic in that program... else, will draw one and photo it and then shrink the photo and have it... well, later...
Post Edited (BS2ILH) : 1/4/2010 2:22:57 PM GMT
A locomotive positions a unit train at the gate servo arm. Either a button on the hardwired control box or the IR remote control (from a Sony DVD) is pressed to activate the sequence. The positioner lifts its arm and moves to the rear of a car and lowers the arm to grab the coupler. The gate arm is turned to clear the track and the brake servo arm is lowered. The positioner pushes the train cars forward, the the gate is swung and the brake arm raises to grab the leading car axle. The sequence is repeated and thus 1 car is inside the dumper. The dumper rotates to unload the coal from the car and back to upright. The sequence of moving a car and dumping it is continued until a light detector mounted under the tracks signals that there are no more cars to dump - a car is not over the detector when it is checked prior to the positioner moving another car in the sequence. When the sequence is complete the Siren sounds and 'Frere Jacques' plays thought the piezo speaker.
The servos, switches, buttons, LEDs, light-photo detector were connected to 3-pin servo connections. The speaker and IR detector are mounted on the board. The IR detector has a 3 pin connection for future mounting off the board. Each servo has a 3 pin connector with input, power, and ground. The 3 button inputs are connected to a 3 pin connector with a separate wire for the Vdd power. Ditto with the 3 switches. The 2 LED and a ground wire are on a 3 pin connector. The light-photo detector uses 2 wires of its 3 pins.
An HO scale Walthers rotary dumper kit was used with a Parallax continuos rotation servo. The positioner has a continuos rotation servo as movement and a standard servo for the arm. An old Futaba servo is used for the car brake under the track and a Hitec retract servo is used as the gate servo. The unit train is from Walthers and the Control box gondola is an E&C coalporter kit-bashed leftovers. The track is mostly Atlas and sundry other railroad manufacturers. The rotary couplers were made by Paul Mack. The positioner was built by me.
Other than to model railroaders this project probably has little significance. Portions of the code might be interesting in providing 'squashed' versions of the sound and IR detector used with the Remote control providing use of 10 buttons.
Attachments : the BOE and Homebrew code and photos, circuit schematics pdf, zipped blog of the daily progress during construction, a link to my U-Tube Videos.
http://www.youtube.com/user/HOtrainHobby
well, the photos will have to be redone to a much smaller size as they are all way over 2M... actually not a very big size for a photo these days [noparse]:([/noparse]
Will try to make a schematic in that program... else, will draw one and photo it and then shrink the photo and have it... well, later...
Post Edited (BS2ILH) : 1/4/2010 2:22:57 PM GMT
Comments
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Powered by enthusiasm
that is one of them, the latest with IR control is
http://www.youtube.com/user/HOtrainHobby#p/a/u/0/6SB-Rjzs1KY
the channel is http://www.youtube.com/user/HOtrainHobby
Overview of the dumper, board, and positioner
image of the BOE connections
image of the Homebrew connections
and my attempt at a schematic ... will post a hand drawn one later.
LOL, when I first saw this post, I was thinking real locomotive application. I worked for a company which did this kind of thing full scale (one of many jobs I have had in the automation and electronics industry). We did intelligent locomotives, and remote control. I always wanted to work on locomotives when I was younger, but I have no desire now to do so. I'm glad I'm not still working on locomotives. It's cold, hot, very dirty work, and is a job with very few kudos for going beyond what is required.
You did a nice job of replicating the actual operation of a dumper. I would love to see if you ever get to the point of using a locomotive to position the cars for dumping. It would require a sensor to see the space between the cars, and being able to DCC control a locomotive. It would be complicated, but would be real cool.
Very nice.....hope you plan to go further with the design.
James L
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James L
Partner/Designer
Lil Brother SMT Assembly Services
Are you addicted to technology or Micro-controllers..... then checkout the forums at Savage Circuits. Learn to build your own Gizmos!
Post Edited (James Long) : 1/4/2010 12:36:45 AM GMT
I think if you used a system to see the space between the cars, it may be possible to do with a locomotive. You could use a sensor on each end of the dumper to see if the car is located correctly. The slack in the train may be somewhat of a problem, but should be manageable. The system would probably need a few sensors to see how long the train actually is. The longer the train, the more slack to consider. Or you just have an input to the system to tell it how many.
