All the way from Espania ..... por favor ....... or something like that. aboard martin. great to have you with us. You are our second member from spain so glad to be able to provide company for our other Spanish resident ianvolvo who has a thing for goats. ...... dont ask .... in fact .... maybe put a halt on your imagination as well .... it could be unhealthy. anyway .... welcome as I said and I hope to see you posting on the forum before long. enjoy your stay on platform 1. cheers for now toto
Hi all, thank you for the warm/cool/cold, welcomes. Well chuffed! Hopefully I will find all the answers to my problems and maybe even help others. Early days for me having had a very long, working life long, break. Now I hope to add my tech experience to this great hobby. Only problem with Spain, outside is so tempting and my 00 does not go there. Worse things in the world.
Great to hear from you. So ..... what tech experience do you bring with you. Be careful ..... you may get hijacked Toto
For years dabbling with electronics and then computing and my job was in that area. So my plan, as if I had one. (Started with some cheap 2nd hand track and a size of base board and worked from there) is to build the layout, done that and, then start to make control board that has some form of automation or scenes that run. I expect this will take..... forever and, be very frustrating and rewarding all at the same time. I will be adding scenery and all the, make it look good, as I plod along. So, it is a plan! I am heavily into IOT, (Internet of things) type stuff so lots of micro controllers, (8266? and Raspberry Pi?) home automation, pretty lights, remote telemetry and other long words. I think model railways and this can go hand in hand.
Hi Martin great that you've made your first post interesting stuff ... where about in Spain are you? Ian vt (vino tinto)
Hi Martin, welcome to the forum from a fellow new guy. Like you I am dabbling with a first layout using second hand bits and pieces. I am also trying automation with Arduino and servos. Share your frustrations. But there is a challenge to get it all together. Berne.
Hi Martin & Bernie With your interest in Servo's take a look at MERG Servo Page For Pi's and Automation have a look at JMRI (Java Model Railway Interface). Although aimed at DCC, you can use DCC++ (an Arduino based command station) and even if you don't control the locomotives via DCC you can operate all the accessories, and detection devices - some directly connected to the Arduino or Pi, using JMRI as the glue between the parts. My OO gauge layout Victoria Road used a NCE PowerCab as the DCC command station, and a combination of MERG DCC accessory decoders and arduino based accessory decoders. So if I want to drive manually I can control the whole layout from the handset, however with a double slip and a 3way point, it is far easier to use routes in JMRI, where I can just choose the route I want in JMRI (displayed as a mimic on a tablet or PC) and click on the one I want, and it sets all the points and when I get round to it signals as well. Eventually (the layout is in cold storage at the moment) I will complete the detection devices and get round to automating the whole layout - oh I forgot the fiddle yard is an arduino controlled traverser. Plenty for you to get going with, as you say the potential is definately there - welcome to the Dark Side Paul
So, a bit of a delay, stuff happens.... Layout still in build and I am starting off DC. My points are all becoming motorised but with Seep motors and I have linked them to my PC via MQTT. I can pick a route and the points all set. If I get it correct, and then I set the train in motion. Well that's the partly implemented plan, So far, so good. My next step is to finish connecting all the points, power feeds and isolators to the micro controllers and then MQTT. Plus build and install sensors to detect trains running toward miss-set points and set the points correctly. When it all runs, I will get on with the scenery, slowly and I want to try and build WiFi control to individual locos but that is the future as I have a lot to get done. Thanks for all the "What's happening", I welcome the dark side, it just eats time.
It also eats bats breath and newts toes Martin you're on a dangerous path .. ... before you know it you'll be 'OH' gauging its never too late to come back into the light Ian vt (ac/dc)
G'day Martin, Welcome aboard from Sydney, Australia. Getting into or back into the hobby is the easy bit, but once you're hooked... You are right about mixing trains with 'black magic' (electronics) and as you can see above, Paul_l is into all that ! Enjoy your stay here and I'll be looking forward to your threads/posts. Cheers, Gary.
G`day Martin and Welcome to Platform 1, I hope you enjoy your journey with us and join in with the lively conversations that are quite common on here. Gormo.......Sydney........Oz
So, progress. Basically the track is down and finished!, well already I think, could have....... but for the time it is done. Some clearances on trackside kit, such as my 3d printed points motor housings need fine adjustment or in two cases a real think and re-design, still the smaller kit has no problem. I now wish I had started with HO, (Brexit (Soz)) is making ordering from the UK a bit difficult and more expensive. I have my web page up, I have the MQTT computer control behind this working. Not a single physical switch in sight but can integrate some later if I feel the need. I can now launch several scenarios and other than manual speed control (later), it works. Lot of room to move this on. It is only DC, yes DCC would have been a great choice but more cost and this feels more satisfying right now. What next, I am modding some HO stock to fit tension lock couplings (right or wrong), thankfully the 3D printer really helps produce mounting platforms. I am importing the couplings from the UK, such fun!!!!! (See if I had planned that would have come prior to 2021) I need to look at scenery, I have some 2nd hand, 1.95€ buildings from Germany that are shabby chic but us the real world any better? Will this ever end, hope not.