Ticking Off To Do List Items

On Thursday afternoon this week, I wrote a “To Do” list for this weekend's activities.  I was hoping to get some motivation out of this.  I started on Friday evening, and was able to tick off the first few items.  So far so good.  First up I added some road markings to my Traffic Light demonstration module.  The stop bars in the intersection were made from 0.010” x 0.100” styrene strip and 0.010” x 0.030” strip was used for the centre road lines, and some side lines on the road.  I normally use 0.010: x 0.040” for centre lines on a road, but I had that styrene earmarked for other activities.  I do use 0.010" x 0.030" for the side lines.  The next task was to find some scribed wood in my collection that I thought I had in the shed.  Sure enough I had two packets.  One packet had 3 ¼” wide scribes and the other had 4” wide scribes.  I chose to use the 4” version.  My plan was to use this product cut into 6’ high strips with some laser cut wood frames for a fence.  The scribes would look like 4" palings in the fence.  The laser cut frames were produced by one of our Club members Tristan Harrison as his line of business.  They are great!.  So I cut up the strips and stained them with my standard stain made from Ink pad ink and metho.  These were allowed to dry and once I get around to making the house for the signalman at Border Loop, this house will be surrounded by this fencing.  I need the house first as I do not know how big the fencing will be.

Saturday’s job was to start planning for the house used by the Signalman at Border Loop.  I had printed out some photos that had appeared online over the years, and of course I took a backup copy in case the internet went down.  I looked in a book of NSW railway plans, an old AMRA magazine article of an old house (which I had already made a model of about 20 years ago, and the internet.  So from the photos that I had and some known measurements and some estimations of standard sizes of certain items or objects on the house, like doors, and windows.  I have been able to guess what I hope will be a near enough size for the four sides of the house.  One advantage is that I might not have to put any detail on the rear of the house, as it is up against the scenery backdrop.  So I have three sides worked out.  I just need to transfer these markings onto three sheets of weatherboard shaped styrene (clapboard from evergreen scale models), cut out the doors and window and put the house together.  While I am doing this, I will also put together the Kyogle Station building which has also been cut out.

Sunday’s plan was to do two jobs.  One jobs was make up 4 kits of level crossing flashers ready for sale, and the second was to try and do up a small demo layout of 'Shelton the Photographer' on a small section of test track.  On Sunday morning and early afternoon I was also supposed to tune into the NMRA-X presentations.  Well I did watch half of the NMRA-X presentations.  I have everything read to make up the kits for the level crossing detectors, and I will complete them tonight after posting this blog.  I also plan to find some Clapboard tonight and start marking my plan onto it.

I've got a couple of days off next week to supervise a carport being built at my place, so I might find some modelling time during the week.  There is also plenty on the agenda for next weekend as well.

Arduino Power Supply Issues and Other Things

On Friday after some later than usual meetings, I headed over to George’s shop to inspect his level crossing display setup.  I tested it and after two of three activations, it went psycho.  I thought the Arduino was going to need to be flashed with the code again.   It was like it was going and doing things which it cannot do in the code.  On my way home I stopped off at Jaycar and picked up a lot of red, yellow and green LEDs and a packet of resistors for some lights assemblies I was going to make later this evening.

That evening Darren and I went to Geoff’s for a modelling night.  That started after 5:00pm.  I was working on cutting out some doors on my Kyogle Station building.  I also was working on a sleeper wall for Border Loop after I saw a photo on one of the Facebook sites for NSW railways.  I also had a plan to put two red LEDs together to form some cheap level crossing signals.  I soldered up two of these.  I then soldered up the red, yellow and green LED’s into a set of traffic lights and I made three of these.  I also took with me, my test level crossing track for some testing.  I plugged this into a power supply and it too also seemed to be operating strangely.  I could not believe that this too was having issues.  It got me thinking.

So on Saturday morning, I plugged my laptop into the Arduino on the test level crossing setup via a USB cable, and it worked perfectly.  Hang on – something is not right.  If I plug a power supply in via the 2.1mm plug, it goes weird.  So I am thinking that the power supply must be not getting a large enough load, and it is not operating within its specified tolerances.  It was supposed to be a 12V power supply.  Arduino can take a 12V power supply and actual supposedly can take up to a 20V input.  But I'd expect that it might run a bit hot.

So later that morning I went to George’s shop again, and plugged my laptop in via USB and everything worked perfectly.  I plugged the power supply via the 2.1mm plug and after two runs, it went weird.  I think I’m onto something here.  We will need a USB power supply for George's shop layout.

So on Saturday afternoon, I wired up my two level crossing lights to my test level crossing display setup and it works 100% if not connected via the 2.1mm power plug.  I can even plug a 9V battery into the Arduino and it works well.  Although I’m not certain how long a 9V battery will drive the Arduino and the level crossing setup for, before it runs out of juice.

The next task was to connect two sets of home made traffic lights up to another Arduino on a different test module.  So after dinner I flashed a new Arduino with my traffic lights code and plugged it in with 2 of my three traffic lights connected and it worked.  I came back to this project later on in the evening and added the third set of traffic lights to the Arduino.  Just like a bought one.  All ready for a future NMRA clinic day to show off.

On Sunday around lunchtime I started by watching the Dave Abeles operations - rail fanning session streamed from his basement to Facebook.  He also ha a set of level crossing gates mis-behaving at least 3 times in his session.  But his version is on two di-directional tracks.  My version only does a single bi-directional tracks or two uni-directions tracks (i.e. up and down).