I didn't mean to say it wasn't complete. I was just trying to inspire you to possible take it further. This is based on the fact that your system has a DCC controller or something similar. It would be hard to do without one.
If you want, I would try and find out the DCC specifications, and one day (maybe never), you could possibly update the system to be locomotive power.
I am still impressed. You did a fine job of scaling the dump operation down. I would love to know more about the couplers. I haven't seen rotational couplers in HO scale before.
James L
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James L
Partner/Designer
Lil Brother SMT Assembly Services
Are you addicted to technology or Micro-controllers..... then checkout the forums at Savage Circuits. Learn to build your own Gizmos!
Understood. I did the research on the DCC, and is pretty easy to do. The only problem is the voltage control. The signal is a +/- dc control wave form. It is really pretty easy once the negative voltage problem is overcome. I do think a DCC control would be possible. With a Stamp you would need an accessory processor to control the pulse (continuous). The nice thing about doing it this way would b the nice true scale layout you would have afterward, but I do understand the overwhelming complexity of it all.
As for the coal loader. The coal loaders I worked with were nothing but a large funnel, with a track under them. The locomotive actually pulled the cars under for them to be loaded. The train moved at a certain speed to load the cars correctly. The "chute" was close during the gaps in the train. Another pretty easy system is DCC was used with some kind of sensor to detect the gaps between the cars.
Maybe I'll design just such a system.........
James L
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James L
Partner/Designer
Lil Brother SMT Assembly Services
Are you addicted to technology or Micro-controllers..... then checkout the forums at Savage Circuits. Learn to build your own Gizmos!
I looked at the DCC signal, and it is pretty simplistic for communication. The voltage driving on the other hand would be a little more difficult. As I can tell.....for locomotives there are very few commands. All having to do with speed (or stop). The controllers themselves do all the fancy work (inertia).
A member here helped me find a driver, so it would be real easy to put together a simple control. But it is not really cheap. The one chip to drive the voltage is about $15.00. So......it was a nice idea.....maybe in the future.
Interesting there are places which do not use a locomotive to spot cars. I learned something. Since I worked on locomotives, I didn't know there was anything else. I knew there were people using other things, but not anything made for it besides a locomotive. Scary the things people do.
James L
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James L
Partner/Designer
Lil Brother SMT Assembly Services
Are you addicted to technology or Micro-controllers..... then checkout the forums at Savage Circuits. Learn to build your own Gizmos!
Wow....I'm sorry.....I didn't mean to offend.
Consider the topic on my part closed.
You did a nice job on the dumper.......
James L
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James L
Partner/Designer
Lil Brother SMT Assembly Services
Are you addicted to technology or Micro-controllers..... then checkout the forums at Savage Circuits. Learn to build your own Gizmos!
This forum is for both the support of our products and the sharing of knowledge. It is a community forum and as such contains members with different points of view and ways of looking at things. It is often times the nature of people to offer their thoughts and sometimes even suggestions on a project when they see it. They will often think out loud, if you will, about what they might do differently. This often inspires others and sometimes gives the OP ideas he may not have thought of. I do not believe James was trying to upset you with what are generally accepted comments and suggestions. By posting a project here you do open yourself up to that and in some cases constructive criticism. You have to accept if for what it's worth. I hope this helps. Take care.
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Chris Savage
Parallax Engineering
Check out the new Savage Circuits TV!
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Interesting twist on a thread of which I feel you will probably revisit.
I appreciate you enthusiasm about my project with the blower. Although not a real leaf blower, that is a good idea.
I am currently working a system which will separate dried peas from their hull. (My father loves to farm). Sorry for being so OT.....but........
James L
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James L
Partner/Designer
Lil Brother SMT Assembly Services
Are you addicted to technology or Micro-controllers..... then checkout the forums at Savage Circuits. Learn to build your own Gizmos!
GaryR
I respect those who admit their limitations, And if I had any, I would certainly admit to them.