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Subject: 
Re: Thoughts on Battery-powered IR-controlled trains
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains, lugnet.dear-lego
Date: 
Fri, 13 Jan 2006 12:48:23 GMT
Viewed: 
7169 times
  
In lugnet.trains, Ross Crawford wrote:

The problem you're gonna find is that the RCX can only point in
1 direction at once.

   Actualy, so can a remote. The IR signal from the RCX is fairly "bright"
(i.e.- you don't need the RCX pointed right into the Manas IR receive units to
function, it can be bounced off other objects).

if the trains continue running when they lose their IR signal
(we don't know that yet)

   We don't, although I suspect strongly they do.

you're still probably gonna end up needing multiple RCXs - and how
do they communicate with each other if they're using IR to communicate
with trains?

   Right off the bat, I can think of two ways: wire connection (connecting
together two RCX input ports and interpreting if the RCX has set them to powered
or unpowered status), or using IR. The standard RCX firmware can transmit and
receive RCX messages (they appear in the firmware as numbers from 0 to 255) or
transmit (not recieve... wel, not in an easy to locate way) "raw" serial data;
the Manas codes are implemented using serial data, while RCX-to-RCX message
passing is via IR messages. There's the risk of RCX messages being overwritten
by serial "noise", but that just means you need some handshaking between the
RCXs.
   I wouldn't have predicted LDCC - that took a *Lot* more work than this is
likely to. And with the IR trains, no hardware mods at all for this. Well, until
John makes us all beg for RF :-)

--
Brian Davis



Message has 4 Replies:
  Re: Thoughts on Battery-powered IR-controlled trains
 
(...) Using the Manas as a practical example, because I can't imagine they're going to completely revamp the IR system... The signal from the Mana remotes works GREAT in a small room with white wall. You can point it in just about any direction and (...) (18 years ago, 13-Jan-06, to lugnet.trains)
  Addressable IR signal space?
 
(...) I've got a question along these lines: Is there any "addressable space" left over in the messaging system for Manas? In other words, they've already got 3 "channels" implemented as different sets of codes for the Manas. Have they used up all (...) (18 years ago, 13-Jan-06, to lugnet.trains)
  Re: Thoughts on Battery-powered IR-controlled trains
 
(...) Plus a remote is usually in the hands of the controller, so can be re-targetted as necessary - whereas an RCX controller would most likely be fixed to the layout somewhere, and disguised as an object of some kind on the layout. Otherwise you (...) (18 years ago, 13-Jan-06, to lugnet.trains, lugnet.dear-lego)
  Re: Thoughts on Battery-powered IR-controlled trains
 
what if the operating system was something like the rokenbok line? they have a central hub with hand controllers that use miniature 'walkie talkies' to control individual units. although, commands are only delivered while communication is maintained (...) (18 years ago, 14-Jan-06, to lugnet.trains, lugnet.dear-lego)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Thoughts on Battery-powered IR-controlled trains
 
(...) The problem you're gonna find is that the RCX can only point in 1 direction at once. Unless you have many spaced around your layout, you're not gonna be able to control the trains at every point on the layout. That may not be a problem - if (...) (18 years ago, 13-Jan-06, to lugnet.trains, lugnet.dear-lego)

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