NIK

Hi, That's because DCC is a bidirectional voltage that may or not be referenced to mains ground - so by employing an opto-isolator the Arduino power supply doesn't have to be referenced to or powered from the DCC and you can connect the Arduino to a computer via an ordinary USB lead. Regards Nick

Hi, I was just worried that the extra metalwork might have been part of the governments decision to cut back on electrification. I guess dewirements are a major problem for the UK with its patchwork of 25kV electrified routes, rationalised mainlines and few diesel locomotives. Regards Nick

Hi Jamie, But is not the GWML line speed much lower than HS1 or TGV lines?. Or have the lines including Reading to Newbury been designed for 140mph and 140 mph is near enough 186+ to require large metal supports?. Does HS1 has to cope with pairs of Javelins or do Javelins have pantographs both ends like I assume all TGV units do?. Regards Nick

Hi, Do you have an official Arduino Motor Shield from Italy (if such a thing exists) or a Chinese clone? - I only ask as I bought a lot of Chinese RFID reader clones from 12 different suppliers and they were extremely variable in their performance and some had major functions that didn't work at all. My Hornby Class 73s have poor pickups (don't know if its wheels, wipers, something else) and don't like having their CVs read or written. One suggestion would be as you have got a DIY Command station is to make up an 8 pin DCC socket, connect a motor or suitable resistor to it, plug in a good decoder and try and read CVs from it. A simple but reliable DCC decoder with a few CVs would be a good start (dare I say it but a Hornby R8249 might be a good one for this test). The other thing would be to research the CurrentMonitor.h file - if you needed to adjust a variable in order to write to the loco you may have to adjust another variable to get it to detect the ACK pulses. I'm guessing the value you want to put in is a fraction of the value you put into the first variable (which I guess was the current limit value for the programming track). If you can with JMRI Decoder Pro try reading one CV that is known to exist at a time to start with to gain experience and save time. Happy DIYing. Regards Nick

Hi, That's a question (see Topic name). Regards Nick

Hi, I don't know the DCC++ system but in order to read CVs there has to be a method of the DCC++ to read the ACK pulses. I think there should be an additional circuitry to read the ACK pulses into the Mega. Regards Nick

Hi, If you post a schematic on here concentrating on the programming track output then more help may be forthcoming. Regards Nick

Hi, I guess it all depends how one values ones Command Station and how much one values the experience of others. Say there are 1000 users of Command Station 'X' and the design of X is such that the main output and the programming track can be connected together without damage. Say ten of them accidently connect said outputs together. All 1000 users might say there's no problem with connecting said outputs together. Say ten percent (100) of those reply to the OPs question and say there's no problem. Do you believe just the ones that say there is no problem. After all your command station could actually be an X minus but say X on the tin and it isn't protected against said connection. Commercial DCC command stations are black boxes and unless it specifically says the main track can be connected to the programming track then it is unlikely to be protected against such connection. So do you feel lucky?. Regards Nick

Hi, Most designs of DCC loco decoder require to be connected to a motor or a suitable resistor connected across the motor outputs before the command station can read information from the decoder. This is so ACK or acknowledge pulses of current from the loco can be used by the decoder to send info back to the command station. Regards Nick

Hi, How do we know the groove in the aluminium where the copper sits hasn't been give a conductive coating such as electrically conductive anodising?. The rest of the aluminium (alloy?) surface has presumably been given a surface treatment?. Regards Nick

Hi, I wouldn't use it for baseboards for the all the points you mention. I don't think its like DIY store timber which has got less good over the decades its been for sale - hardboard is consistent - I think consistently bad for baseboards. I don't know of cheap alternatives but I haven't looked recently. If you have the money and you want the layout to last ten years or so then plywood may suit - may be able to use 5.5mm ply - 5 ply providing the ply is supported by ply uprights but I don't have any more detailed info. I used hardboard to make the platforms for the last club layout I was involved in - called SE28 - the platforms were about 4 inches wide and reinforced by hardboard zig-zag strips and PVA and lasted at least 10 years and of course weren't providing structural properties. Regards Nick

Hi, I took Jamie's comment to mean a solidly attached rail as supposed to a suspended metal conductor. Anyway I think they used most of the metal up other parts of the GWML electrification project . Regards Nick

Hi, Graham said he was using Traincontroller. Regards Nick

Hi, Modelstrip may do the job - I've never tried stripping paint off resin - just be careful when you type it into a search engine - maybe add paint stripper to the end of your search term. A mate has just bought a second hand O gauge bogie van and the paint was so thick the door frames had been filled in by the paint. Regards Nick

Hi Graham, I think it depends. If the DCC command station was designed to tolerate the programming track output accidently being connected to the main track output then I think just using insulated rail joiners would be ok. I don't know if the digikeijs dr5000 system can tolerate the programming track output accidently being connected to the main track output. If you find it has that feature don't forget you need a break before make double pole double throw (DPDT) switch or relay to switch the 'programming' track between the programming and main output of the DCC command station. If the command station can't tolerate the two outputs being connected together there may still be a solution to moving trains across. It might be possible to have a short section of track (on a thin base) that you drop into a gap in the siding. It could have an electrical connector on the base to make the connections to the layout track. The short section of track/base could be on a string so it doesn't get lost, it could even plug into a socket on the layout which could be arranged to provide an interlock*. * when the track/base is plugged into this special receptacle a relay switches the programming track over to the programming output of the command station. The short section of track (say 2 inches) method is what I'm thinking about using on a club layout - the programming track has been made a bit longer and place away from the main tracks and it is intended for an actuator to slide the track section in from the side when the train programming has been finished. The track section will have a foam block attached to one side so trains from either left or right cannot accidently try to bridge the gap when programming is going on. Regards Nick

