ianjeffery

Can i ask what the J stands for? Ian J ( too )

Hi Bart, How much did it cost you? It looks like a kickstarter project, but do they sell them yet ?

how did you build your own 3d printer??????

Bart, That looks amazing..... How much did it cost to make the mount do you think? Do you think you could make others? with a different PCD for the screw ? on the peco turntable, i have screwed a plywood board to the bottom, the same side as the TT, through the 3 "Drain" covers. Ian.

HI Bart! didnt know you were on here too. you should update this thread with your pictures too as you have 3d printed your own motor mount ?

just sent you a PM.

There was an interesting html "i dont like < signs" in the page, which meant that it had blanked out the includes! corrected now!

Hi Ray, Yes, your right. I must have totally missed that post. I'm really sorry to have duplicated it. great mind etc etc.

Hi Jorgan. In the IDE, under the Tools Menu, -> Board - what is it set to? its most likely set to "Arduino Uno / Genuino" Make sure this says "Arduino Nano" In terms of sketches, PM me, or email me on support@dccinterface.com and ill be more than happy to help.

i was hoping someone would write a link to some of the diodes :-) how did you create the break ? is it the marker pen on the rails ?

In terms of stopping at stations , or sidings... you could use this module http://www.lenzusa.com/1newsite1/BM1.html which uses ASB ( i think it lowers the voltage on one rail, which you tell the decoder ( such as zimo ) to look out for, and stop when it detects it ). Once the "effected" rail gets the correct voltage again off the train goes. "A normal DCC signal is symmetrical meaning that the positive voltage and negative voltage is the same. In asymmetrical DCC there is a slight difference between the positive and negative components of the DCC signal. This is achieved by feeding the DCC signal through a set of diodes, three diodes in one direction and two diodes in the other direction. The information transmitted to the decoder can be further modulated by modulating the time the DCC signal is symmetrical and when it is asymmetrical." you could then use something like an arduino to throw a switch/relay to restore the balance ( anakin skywalker ) and set the train off again. you could also use arduino nanos / minis and hall effect sensors to locate trains on track etc. etc...

Hi Simon, Would it help if i sent you my sketch as well to get you going ? Ian.

yep - the output labelled "ARD" goes to D2 on the arduino.

I think as a collaborative task this has produced an amazing result. Wew have an excellent base to start from - thank Tender - and the end result is truely amazing.

each to their own

Thanks Ray. Thats what i thought... i want to implement this also as the whine from my stepper motor gets a bit annoying. you could always have a couple of photo sensors at each end of the bridge to detect a logo coming on and off and activating the release that way! e.g. if train left bridge, release();

Hi Geoff, i just emailed you ( I think! ). can you post / email me your code so i can have a butchers ?

Ray, Can i get clarification on this please??? are you suggesting adding a release2(); after the moveTo in the BasicAccDecoderPacket_Handler method??? how does the stepper motor code handle this?? are they effectively queued up as otherwise, would a release not cancel out the moveto ? Ian.

Hi all. I have made my first batch and fully tested them, so for those who were interested, they are £8 + postage ( which can be a simple 1st class jiffy bag ). Ill contact you via pm for those who were interested. I have also started to create a shop on line - www.dccinterface.com which is a work in progress. I also have another design, with an arduino nano on board and headers for the ic2 interface. Not sure on price - when the boards arrive ill post a picture.

How about a raspberry pi and a sprog - you can even get a sprog shield ( http://www.sprog-dcc.co.uk/pisprog.shtml ) . find a cheap hdmi TV on ebay and your almost there. The Pi3 even has built in wifi. Sprogs are great. its so easy to use and i can take it anywhere with me - so when i program my dcc interfaces ( www.dccinterface.com ) i can take a small strip of track and a sprog and my laptop and test them anywhere.

I have a powercab for my main layout, and for my programming track, i have a short strip of track, off the main layout connected to a sprog. I use JMRI to program locos. i find it much easier, and there is no chance of programming the wrong train. i have to physically lift the train over to the track ( its slightly below on a shelf )

you can tune the amount of current supplied to the stepper motor... https://www.pololu.com/blog/484/video-setting-the-current-limit-on-pololu-stepper-motor-driver-carriers this is via the pot on the pcb. i could not get a setting that made the stepper motor perform well.

i thought i would share my views..... i have tried both the adafruit and the A4988 driver chip and i prefer the adafruit. I found it difficult to tune the a4988 chip with the stepper motor so that it would not cause any vibrations or jitter, however i could not, and so went back to the adafruit shield.

Here is a pic of the finished board - with screw terminal headers soldered on. I'm currently in beta testing with them, and also setting up an online shop. what do you think ?

I soldered up the first board this morning, and tested it against my railway and a spare arduino nano board. you can see how small the board is compared to the nano...