AMSERARALLLLEARALL ELECTRONICS

[timbologist]

Due to an error on my part my main thread regarding my layout under construction, I called it "MY NEW LAYOUT ARDUINO CONTROLLED"
I have probably put people off by the title so I have now broken it up into 2 separate threads on for scenery and this one for the electronics.
The mixed up thread is viewtopic.php?f=22&t=50895
and the scenery layout thread is now located at viewtopic.php?f=22&t=53022&p=651352#p651352
So hopefully I shall sort my mess out.

[timbologist]

So Today finally have got the Auto Acceleration or Train Start moving and running button working. Now don't have to twiddle the knob to get the train running any more. At present the final speed is a fixed value, which I will make selectable as different Loco's will have different settings.
With Hand Controller I can now disconnect it from the layout and everything still runs, then when the Hand Controller is plugged back in it retrieves all the last settings from the Master and continues where it left off. The CAN-BUS is definitely the way to go with this type of set-up.
I am currently waiting for some more CAN-BUS modules so I can start on the mimic panel will use an Arduino Mini for that part of the system.
But it is nice to sit back in the chair with a nice cup of TEA and watch the trains go by, at the moment I Have the Flying Scotsman, and 3 Pullman coaches.

[TimberSurf]

So effectively CanBus is "plug 'n' Play"?

[Bufferstop]

Nearly forty years ago I looked after a computer network based on Can-Bus. It was the most resilient network I've ever used, BUT you had to be prepared to do an awful lot of the work yourself, there were transmitters and receivers, but no error checking or acknowledgement, you'd submit a request to the server then you had to watch for it responding otherwise you'd resubmit but once your devices were configured to do what you needed it was lightning fast and you could potentially hang anything off it. Two pairs of wires "one in each direction" or at a pinch two wires and a common ground (showing its automotive background), made it ideal for the sort of things we want to do.

[timbologist]

Not having a good time with these new threads forgot to subscribe to them so was getting no notifications.

So effectively CanBus is "plug 'n' Play"?

Yes it is pretty much plug and play, since Bosch developed this system for Automotive use, it just works. And is the nearest thing to bullet proof.
It only needs 2 wires a twisted pair for communication between devices. So the devices don't even need a common ground or power between them.
How simple can something get, all the error detection, crash detection is all done in the special IC's that are used.
So it has come along way from when you were involved with maintaining this type of set-up.

Nearly forty years ago I looked after a computer network based on Can-Bus

[Flashbang]

MERG kits https://www.merg.org.uk/ use 'CBus' (CanBus) as one method of layout two wire electronic control.
I have recently purchased several of their kits and built them and delighted with the results.

[Bufferstop]

If anyone remembers Lucas it was they who developed the can_bus network that I knew as an exercise in developing staff knowledge, Bosch were doing the same. Lucas were part of the UK motor industry, shared most of it's faults and suffered the inevitable consequence. Fortunately Bosch made a better job of it!

[timbologist]

Well been going crazy the last few days wiring up the Mimic Panel matrix array interface board, that's the board at the top of the picture has 8 rows x 8 columns so had to wire up the matrix for 64 LEDS each with a 2 pin header. 40 LEDs are for train location the rest will be used for point positions. Again this Arduino is hooked up to the rest of the system using the CAN-BUS, just needed to add 2 wires from the last CAN-BUS module. At the moment is using an Arduino UNO but will have a Pro-Mini in the final set-up, I had to order more 2 pin housings to make more leads for the rest of LEDs, over the weekend hopefully will get a mock-up of the panel done. Then I will make another boring video to show it working.
And a side note I got my new false teeth today so might be able to do a talky video, eating is a pain the bottom one wants to keep jumping out of my mouth so have to take it out to eat .

The mock-up works as it should with only 8 leds hooked up, the software was a bit of a pain as it will show the position of more than one train.
In later versions may do something silly and have each train in a different colour LED by using RGB LEDS, which would mean another 2 interface boards and some "Mickey Mouse Logic" at each LED as the LEDS are Common Cathode, but the cathodes need to be separate to connect to the arrays .

