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One of the new features of the MichLTC layout was Steve Ringe's home layout
module "plopped in" to a section of the show layout. (it therefore contained
a "local loop" to allow
I think he might be posting further about it. But just to whet people's
appetites this (8 wide compatible, as all his stock is 8 wide... J2, call
your office!!! ) module features remote controlled turnouts and decouplers.
It also featured a mindstorms controlled turntable.
Shots around this one (forward and back)
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=102900
in Amy's gallery give some detail.
The turntable:
Unlike the fully automatic GMLTC turntable that can shuffle locos with no
human intervention (which is still way cool, years after it was first
shown), the RCX here is used more as operator assistance. Getting a
turntable to align perfectly under manual control is hard. The RCX
introduces sensors to tell when you've reached a point, and the ability to
index (run the rotation till you trip a sensor) followed by engaging the
locking pins for the final alignment.
In the 102900 image, you can see the turntable being indexed. To assure
alignment, there are locking pins that do the last bit of alignment when the
turntable is "close" as indicated by sensors. The mindstorms remote is used
to run P1 and P2 each of which indexes the turntable one position and then
locks it in place.
(this shot shows the locking mech protruding pin in the turntable pit walls
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=102899
The person working the control panel points the remote at the brick
(embedded in the panel) to index the turntable.
In this shot you can also see a number of remote switch units. Each unit is
a small shed that holds a Technic motor (THANK YOU ZNAP!!!) and linkages.
The turnouts have been modified as described elsewhere to make them easier
to work (reducing friction). Each linkage includes a semaphore which shows
which way the turnout is thrown. The semaphore also carries color coding so
you can be reminded which switch works which turnout. (the control switches
are similarly color coded... turnouts with two colors and decouplers with one)
Most turnouts were single controlled but a few were paired... a crossover is
a pair of turnouts controlled by just one switch, that reduces the number of
switches used.
In the shot you also can see decouplers. (two in front of the interlocking
tower. Each decoupler uses a Throwbot (?) part that is sort of a V shaped
thing. It is moved linearly and engages the buffers to force the cars to
decouple. You leave it extended while you pull away because the cars will
otherwise recouple, they're only separated by half a centimeter or so.
Steve's module is mostly raised 2-3 bricks above grade. This gives three
bricks of height for the mechanisms, (the decouplers are under the module,
the turntable motors, the turntable locking pins) as well as wire routing
channels.
Steve used a boatload of the green 4x4 hinged plates to cover his wire
routing channels... at disassembly time he just flipped them up to
disconnect the wires.
Most of this stuff is not revolutionarily new, but it was truly neat to see
it all put together into an integrated whole. Everything was done with 100%
LEGO elements except that some of the wires were extended (some of the runs
are quite long). In some cases it was done by cutting and splicing but Steve
has discovered that the wire 2x2 connector can be levered open so he put
longer wire runs in and reconnected. So the connectors are still used, just
not LEGO wire itself.
Seeing this (and operating it... it's FUN to just shuffle cars around and
change the order of the cars in a train, then take an engine out of the
roundhouse and replace the one on point... really gave me an itch to do
something similar if I can just clear the space I need for it.
I'll let Steve answer questions as i told you about all I know. But boy is
it neat.
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Message has 3 Replies:
 | | Re: Remote Turnouts and Decouplers
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| Whoops... hit send a bit early) (...) This sentence should finish " to allow running trains without interfering with main show loop operations". We think we may want to add more local loops in future shows to increase the amount of motion (23 years ago, 14-Jan-02, to lugnet.trains)
| | | Re: Remote Turnouts and Decouplers
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| (...) This pic from David K shows the control panel. Switches marked with 2 1x2 tiles are turnouts... switches marked with just one 2x2 are decouplers. Check out the remote caddy at the far end for the Mindstorms IR remote. There are two speed (...) (23 years ago, 14-Jan-02, to lugnet.trains)
| | | Re: Remote Turnouts and Decouplers
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| (...) Does anyone have more info on these remote switching units? They look very slick. I am very interested in seeing a DAT file or more detailed pictures if they are available. Tim Strutt 8^) (23 years ago, 15-Jan-02, to lugnet.trains)
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