Model Railroad DCC using the Propeller
Oliver H. Bailey
Posts: 107
Hello Everyone,
This thread is for those who have or are interested in model railroading as a hobby. This is the second topic thread I've started today. Several months ago I did a model railroad crossing controller project that should be published in the next several months. At that time the propeller had just come out and with it's keyboard and mouse inputs and video output it makes a great candidate for DCC. Since that time I have actually almost finished the DCC boster circuit and am now beginning to write the Propeller assembler to do the actual DCC signaling.
Using the propeller this can easily be a stand alone controller that coordinates a very large train set. I have not seen the 2.5" LCD display that Parallax offer but it might be an excellent choice to use in a walk-around controller (wired or woreless). And I have already done some testing and implement a very small wireless radio for this project. Doing that I used a standard LCD to keep power consumption down. I'm not sure if using a small LCD would work in a wireless unit, but it would work very nicely in a walk-around wired unit.
Again, if any one has interest in working on this with me or providing input, please feel freee to do so. And again feel free to send me personal messages through this forum as well.
The actual DCC timing circuit should be completed by the end of July.
Thanks Everyone.
This thread is for those who have or are interested in model railroading as a hobby. This is the second topic thread I've started today. Several months ago I did a model railroad crossing controller project that should be published in the next several months. At that time the propeller had just come out and with it's keyboard and mouse inputs and video output it makes a great candidate for DCC. Since that time I have actually almost finished the DCC boster circuit and am now beginning to write the Propeller assembler to do the actual DCC signaling.
Using the propeller this can easily be a stand alone controller that coordinates a very large train set. I have not seen the 2.5" LCD display that Parallax offer but it might be an excellent choice to use in a walk-around controller (wired or woreless). And I have already done some testing and implement a very small wireless radio for this project. Doing that I used a standard LCD to keep power consumption down. I'm not sure if using a small LCD would work in a wireless unit, but it would work very nicely in a walk-around wired unit.
Again, if any one has interest in working on this with me or providing input, please feel freee to do so. And again feel free to send me personal messages through this forum as well.
The actual DCC timing circuit should be completed by the end of July.
Thanks Everyone.
Comments
I too was considering using a Propeller as part of a DCC system.· I just finished my DMX (lighting protocol) reader and was looking for another project.· What are you using for a reference for this project.· I have a couple of books on DCC that I picked up when I started my layout a couple years ago, one of them I thinks goes into some technical detail on the topic.·
Unfortunately my layout is back in my parents house many states away.· I moved three years ago because of my job and don't have room for the HO layout.· Maybe I will have to get some N-scale track and an engine if I am going to attempt the DCC project.· With all of the I/O and processing on the Propeller it would be great for commanding the layout or being a wayside decoder.
If I was going to have a walk around throttle/dispaly I would try to find something smaller than the 2.5" screen Parallax sells.· I think I would want something·smaller, like a cell phone.
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Timothy D. Swieter
tdswieter.com
One little spark is all it takes for an idea to explode
I have the NMRA DCC Definition Documents, the "Bible" of DCC specifications. I a, working in both N and HO Guage myself. A good friend is an officer in the Chicago Garden Railroad club, and the largest distributor in North America for Garden Railraod equipment is about 10 minutes away. An N scale layout can be put on a medium sized coffee table. I hope you can find a way to participate, it would be great to have you aboard.
Oliver
How about an update on your DCC project.
Charlie
I'm just finishing my next book and getting ready for a net seminar the end of this month. I will be visiting Parallax at that time and will provide updates on the DCC controller and the microcontroller exercise unit at that time. Neither project really got much support from people willing to participate and I haven't had much time to work on them this past month.
Oliver
I also do DCC, model mainly 2mm narrow gauge, Nn3.
I got the prop for controlling cnc equipment which I will use to make model train parts.
Did not think of using the prop for DCC till now.
I do know a little about DCC and will be learning more as I make my own decoders.
Having a booster that I can control would be very useful for testing my decoders.
Should be very simple, well after learning spin that is.
Gavin
I have the booster circuit finished and working. I'll try to post it over the next few days here.
Oliver
What is your book about? When will it be available to the public?
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John J. Couture
San Diego Miramar College
I just got back from Hong Kong and everytime I go there I want to start building my railroad again. I guess it is being around the mass transit system that sparks my interests.