MIMIC-DISPLAY- PROTOTYPE

[Bufferstop]

Now I can usually get my tongue around Welsh names and I think I've got the breaks in the right places but this ones got me stumped. How about a bit of phonetic help

[timbologist]

Now I can usually get my tongue around Welsh names and I think I've got the breaks in the right places but this ones got me stumped. How about a bit of phonetic help

I did not realise that you had to be able to pronounce these names I typed in the original phrase and used some online translator to see what it looked like in another language. Of course the below I have taken the spaces out!

Swahili________wakatimwinginemahalipengine
Irish__________ameileáiteile
Galician_______outraveznoutrolugar
LATIN________aliotemporealioloco
Scots Gaelic___àiteeileàiteeile
Zulu__________esinyeisikhathiesinyeindawo
????__________belonehwiiibelone

I have been reading data sheets and found the info for driving RGB LEDS in a Matrix so I have already scrapped the single colour leds and gone to the RGB set-up already below are photos of the Matrix interface board. The LEDS and The rest of the components are on there way from China already. The actual Mimic panel has been printed out and laminated ready to stick to the perspex or MDF what ever I find when I go into the workshop. Started to look at replacing the Arduinos with STM32's which are a 32 bit Micro running at about 78MHZ compared to the Arduino's 8 bit 16MHZ more horse power. plus they have more program space and ram, good for the main controller the "BRAINS". Everything else is still progressing slowly.

RGB MIMIC PANEL INTERFACE BACK

RGB MIMIC PANEL INTERFACE FRONT

[timbologist]

Hope you all in the homeland are nice and warm because it is very cold down under, good inside train weather.
I have been doing a bit of work on the mimic panel all the goodies have arrived just getting things together. the case is 3mm MDF Laser cut with finger joints in the corners. The 5mm LEDs on the font panel are RGB Common Anode so different colours mean different things ( well that's the plan ). And the 3mm LEDs are just standard Red for the curve and Green for the straight. This will be hooked up to the rest of the system via the Can-Bus.

The boards mounted to the base panel are the interface board, the controller board and the Can-Bus controller, I still have to make the board to mount the cat-5 socket onto, as this will use cat-5 to connect to the rest of the system. Once wired up I then have to go write the software to control the LEDs.

Good job next to the wood fire with a nice cup of TEA.

MIMIC PANEL OUTSIDE FRONT

MIMIC PANEL INSIDE FRONT

MIMIC PANEL BASE CONTROLLER ELECTRONICS

[sarahk99]

Hope you all in the homeland are nice and warm because it is very cold down under, good inside train weather.
I have been doing a bit of work on the mimic panel all the goodies have arrived just getting things together. the case is 3mm MDF Laser cut with finger joints in the corners. The 5mm LEDs on the font panel are RGB Common Anode so different colours mean different things ( well that's the plan ). And the 3mm LEDs are just standard Red for the curve and Green for the straight. This will be hooked up to the rest of the system via the Can-Bus.

The boards mounted to the base panel are the interface board, the controller board and the Can-Bus controller, I still have to make the board to mount the cat-5 socket onto, as this will use cat-5 to connect to the rest of the system. Once wired up I then have to go write the software to control the LEDs.

Good job next to the wood fire with a nice cup of TEA.

any updates?
really want to see how the project is going

[timbologist]

Hi sarahk99

unfortunately other projects have taken over, woodwork, and radio control model aircraft.
Only recently I have managed to remove all the planes and helicopters from the layout, so soon I hope to be able to get back into working on the layout.
I have been able to run a deltic that has been converted to radio control, it will pull my track cleaner.
It uses an 800mA 3 cell lipo to power it. I have been playing with making a power car that will house the battery and receiver, and speed controller so I can connect any Loco to it. to pull the track cleaner.

I have a major dust problem, so the self powered unit eliminates any track pick-up problems.
I think I may have put some details of what I had done to the Deltic elsewhere, but I would need to check.

cheers
Tony

[Dad-1]

OH MY,

All those wires, switches and associated gubbins ....... almost made me drop my
morning cup of tea !!
Frightened me half to death !
For me adding a decoder to a split chassis loco is the pinnacle of my ability.
If I can't remember which point is where, or the DCC addresses it means I have
too many points.

Geoff T.