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Subject: 
Re: Versions 2 and 3 of micromotorized crossing gates.
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Fri, 5 Sep 2003 16:23:00 GMT
Viewed: 
2479 times
  
In lugnet.org.us.indylug, James Powell wrote:
> > Awesome looking crossing.  I like the small size of the motors.  What do you
> > use to control this?  I was in a hobby store last week looking at DCC stuff
> > and they had crossing sensors for this sort of thing.
> 
> 
> That's what a RCX with a extra light sensor is for (or homemade light sensors).
> 
> Either option beats the pants off how I did my first automatic crossing system-

*snip*

You mean RCX w/light sensor as one option and DCC as another option?  How would
you tie in the logic for it, if not using manual controls via DCC?  Just
curious.

> > Also, what happens with the gate is down?  Do you have to manually stop the
> > motor so it doesn't burn out?  I've been thinking about how to fit a
> > microswitch in to a 1x2 brick with a 1x2 tile on top as the sensor for when
> > one of these type of gate is up or down.  Has anyone done any work with
> > this??
> 
> 
> I'm assuming here that the crossing uses the normal style of micromotor driving
> crossing gates via a rubber band- you don't need to be fancy, just use the dwell
> time.  Drive the gates down slightly longer than the reverse time, so they come
> to a complete stop against the lower stops.  Simple, and it works.  Be warned,
> that doing so with the micro motors direct coupled to the crossing arms is not
> recommended, since it tends to lock the micromotor solid, requiring human
> assistance to get it to turn again.


Excellent point - take James' advice on this!

Ed



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Versions 2 and 3 of micromotorized crossing gates.
 
(...) I've been thinking about this one. In the current state of LDCC, a fully automated and LDCC-integrated (and pure LEGO) crossing gate could look something like this (ASCII art follows): Train presence sensor------+-------+ + RCX 1 | (...) (23 years ago, 7-Sep-03, to lugnet.trains)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Versions 2 and 3 of micromotorized crossing gates.
 
(...) That's what a RCX with a extra light sensor is for (or homemade light sensors). Either option beats the pants off how I did my first automatic crossing system- it was a electrical kludge (and I still can't think of a better way to do it- in (...) (23 years ago, 2-Sep-03, to lugnet.org.us.indylug, lugnet.trains)

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