Anyway, how is it going on your DCC project? I wanted to start doing more research into building a booster (or doing something in DCC) and I see that you now say you have a circuit. Can you share it? I have seen a circuit on the web, I think I found it while searching for DCC schematic. The system used a pic, I believe it was called miniDCC. In the next week or so I hope to study it more to understand it.
The rest of this year will be busy with traveling. I am heading off to Switzerland for a month and a half. While there I will have a lot of work to do, but I hope to see the country some and when I am tired of that, I will probably read/design more for a DCC system.
Let me know if I can assist you or help in some way.
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Timothy D. Swieter
tdswieter.com
One little spark is all it takes for an idea to explode
My time is currently all taken up with speaking engagements and writing, so DCC wil wait until at least mid-2007.
Regards,
Oliver
As a newbie in this forum I just stumbled upon this thread, and it happens to be mid-07, so I'm curios to read if there is any progress?
I'm member of a Swedish module railroad club, currently I'm controlling my train with an Intellibox (from Uhlenbrock) which can handle both the DCC and the M
A DCC "1" puls is 58 microsec (55-61) and a "0" is 100 microsec or more.
Is Spin fast enough for this or do I need to investigate the Assembler alternative?
Regards
Nick
The Propeller is fast enough. I typically use a 6 MHz crystal which provides a 96 MHz clock. If I were doing this I would write the DCC encoding in assembler and the rest in SPIN. And I would do that strictly as a matter of preference. Spin is fast enough to handle this task.
Oliver
Since my last post I have moved to Hong Kong leaving my model railroad in the US behind (the flats over here are fairly small). I thought some sort of openDCC system would be cool to build and design with other forum members. The Propeller makes the perfect micro for handling all the tasks associated with a base station. We would need to develop some sort of protocol for remotes or handhelds to communicate, sort of like how Digitraxs has Loconet.
The other day I was thinking that throttles (handhelds/remotes) need to be updated to be cooler. I had an IPOD Nano in my hand at that time and wondered why not make a throttle similar in size and user interface to a Nano.
If other forum members are interested, perhaps we can start some sort of project together. My spare time ebbs and flows so I can't be fully devoted to the project, but I would be willing to take on some tasks and complete them. Hey, it might give me an excuse to build a really small N-scale layout (or at least a test track) in my apartment. Since I am located in Hong Kong, perhaps I can source various components or services for making prototypes.
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Timothy D. Swieter
tdswieter.com
One little spark is all it takes for an idea to explode
My wife was diagnosed with multiple-myeloma (bone marrow cancer) earlier this year. The treatment will last the remainder of 2007, so some of the optional projects I've been working on have been slowed. I just recently got DCC working on the PIC, and will be porting it to the Propeller over the next six or so months.
Regards,
Oliver
I only just noticed this thread, I did not know you were into model railroad Timothy (after helping me with my train speed detector).
I am working on a lot of model Railroad/DCC stuff atm.
I made my own version (not using DCC protocol, but still using a H-bridge Booster) on the Picaxe chip but with a lot of enhancements.
I may start working on another one with the prop, but at the moment I am making things that just enhance a DCC layout.
Eventually I intend to make some commercial products but I am still making the transition from Picaxe to Prop & SX (waiting for sx to come in the post)
Regards
DJH
It has been a very tough year, indeed. In fact, it has been a blur up to this point. I'm working about three days a week spending two days on doctors appointments and other assorted medical things for her. She starts a stem cell transplant procedure in about three weeks. That will last between 8 and 26 weeks depending on how well she tolerates the treatment. Portions are very dangerous because they have to kill her remaining white cells before the transplant. So could could either bleed to death or catch almost anything and die until her immune system is restarted (2-3 weeks). During that time whe will be in isolation. So it has been quite a year. I've been working on trying to get the propeller book out. I hope to have it done over the next few weeks. It will slightly easier when she is in the hospital because they have an apartment for me with WiFi so I can work remotely. The Propeller book has some pretty cool projects. I think it will be well received.
Again, Thanks for the good wishes.
Regards,
Oliver
I'm looking forward to read that book but I fully understand that it will take some and in the meanwhile I wish you and specially your wife all the best.
Regards
Nick