Subject:
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Re: Automatic decoupler designs?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Mon, 10 Jan 2000 05:35:45 GMT
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Viewed:
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1239 times
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I built a version of the decoupler mentioned earlier in this thread. It works
remarkably well! I don't have the exact brick mentioned on the web page, but I
do have an R2D2 foot, which is very similar: a short technic beam with a
4-plate high 30 deg ramp on the end of it. It doesn't matter that the bottom
(actually side in the decoupler) is flat. Even with the flat side right
against one buffer it will poke just one of the knuckles and decouple the cars.
As long as the decoupler starts somewhere between the two buffers it can go at
almost any speed and will not derail the cars. If it's moving fast it will
send one car rolling away (if it's unsecured) because of the ramp on the
knuckle-poker. If it moves slowly the cars will actually still hold each other
gently. If the decoupler retracts at that point the cars will rejoin.
For safety what it really needs is a way to tell if it hits something short of
where there should be a knuckle (in which case it hit a car or a buffer). It
can't just stall in that case because the geartrain needs a lot of torque to
actually pop the knuckle in the good case. Maybe I could drive the motor at
low power (with an RCX) until it clears a certain point and then power up when
it appears that the cars are lined up right.
--Ben
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Automatic decoupler designs?
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| (...) I (...) cars. (...) other (...) Ben, I think you're correct in using the RCX in that way. I use one in a similar manner with my remote powered switch, and it elimates any stalls. I actually perform the opposite functionality - the motor is (...) (24 years ago, 10-Jan-00, to lugnet.trains)
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