Subject:
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Self-detaching yard engine
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto
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Date:
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Thu, 10 May 2001 16:08:23 GMT
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Viewed:
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424 times
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Well, I thought I'd report on an exciting success and disappointing
failure in my experimenting last night.
Recall that Calum has requested an RCX car which could detach itself
on command from its neighbour. The point was that this car could be
pulled around by a yard switcher engine and used to remotely shunt
cars around. So far, so good.
So *I* thought: gee, it'd be nice if the *engine* could do all that,
without another car. Then I thought "but the RCX is too big to
fit in with the engine. *Then* I though - it'd sure be nice to use
a microscout for this.
40 minutes later, I had a microscout on top of a jury-rigged engine.
Now get this (Chris - eat your heart out!) - if you *run the track
using an RCX*, you can use a fiber optic piece or lamp - drawing
power from the motor lamp connection - to talk to the microscout.
So I have an engine on which you can activate the microscout using
VLL through the track, or use normally, as you choose. Heh heh. DCC
anyone?
The frustration is, that I haven't been able to get the MS to
recognize signals at low power levels - lamp brightness is an issue,
as is the motor stalling, which causes variation in lamp brightness.
Now I need advice on doing this - it's probably not acceptable to
have the engine move 2 feet while it's being signalled to detach.
Chris (beg beg plead plead) - do you have any feedback on how to
affect how well the MS picks up VLL?
Otherwise, I'll have to just make the RCX car. Boo hoo.
Jeff E
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Self-detaching yard engine
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| (...) Jeff, this is a COOL and neat IDEA. it should be forwarded to BOTH Rcx, Microscout, Trains, and Technics. many more people smarter than I should all be working on this. As you describe the situation, let me see if I understand your setup. you (...) (23 years ago, 11-May-01, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
| | | Re: Self-detaching yard engine
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| I'm not quite clear on how you are sending the VLL messages, nor am I clear on what software you are using to send them. That having been said, here's a suggestion that may or may not work depeinding on how you implemented the data stream: If you (...) (23 years ago, 15-May-01, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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