Signal box using Servos and Arduino

[ianjeffery]

All,

 

Thought i would give you an update on what i have been working on in my spare time...

 

its a virtual signal box, that can handle a large number of points / signals / light etc... it can handle chains of points, ideal for cross overs etc.

 

it has a screen and a key pad for manual operation, but also a dcc interface board ( www.dccinterface.com ) so i can operate them from my NCE powercab...

 

I dismantled it to show two servos moving...

 

 

what do you think?

[steve daniels]

Hi Ian,

Just joined and not sure what i am doing, never used a forum before.

The reason i have come on is to ask if i can use my nce power house pro for driving and set up an arduino for block detection, signals, lighting, and other things.

i would be grateful for any information on what i would need and how to go about it.

many thanks,

 

Steve. 

[MartynJPearson]

Absolutely you can.

 

I've two different Arduino systems running on my layouts. One uses track detection and turnout position detection to set signals appropriately, the other drives servos to change turnouts. 

 

I guess the first question to ask is where are you starting at? Have you any electronic / computing knowledge? If not, I would recommend an Arduino kit like the Elegoo ones which contain an Arduino and a number of components to attach to it, along with wires, breadboard etc. They will get you up and running with the Arduino and will help show off its capabilities. While not all of the projects will be relevant, it will also act as inspiration for what you can actually do with the Arduino.

[Theakerr]

There are a lot of good videos out there for model Railways and Model Railroads.  Some are a bit over the top but IMOHP think this Guy is one of the better ones

 

 

[KingEdwardII]

The approach taken in the videos from Little Wicket is OK - it certainly works, but it may have some drawbacks on a real layout. One of the snags is that the Arduino is connected to the computer via USB. This is basically a point-to-point connection and if you have multiple Arduinos, you need multiple USB connections from the computer - long USB cables snaking around under your layout.

 

There is an alternative approach available, using the same basic hardware but with some additions. One that I have used is the CMME (Chesterfield Models) DCC 16 Servo Decoder (https://chesterfield-models.co.uk/product/arduino-dcc-sniffer-relay-servo-decoder-all-in-one-copy/#comment-219) which adds the capability of the Arduino acting as an Accessory Decoder attached to the DCC bus.

 

So, instead of driving the servos via USB, you drive the servos as DCC accessories (turnouts, essentially) and there is no need for a separate USB cable to each Arduino. The Arduinos simply plug into the DCC bus for your layout. You can still use JMRI to drive things (or other alternative software, as you choose), but typically you simply use a single connection from your computer running JMRI to your DCC controller.

 

The CMME device actually neatly packages all the components into a single small box, which can be mounted under your baseboard. This gives them some protection and enables you to organise the wiring efficiently.

 

CMME also organize the Arduino software better, I think. The Little Wicket videos under-explain the Arduino software and the tools use to edit and manage it - CMME have some better guidance, I think. My experiences so far with the CMME stuff I've written up here:

 

 

But certainly Arduino + ancillary hardware seems like a good approach for providing capabilities for model railways.

 

Yours, Mike.