Hi Graham, Are you asking if there any N gauge signals that have a DCC decoder inside them?. Regards Nick

Hi, Thanks for the link to the fan - I didn't know of this tiny model. I don't know how confident you are with electronics but the relay might be replaced with electronics - it might be smaller and it may draw less current. Regards Nick

Hi Probably only the Zimo decoder designers will know for sure what the relevant parts of the circuit the voltage regulator will draw current from will tolerate. The bridge rectifier will draw more current and any tracks between the bridge rectifier and where you attach your circuit will draw more current. Providing your smoke fan draws no more current than a function output and you use a high efficiency switch mode 3.3V regulator you may get away with it. You might be able to make your own bridge rectifier rated to supply your smoke fan connected to the DCC signal and providing you get it the phasing right connect the positive (blue wire on the Zimo) and making a second power supply. The 0V or should I say return is not normally accessible on small decoders but connecting the positive only should make the '0V' lines connect back via the two bridge rectifiers. I think this is how Bachmann get away with two wires for two functions (and return via track and rectifiers?) between coaches on their Mk1 3rd rail EMUs. Connect the 3.3V regulator (linear or switch mode depending on a number of factors) to the new bridge rectifier. Then use the function output to switch a circuit to enable the smoke fan when needed. Regards Nick

Hi, Yes, in general the more pins a DCC socket has the more features you can potentially bring out and connect to the loco / power car/ coach. Some decoder sockets like the Next18 allow the decoder with plug to occupy a smaller volume or footprint*. * small decoders often have a lower power capability than larger ones (at least with present day technology). The Next18 connectors have a lower current limit than some others so they are maybe not applicable to all situations. As you surmised I think at the time the S stock was being designed Bachmann had not added the Next18 socket and decoder to their range. Regards Nick

Hi, As Bachmann previously announced Multiple Units with passengers pre-fitted how about suitable multiple units with working destination displays?. Bachmann also announced the first UK RTR controllable pantograph. It has also reportedly integrated DCC lighting decoders into the circuit boards of the new Mk2 coaches (the ones with DCC lights). The Chinese government wants industry to go up market so more melding of electronics with model railways could be a tick in the box for Kader. How about Bachmann dip their toe in the water with a new Chinese designed DCC decoder (a Chinese company designed a low cost 32 bit Dual Core Microcontroller with integrated Wifi so they have their moments)?. Regards Nick (in Much Frothing awaiting the witching hour)

Hi, This is real guess - a Bulleid style 2-EPB EMU - I doubt there is much CAD that can be carried over from the Bulleid coaches but it would build on the Eastern Division roster of Bachmann 4 CEP, MLV, BR 2-EPB and BR 2-HAP. At least Kader will have had experience Tampo printing the curved sides of the Bulleid coaches before tackling the similarly curved sides of the Bulleid style 2-EPB EMU. However its probably not suitable for the low profile mechanism under development (I don't think there is much clutter under the Driving Trailer to hide the second coreless motor). The above is not top of my wish list but it is on it which is why it came to mind. Regards Nick

Hi, If you google GitHub DCC++ you will find some information on an Arduino based DCC command station. I think it also has the facility to read a small number of local sensors - which could be current sensors. I think it has JMRI compatibility. There may be a problem if you have sensors on other baseboards - then a feedback bus may be the solution. If you can solder then MERG have their own bus which can be used for feedback - its called CBUS and the intefaces are kits and like all MERG kits they are minimum cost - there is no profit or R&D costs added on top. MERG CBUS is supported by JMRI. MERG do a number of DCC current based sensors. I've found some current sensors can't detect some modern DCC decoders when the loco is stationary - you need to check the sensitivity - 1 milliamp sensitivity seems to be the present 'sweet spot'. MERG also have their own low cost DCC Command station and handheld throttles (also JMRI compatible) - but they may not be as cheap as a Chinese sourced Arduino and Motor Shield (and power supply). I don't think JMRI is as good as Traincontroller in that its automation features does not appear to include a timetable based running of trains which is often a feature of British model railways. It has a timetable feature but it does not appear to be used for automation (only as an information aid to layout operators). If you join the JMRI user group on GroupsIO you can look for info and ask questions about 4 aspect UK signalling - I think some work has been done to add UK signals to JMRI. Regards Nick

Is this emblumatic of todays society?. Regrads ;-) Nirk (Nick)

Hi, Just for interest there appears to be a CBUS library for Arduino now. I'm not sure if it along with an Arduino it is fast enough to deal with all the messages on the bus. Regards Nick

Hi, The Paington and Dartmouth Steam Railway had a Train of Lights running most evenings in December: Boxing day +1 I think. The lights on the roofs of the carriages changed colour as the train went along. There were apparently also some illuminations on the tracksides, presumably in suitable locations away from vandals etc. This photo was taken from up on one of the hills of Dartmouth and shows the train coming into Kingswear hauled by a mainline diesel (out of shot to right and also outlined in lights in a similar fashion to the steam loco). I think the diesel was a 37 and the steam loco a 4-6-0 BR standard Class 5?. On this return trip the BR Standard certainly seemed to produce a lot of clag after a very late start away from Kingswear. The exhaust was so strong the smoke/steam never fell back down on the carriage roofs to produce a psychodelic effect as the various coloured lights on the roofs were reflected off the steam as I saw on other runs. The gap in the lights behind the loco is I think from an observation car not fitted with lights except perhaps strung around the underframe truss rodding. In the publicity shots and internet photos taken earlier in December I've seen no lights on the observation car but there were some under the solebar by Boxing Day. Happy New Year Nick