Notes from the Electronics SIG Zoom meeting 11th July 2024

[Hugh Norwood]

Notes from the Electronics SIG Zoom meeting 11th July 2024

Four members attended
Graeme Dunbar, Vern Ehlke, Stephen Rainsbury, Hugh Norwood

Tom Alexander and Stephen Elliott sent apologies

Stephen is looking at building a "tennis racquet" loop with an auto-reverse system – that has to be in DC and we bounced a few ideas around. The idea is to have this at one end of a long layout (or set of modules) and it would return the train without human intervention.

Hugh reported on a couple of picAxe programming projects he was working on. Both upgrades to existing systems; the servo driver that raises and lowers the witch on her broomstick, and making a PWM controller have finer control over newer (coreless) motors. The controller one has been put on the forum under Electrics and Control Here

Graeme reported on the ScOONS modules, and that he was also working on the "tennis racquet" problem. He showed a track plan that included sidings off the loop, to allow storage of trains, so that the train that came back was not necessarily the one that went in.. (the loop was much bigger than the current modules) It could store up to four trains.

There was some discussion over the (poor) quality of hand tools nowadays.

We pencilled in  August 22nd for the next meeting – subject to confirmation.

H.N.

[Chris Odell]

Hi, I really need to start attending these zoom meetings, the electronics side of things really interests me, even though I am still quite a novice on the subject! I will try to make the August event.

On the return loop subject we have a couple of working examples in the Dartmoor 009 group. They use Infra-red detectors under the track to auto switch the point and track polarity. It is in DCC, however I see no reason why the infra-red detectors couldn't work in a DC setup. I do not know much more than that, but if anyone is interested then I can ask our group for some more information. Here is a video from our latest meetup of an under construction loop. https://1drv.ms/v/s!AsDo6IayHi2WiNAn6QXXRPtTVtzC-Q?e=2TLrjU

[Graeme Dunbar]

That looks good Chris. I look forward to learning more about it in a meeting! We are thinking along similar lines for the Scotland Area Group (ScOONs) modular layout.

I'll post the details of the next meeting today (I hope). My apologies. Iain sent them ages ago, but it has been a strange few weeks this end.

[Hugh Norwood]

Welcome, Chris, we shall look forward to meeting you at a Zoom meeting.