This afternoon I made a sleeper stack for Border Loop and added some rails to my sleeper retaining wall also for Border Loop.  I have yet to install this wall - maybe next week.  I also have started preparing for a signalman's house that I will install also in Border Loop and I'm also looking at all the various items to be positioned around this house.  So planning will continue next week.

Blog Post Number 700

This week's modelling time started with me heading over to George’s shop to install a level crossing flashing light on his demo layout’s crossing setup.  After a bit I testing it seemed that it was not working correctly.  So I went home with my tail between my legs.  My text Arduino level crossing setup on the breadboard at home works correctly.  So I decided that I would flash the Arduino in the shop on Saturday morning.  I think I had an old version of code in it.  The last time I enhanced the code, to cater for some more obscure situations, this arduino was never updated.  When I did update the code, I flashed the whole range of spare Arduinos I had at home, but not that one.  So I went to the shop again, flashed the code and Voila - just like a bought one.  I did that on the way to the Club for meeting day.  So now the demo layout will detect trains in both directions on the single track setup on his shop layout.

I then went to the Club and saw the progress on the new HO/HO3½ layout that the guys are preparing for the first Exhibition on the year up in Bundaberg.  It looks pretty good.  The backboards are now installed and a lot of effort has gone into them.  We also had a good natter to a few of the guys there. I finally got home around 4:00pm.

On my way home I decided that I would pick up some items to build a new level crossing demo module again.  This module will have two tracks on it and can be set up to demonstrate a single track in bidirectional mode, or two tracks set up as an up and a down track – each working to protect the level crossing setup.  So my son drove me to Bunnings later in the arvo as part of his driving lesson and I picked up a length of pine for the baseboard.  

On Saturday night, I did a bit more work on my Kyogle Norco Dairy building.  I cut some barge boards for the roof ends for both the main roof and the small roof over the loading platform.  I also made up some downpipes out of 0.030” x 0.040” styrene strip to simulate the square type downpipes on the building.  I shaped the downpipes so they looked similar to my photos.  My plan was to get around to painting these items today so I could fit them to the model during the week.  Well that didn’t eventuate.  Maybe a quick paint one afternoon this week.

Today my efforts were taken up building the demo level crossing module, which had two pieces of tracked added and the various infra-red detectors installed back to the Arduino which controls it.  I was trying to be smart and put in a switch that sends power to one of the two sensors I want to work on the two parallel tracks.  The only issue is that when the sensor has no power, it produces a low output, a ‘0’ so to speak, and that is the same as it detecting something.  As both detector output were tied together, this produces a false detection.  So I had a think.  I could use some magic logic to make this work with an XOR chip.  So I would then XOR the power input for the sensor with the output of that detector to get the result from each detector will produce a '1' when we have power input and a detection.  I would have to then ‘not’ the output back to a '0'..  So I really needed a XNOR gate which does that for me.  But I had another think.  All I needed to do is power both infra-red detectors, and only let the output of the one I needed to go through the switch to the Arduino input for that pair of detectors.  A whole lot more simpler solution.  So I may try and adjust the wiring logic tonight at the kitchen table while watching some TV.  Failing that it will be job for one night this week.  

The aim of this demo level crossing module is to be able to show it off at the upcoming NMRA Division 1 clinic weekend.  I was tapped on the shoulder to do a clinic on ‘Animations – Lights and Sound”.  So I will show off the level crossing detector (as a Light Animation) which I do sell.  I plan to make a second animation item which will be a working set of traffic lights for an intersection on the layout.  These can also be a saleable item as well.  For both items you just need to provide your own level crossing lights or traffic lights and everything else is provided (except a power supply for the Arduino) in the kits.

This happens to be my 700th post to my blog.  Someone must be reading it as the number of hits is now over 495,000 hits.  I expect to be over 500,000 in another 5 weeks - around Easter.  Let's see how we go.

Kyogle Norco Diary Building

On Saturday this weekend, I gave the Norco Dairy building destined for Kyogle a paint.  This included the main structure and its roof.  The building was painted white, while the roof was painted silver.  I also made another roof to cover the platform at the front of the building.  I also added legs to the two platforms out the front of the building. The legs were stained in my normal ink pad ink and "metho" mixture before they were glued onto the two platforms.   The platforms were created out of wood and stained with the same mixture.  Yesterday I also added some bracing to the front of the building to help hold up the roof above the front platform.   We will see in the longer term, how this holds up under the weight of the front platform roof.  I have made some gutters out of 0.080” channel.  There were made by butt joining two strip of styrene together and allowing the join to set. 

So early this morning I sprayed these gutters a blue colour just like in the photos I posted last week.  Once the gutters were dry, I added them to the two roof sections.  I may have to also add a gutter to the rear of the building, but that will not be easily view, but I'm sure some of my crew will catch on and give me a stir about no gutters on the rear, so I better build one for there as well.  I will still need to add the barge boards to the sides of the roofs.  These will also be painted blue.  Next task is to make a door and a window for the end of the building.

On Saturday, I also shaped and painted 16 concrete pads for one of my water tanks.  I am scratching my head as to how I will fit these small pads into the scenery so that they are all level for the water tank to be positioned accurately on top of them.  The scenery at the location where this water tank is not 100% flat, so I can’t just throw the bases onto the ground.  I will have to have a think about that.