Hey Fred, very cool and interesting technology your working with. Way over my pay grade at the moment 🤷♂️😅 After all I still need to learn more about JMRI and all that fun stuff. Good to know you have some videos out just in case down the road i want to dabble in it more. Thanks for sharing. Have a good day and stay safe. Happy modeling!! - Jason
Thanks for the video!! I use different IR sensors (modified Sparkfun VCNL4040 proximity boards). Otherwise, I'm planning to use PCA9685 boards for both servo motors (turnouts) and LEDs (track signals). Your tour of DCC-EX and JMRI will be very helpful. As you probably know, multiple PCA9685 boards can be daisy chained together by changing the address jumpers ... gives you control of many servos and LEDs. All the best ...
Thanks Donald 😀. I’m not sure I’ll need more than the 16 pins on my 9685. All my turnouts have Circuitron Smail motors. These are a snap to install although expensive. I have simple signals from my old layout that I can install in future. These connect to the Smail and just show direction of the turnout. Red means don’t cross otherwise loco will short. I’m going to try to get my cheap crossing signal powered and controlled with sensors.
Hey Fred, great way to run motion automated lights but it seems like a better program for a railroad crossing signal. It detects the Train and then would turn on the crossbucks or gates and the delay would make it so you can set up how long the gates stay on. If you have the light that you used , I would think that you wouldn’t want commercial parking lot lights to only come on when the train is going by.
Yes, this is good for a railroad crossing setup. I’ve wanted to figure out how to get Arduino to do lights for a long time. Lot of bruises on my forehead. I’m not totally happy with how I set it up looking like a turnout. Will research better method.
I think I’ve seen you on Flying Crows livestreams. Robert did a bunch of lights on his refinery. He kept it simple and used all 3 watt leds and he just ran a bus and I believe he said that you could run 100 of them and you didn’t have to worry about using resistors. I think that would be the way to go. The only thing you might want to add would be some in line switches to be able to control which ones you want on or off.
Not sure how many lights I’ll add past the 6 yard lights I have. I’ll just create a separate JMRI panel to control them. I need a reason to ‘play’ with different panel design anyway. As you may have noticed, I’m in the hobby to build and learn new technology. i might sell my just plug light system. I hate the long tiny wires on that system. Bad enough to work with the short tiny wire on these yard lights before I can connect them to larger wire.
It was sorta complex with the addition of the Logix conditionals. But I like to learn new technology. I’m going to keep looking for better way to manage the lights. Having them as fake turnouts is just weird. DCC-EX has a full set of commands to automate train running. But I’m sticking with JMRI. I still have a lot to learn about this software, no interest in something completely new. Thanks for watching Mark. 👍
I like that Railroad system
Thanks, Arthur 😀
Hey Fred, very cool and interesting technology your working with. Way over my pay grade at the moment 🤷♂️😅 After all I still need to learn more about JMRI and all that fun stuff. Good to know you have some videos out just in case down the road i want to dabble in it more. Thanks for sharing. Have a good day and stay safe. Happy modeling!! - Jason
Thanks Jason 😀.
Cool project Fred.
Thanks JD 😀.
Thanks for the video!! I use different IR sensors (modified Sparkfun VCNL4040 proximity boards). Otherwise, I'm planning to use PCA9685 boards for both servo motors (turnouts) and LEDs (track signals). Your tour of DCC-EX and JMRI will be very helpful. As you probably know, multiple PCA9685 boards can be daisy chained together by changing the address jumpers ... gives you control of many servos and LEDs. All the best ...
Thanks Donald 😀. I’m not sure I’ll need more than the 16 pins on my 9685. All my turnouts have Circuitron Smail motors. These are a snap to install although expensive. I have simple signals from my old layout that I can install in future. These connect to the Smail and just show direction of the turnout. Red means don’t cross otherwise loco will short. I’m going to try to get my cheap crossing signal powered and controlled with sensors.
great vid nice work thanks for share
Thanks Lee 😀
Hey Fred, great way to run motion automated lights but it seems like a better program for a railroad crossing signal. It detects the Train and then would turn on the crossbucks or gates and the delay would make it so you can set up how long the gates stay on. If you have the light that you used , I would think that you wouldn’t want commercial parking lot lights to only come on when the train is going by.
Yes, this is good for a railroad crossing setup. I’ve wanted to figure out how to get Arduino to do lights for a long time. Lot of bruises on my forehead. I’m not totally happy with how I set it up looking like a turnout. Will research better method.
I think I’ve seen you on Flying Crows livestreams. Robert did a bunch of lights on his refinery. He kept it simple and used all 3 watt leds and he just ran a bus and I believe he said that you could run 100 of them and you didn’t have to worry about using resistors. I think that would be the way to go. The only thing you might want to add would be some in line switches to be able to control which ones you want on or off.
Not sure how many lights I’ll add past the 6 yard lights I have. I’ll just create a separate JMRI panel to control them. I need a reason to ‘play’ with different panel design anyway. As you may have noticed, I’m in the hobby to build and learn new technology.
i might sell my just plug light system. I hate the long tiny wires on that system. Bad enough to work with the short tiny wire on these yard lights before I can connect them to larger wire.
Very cool Fred
Thanks John 😀. I have bruises on my forehead while trying to get this working.
Sorry Fred. I tried to follow along but couldn’t. Very cool but over my head. Is this how my students feel??
It was sorta complex with the addition of the Logix conditionals. But I like to learn new technology. I’m going to keep looking for better way to manage the lights. Having them as fake turnouts is just weird. DCC-EX has a full set of commands to automate train running. But I’m sticking with JMRI. I still have a lot to learn about this software, no interest in something completely new. Thanks for watching Mark. 👍