tender

As this thread has sprung to life again i thought id post what I'm currently working on.

4 minutes ago, Gilbert said:

That is excellent! But noting the bike are we off topic here   just saying....?

Ok, one without the bike.

LNWR mainline Viaduct crossing the old Penrhyn Quarry Line (now footpath/cycle track) and Arfon (river) Cegin to Porth Penrhyn just outside Bangor.

Enjoyed the video Andy. Nice to see how all the elements of the layout come together.

Ray.

Great stuff as usual Adrian. If you get a bit of spare time do you think you could post some overview shots of Ewer Street.

All the best and stay safe, Ray.

5 hours ago, melmerby said:

Currently I have a microswitch each end of the travel which gives very accurate stopping using the present DC motor drive.

I just have one microswitch at the end of travel in one direction. I just run slowly up to this during startup and set position to zero. All other movements are then relative to this.

I figure if 3d printers can run continuously for hours without loosing sync then a traverser should be a doodle.

I've run the traverser back and forth all day after without loosing sync.

Just found a mini review of the UWT-100 in the May 2020 edition of Hornby Magazine. 

The review states that 'Consisting (double heading) and CV programming are also both possible with the UWT-100 and we found the consisting process one of the simplest to use both in setup, operation and clearing double-headed formations.'

However i can find nothing in the menus that suggest CV programming is possible. 

If anyone knows different I be glad to know how this is achieved.

Ray.

19 hours ago, melmerby said:

OK

Got the basic settings using UART working with this code:

 

TMC2208_SoftwareSerial_Nano_Pins.ino 1.06 kB · 0 downloads

 

Wow. I didn't know a stepper could be so quiet, it's making much less noise than a brushed motor.

Just need to work out the change of direction etc.

 

 

Looks like you just need to define another Nano pin for the direction.

Many thanks Locoman, i'll give it a try later today.

15 hours ago, melmerby said:

 

Decided to convert my traverser to stepper motor drive.

I ordered some TMC2208's which arrived this morning.

I have purchased the V3.0 which seems to have some different options to V1.0 regarding UARTs.

Any ideas if it makes a difference?

 

I'm just knocking up a breadboard to test the workings using a Nano & a Shinano stepper out of an Epson Scanner

I also ordered some more Pulleys and a belt (from CNC Planet) in case what I have isn't suitable.

Yeh, you need to make sure you set it to Legacy Mode if using as a drop in replacement for the A4899 (same code).

On the underside there should be a row of 3 solder pads. Make sure there are no links bridging these.

V3.0 boards may have a link.

This might be useful.

15 hours ago, GoingUnderground said:

Doehler & Haass decoders came up in this topic https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/160847-selextric/ and manuaks were discussed. There may be something relevant in there for you.

Thanks, i'll have a look at that thread.

15 hours ago, Hamburger said:

D&H decoders can be easily remapped.

 

Where did you buy it?

Do you have a list of volume CVs?

 

Did you ask your retailer because it is usually just a matter of minutes to give you the right CVs.

If you had a list of volume CVs I could do it even without knowing the actual mapping.

I bought it from Locoman Sounds.

I have a list of CV's for the volumes but the Brake function on F4 also slows the loco down rapidly.

I want to move that function to F2 as this is the only momentary button on my throttle. I will then be able to control the brake just by dabbing F2 (like my other ESU and Zimo decoders)

I have a Doehler & Haass Sound decoder and would like to swap around some of the Functions on the function keys. Specifically the Brake key currently on F4 and one of the Whistles currently on F2.

I have done a similar thing on ESU and Zimo Sound decoders but i can't find any specific way to do this on the Doehler & Haass Decoder.

I found a data sheet online but it's not very comprehensive unlike the ESU and Zimo equivalent.

Any help appreciated.

34 minutes ago, Ray H said:

Our club layout and two others that I'm associated with use NCE equipment including the NCE Mini-Panels.

 

The Mini-Panel has a limit of 30 inputs each of which can be used to generate up to 4 dcc commands. Unfortunately the Mini-Panel appears to have been designed to work with push buttons thus requiring the use of 2 inputs per On-Off switch.

 

I've assembled an Arduino circuit that can read and act upon dcc commands sent via the accessory (or track) bus and was wondering if it was possible to effectively do the reverse i.e. produce an Arduino sketch that will ascertain whether the state of an On-Off switch has changed and send x number of pre-programmed dcc commands out on the accessory/track bus to be complied with (primarily) by accessories although doing similar with/for the occasional loco would be a bonus.

I don't think you can use an Arduino to output commands directly to the Track/Accessory bus as it would be in conflict with the DCC command Station. You could theoretically program an arduino to output commands to the Cab Bus though in response to an input, although you will probably need some sort of interface (RS485 maybe for the NCE system). I'm sure i've seen something along these lines somewhere. A quick google might bring up something.

Try this:

https://mrrwa.org/2019/05/25/nce-cab-bus-supported/

I see you've had your Weetabix.........

