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As some of you are probably aware, there are people who use DCC controls that
allow them to operate two trains independantly on the same stretch of track.
This system, however, requires that you hack open motor bogeys to install the
DCC control system, and as such it is sometimes frowned upon as not being 100%
original parts.
So, what I'm wondering is, if you set up a short section of insulated track, how
feasible would it be to use an NXT with a Li-Ion battery pack and AC adapter to
delay a train that's moving too fast? See, what I'm thinking is, if you run two
trains on that section of track, you could set up some sort of sensor on the
insulated section (ultrasonic or light seems best, as a touch sensor might not
work as well on some train designs), and use one of those NXT-to-9V wire
converters to plug into the train leads. Then when the train hits the insulated
track, it'll stall out and the NXT sensor will register that it has arrived.
The NXT would then have to calculate how long it will take for that train to
complete another circuit and whether it will catch up with the other train.
Once it has done that, it will need to either let it pass through immediately
(if it's the slower train), or delay it long enough that it won't run into the
other train before it gets back to the NXT. Theoretically, the only way a fast
train should be able to ram a slow train is if the fast train can do a complete
pass while the slow train is still transferring through the insulated zone.
Setting up another NXT-insulator on the other side of the loop would fix this,
though, and even allow the two of them to share data.
Anyways, it's an idea I had, but since I'm unlikely to ever do anything with it
(I own neither trains nor track, so it'd all have to be theoretical for me), I
thought I'd toss it out there in case anyone else would care to run with it.
Also, the same concept should work equally well on Monorail, with an NXT motor
just being set up to directly control one of the reversing switches.
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Controlling trains with NXT?
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| (...) Block control was fairly common on model train layouts before DCC and other digital solutions became available. If you do a google search for "block control" you should find a few references. Yours is a variant of that. It works, but as you (...) (18 years ago, 22-Apr-07, to lugnet.trains, lugnet.robotics.nxt)
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