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Subject: 
Re: Design wanted: Touch sensor for passing trains
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics
Date: 
Wed, 29 Dec 1999 18:01:15 GMT
Original-From: 
Pete Sevcik <sevcik@flash.net[AntiSpam]>
Viewed: 
2595 times
  
I have used a magnetic reed switch to detect trains.
Glue a small magnet to a lego piece, and mount on the train.  Cut a Lego wire in
half, and solder a reed switch to the cut end.
This detects the train with precision, and is not affected by shadows.  Also
costs a lot less.

     - pete.



Dave Baum wrote:

> FWIW
> 
> I haven't tried this yet myself, but its very typical to use light sensors
> for this sort of thing in HO scale model railroading.  There are a lot of
> advantages to "contactless" detection.  On the down side, you need to
> minimize interference from ambient light, etc.
> 
> Usually for HO scale stuff the IR LED and IR detector are separate pieces
> (one on each side of the track).  This makes for a nice point-to-point
> beam that gets interrupted by a passing car.
> 
> Some find this ugly, so another approach is to bury a passive light sensor
> under the track pointing upwards.  A passing train will cause a shadow
> over the sensor.
> 
> Dave Baum
> 
> In article <FnHCMC.KzF@lugnet.com>, "Carl M. Kadie" <carlk@msn.com> wrote:
> 
> > I'm using Mindstorms to control Lego trains.
> > 
> > Does anyone have a design for using a touch sensor to detect a train
> > passing?
> > 
> > My intuition is that the touch sensor could be more reliable than the light
> > sensor (plus I have two touch sensors and only one light sensor).
> > 
> > Thanks much for any help,
> > 
> > Carl Kadie
> 
> --
> reply to: dbaum at enteract dot com

--
Pete Sevcik     sevcik@flash.net
Techno-stuff Robotics
http://www.flash.net/~sevcik/
Robotics for FUN !



Message has 1 Reply:
  RE: Design wanted: Touch sensor for passing trains
 
What about hiding the reed switch in a small electrical brick (like a lighting brick) or a motor casing and hiding the magnet inside another brick? The pair could be a good replacement for the touch switch in imprecise applications like bumpers. -- (...) (27 years ago, 29-Dec-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Design wanted: Touch sensor for passing trains
 
FWIW I haven't tried this yet myself, but its very typical to use light sensors for this sort of thing in HO scale model railroading. There are a lot of advantages to "contactless" detection. On the down side, you need to minimize interference from (...) (27 years ago, 29-Dec-99, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.trains)

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