Just now, melmerby said:

That TMC 2208 looks useful.

I already have a couple of stepper motors, one with a matching toothed belt (from a printer)

 

 

Yeh, its a plug-in replacement for the A4988 apart from the direction which is reversed.

4 hours ago, Simond said:

Keith

 

I'd take the easy route and put a 4 wire stepper directly onto your leadscrew. 

 

atb

Simon

Or better still (if you want it really quiet) use a stepper with toothed belt and a TMC2208 driver chip.

A big improvement on my original post above with the old A4988 driver.

To get power to the traverser tracks i found this useful miniature e-chain to run the wires through whilst allowing the traverser to move without any danger of the wires becoming trapped.

(for some reason this is getting posted upside down)

I also found a new driver chip for the stepper motor which has quietened it even further.

38 minutes ago, RFS said:

The replacement arrived today and all is well with the new one.

 

Now I have another problem - couple of 2-EPBs where the lights in the trailer coach only come on in one direction. Had forgotten about the first unit as it runs on a schedule where it doesn't reverse, but the second one is a new issue. I've tried changing the conductive couplings to no avail. However the trailer from a 3rd 2-EPB works fine in both motor coaches, so it's not a problem with the coupling or the motor coach.

 

And if I replace the coupling with a piece of copper clad sleeper strip so that both connections are bridged, then the lights work correctly in both directions. 

 

Any ideas?

I have the same problem with one of my 2-EPBs.

A little update....

The Toothed Drive belt, pulleys and rubber mount arrived yesterday so these have now been fitted under the baseboard.

That and a few improvements to the software had quietened things nicely.

53 minutes ago, leopardml2341 said:

That's what I intend to do, before moving onto a traverser.......

Heres my current O Gauge project. DCC Controlled by Arduino Nano with A4988 Stepper Driver and DCC optically isolated interface.

Upgrade chip for NCE PowerCab to V1.65B arrived today. 5 min job to install new chip and I'm pleased to say that the

UWT-100, WiFiTrax WFD30 NCE WiFi Interface and PowerCab combination is now working perfectly. 

So, here's the back story supplied by Polly.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Branch Line from Winchester Chesil.

In 1885, the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway (DN&SR) opened as far as Winchester to carry heavy traffic from the Midlands and the North of England but funds ran out and the line did not reach Southampton. However, the DN&SR line joined the LSWR line at Shawford Junction. The GWR and the LSWR had running powers to Winchester from Didcot and Southampton, respectively, with change over of locomotives at Winchester.

In the late 1880s, a viaduct was built south of Winchester and was known as the Shawford Viaduct, later called the Hockley Railway Viaduct. The viaduct was built in concrete and faced with bricks from Poole Brickworks in Wellington, Somerset and blue engineering capping bricks from Blanchards brickworks in Bishops Waltham.

Enter our branch line into the planning:

GWR Large Investor: What if all the bricks were to come from Bishops Waltham instead...

And while we are at it, why not ship bricks out, ourselves, on GWR rails?

GWR Small Investor: Er...You mean build a new railway line?

GWR Large Investor: Exactly!

Thus the idea was born and the construction of the Cheese Hill and Bishops Waltham Railway was authorised by an Act of Parliament, but not in time for the building of the viaduct. Initially, it was a goods only line, but a station was built soon after on the western edge of Bishops Waltham.

This all took place around the same time as the line from Kemble to Tetbury so, it may be no surprise to know that our GWR branch line buildings will look familiar!

Although our branch line, as part of the DN&SR, became absorbed by the GWR in 1923, the LSWR had running powers over it. Then came Nationalisation and our line, being south of Newbury, was transferred to the Southern Region with GWR running powers. Thus, you may well see a Fratton (70F) Terrier operating alongside a GWR London Division Pannier Tank, GWR Railcar or Autocoach and, since this is 1954, a new Class 08 shunter out of Eastleigh (71A).

The line will soon be closed - Winchester shed has already gone - the track will be ripped up and buildings demolished but we do not want to think about that...not just yet, anyway.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now we just need a track plan! 

11 hours ago, Andrew P said:

So, about 20 minutes from me then.

I guess so, you'll have to ask Polly for all the back history/details, I just built it.

1 hour ago, Hal Nail said:

Obviously the pannier is a clue but what is the proposed setting?

An imaginary branch line off the DN&SR Winchester to Bishops Waltham Brickworks. BR(W)/BR(S) era. 

Details to follow.

4 hours ago, Andrew P said:

Thanks Polly and Ray, and the same to both of you as well, and hope we can get to some Shows again later in the year. The Mid Hants is now my Local Preserved line, about 25 minutes away, so will be paying the odd visit there once things get back to almost normal. I see they have also installed some Holiday Cottages at Ropley now, so that should help them with Tourist once they can open.

All the best to you both and stay safe and well.

Thats nice to know about the holiday cottages, the last time we were down that neck of the woods we stayed in a farm cottage just outside Alton.

Stay Safe.