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Subject: 
Re: Loading cargo from and to train electrically
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics, lugnet.trains
Date: 
Mon, 9 Jan 2006 20:16:55 GMT
Viewed: 
2361 times
  
In lugnet.robotics, Steve Lane wrote:
In lugnet.robotics, Elroy Davis wrote:
In lugnet.announce, Edmund Nussbaum wrote:
Hi,
this machinery can load cargo onto a train waggon and
also load cargo off, too. See

http://www.nussbaums.homepage.t-online.de/trldunld.html

I've been toying with this sort of idea in my head for a couple of months.  I'm
hung up on the idea of making the pushers look like cargo loaders of some sort
though (fork-lifts maybe?).

My thinking was to build two of these and set them up on opposite sides of a
train layout.  An RCX would somehow stop a train, then check to see if the
waggon was loaded.  If not, it would be loaded, then continue on to the next
station, where it could be unloaded, thereby setting up automated cargo delivery
for the entire layout.

I too had thought about something similar. I had got much past the specs though.
I wanted a system that only used one rcx per station. One channel would control
the train leaving me with only two remaining.

I'd never thought of a system which didn't somehow lock the containers too the
wagon, therefore my system was to have magnets on the containers. An overhead
track would hold multiple containers, which would slide over the train one by
one. Once aligned the container would be lowered, A mechanism would have to be
incorporated to push apart the magnets when the container had been lowered
enough. The container would then self align onto ramps built onto the wagon.

Steve

I played a bit with stopping a train at a station.  I had a loop of track
powered off from a normal speed regulator.  One section of track next to the
stop was isolated elecrically by putting tape over the rails before connecting
them.  I powered this single section of track off from the RCX, which would
allow me to stop and start it.

As you mentioned, this leaves two motor outputs.  I was thinking of using one to
power a forklift-shaped pusher to load the train, and another to unload.  I
hadn't really though much about the cargo slipping off the waggon on other parts
of the layout though.  Using tiles, I can see how the cargo might slide off the
car if it takes a corner too quickly.  I might have to play with that a bit.

-Elroy



Message has 2 Replies:
  Re: Loading cargo from and to train electrically
 
(...) How accurately? If you want to do this for a bunch of cycles, it would seem to me you need to control the position of the train quite exactly. The GBC train uses a simple bump sensor, and both Steve & I got train positioning to within 1 stud, (...) (18 years ago, 9-Jan-06, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.trains)
  Re: Loading cargo from and to train electrically
 
(...) Funny how oceans apart we come up with the same ideas. I stopped using light sensors for the RCX and laterly use an isolated track to stop trains at two stations. The third ouput being used for a level crossing. I really like the loader idea, (...) (18 years ago, 17-Jan-06, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.trains)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Loading cargo from and to train electrically
 
(...) I too had thought about something similar. I had got much past the specs though. I wanted a system that only used one rcx per station. One channel would control the train leaving me with only two remaining. I'd never thought of a system which (...) (18 years ago, 9-Jan-06, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.trains)

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