Arduino to DCC circuit help.

[dr pepper]

Yep sounds like Eric's words are correct to me too.

Back when I wired up my mates track, that was N guage, its less common.
Model trams come in N guage too.

For a living I maintain industrial production machinery, lenze make some heavy equipment drives & power supplies, I had no idea they did model layout stuff too.

 

[garyd]

I'm not sure that it's the same Company and if your one has a an E after the Z then it is'nt , I was aware in fact that there is more than one company called Lenz or Lenze the model rail one has no E at the end .Trams are something I would have liked but they had all but Disappeared in the time period i'm modelling which is between 1960 -64.

 

[dr pepper]

Yes its Lenze, so a different company, and that makes sense, unless it was a conglomerate like Siemens that make just about everything.

The same trams were in use in Blackpool not so far from me since 1930, but unfortunately they were largely replaced by efficient, reliable & cheaper to run modern ones in 2012, there are still some of the old ones in use, or 'heritage trams' as they are called, a mate of mine is the electrical engineer at the depot, before I got married I courted one of the conductresses.

 

[RailCom_Fan]

Hi , I have 3 Arduino Nanos mounted on prototyping shields and was being guided on a model railway DCC computer controlled project to use them for controlling Eleven 2 aspect colour light signals ( 12 V led's) plus 5 RC servo operated Semaphore arm type signals and 2 Electromagnetic uncouplers ( 18V DC ), unfortunately the guy who was guiding me and sending me drawings and advice has disappeared of the net ( 2 months) when I had been receiving emails virtually every day , he sent me a list of all i'd need and I purchased everything he listed and he also sent me 2 of the 3 diagrams I would need to constuct 3 types of circuit on veroboard , the first circuit for a voltage and brightness adaptor was extremely simple and I have constructed eleven of those so i'm now turning my attention to the second circuit which is for the uncouplers , I have attached the drawing he sent me and have a question about it , Was it his intention that the Green 3 way screw terminal at the right hand end be connected to the uncoupler Red /Black leads and the 18 V DC supply , the Blue dots btw represent suggested mounting holes and the Grey dots are cuts to the tracks , if I can get these made I can then move on to the last circuit which I have no vero diagram for but I do have a Schematic i'll need help with .

Gary, you seem to have a 'Selective Memory'.

Do you remember sending me this email message on 19/Mar/2017:
"Hi , Thank you for the diagram but I would'nt worry about me and my layout anymore as i've decided to abandon any more work on it other than finishing it scenically , I spent a whole week trying to find another short and did find it in the end and then found that although the points are receiving power from the DCC bus the track (blocks ) are not it would seem that the reader boards are not acting as a return path for the current and to be honest i've had enough i'm fed up with forever chasing problems and forever trying to figure out what is going on , I thank you for your help and i'm sorry to have wasted your time , Gary ."

Your email message to me suggests that it was you that didn't want to communicate any more, because you said you didn't intend to continue with the project. My email address hasn't changed, and there have been no messages from you requesting further assistance.

That was the reason why I never sent you the third Veroboard Layout. I finished it, in case you changed your mind, but you never asked for it.

I also see that you came across our 'TalkingTracks' website, which is where you found the alternative circuit for the DCC Optocoupler - The diagram showing the 270pf Capacitor for a Low-Pass Filter (It was added that after you decided you didn't want to continue).

The Veroboard Layout for the DCC Optocoupler was also published on the 'TalkingTracks' website, along with a complete tutorial on how to make it.

I see that you found Version 3 of that on the 'TalkingTracks' website (**broken link removed**), when you posted it 27/May/2017. If I'm guessing correctly, the website Logs suggest that you downloaded all the information you would require on 24/May/2017 at 08:26:39 Australia EST (And again at 22:33:49 AEST on the same date).

Did you realise there was a more recent Version 4, which was posted on 07/June/2017. While it's 1 Hole Wider, it could be built on the Original 18-Hole size Veroboard. If I'm guessing correctly again, the website logs suggest that you saw Version 4 when you visited on 07/June/2017, again on 09/June/2017, and your most recent visit on 11/June/2017.

___
I have scoured my email messages between us, and found no mention of 36 Volt Capacitors (Partly because you can't get 36 Volt Electrolytic Capacitors).

The Electrolytic Capacitors we discussed (If you still have them), where for 'Power Supply Decoupling', and I suggested that you could attach 1 of them to each Arduino, because you were going to use a Shared 7.5 Volt Power Supply for all 3 Arduino Nano boards. This 'Decoupling' had nothing to do with the 2 'Electromagnetic Decouplers' on your Layout.

The email message I sent you on 04/March/2017 explains how to connect them to the Arduino Nano I/O Shield you purchased.

The Capacitors mentioned in that email were 1 x 16 Volt 100uF (For the Power Supply Rails) and 3 x 10 Volt 470uF Capacitors (For each Arduino).

___
I guess that somewhere else on the Internet, you are also looking for the software for the Arduino Nanos to drive it all.

Obviously, that's not a relevant topic for here.

 

[garyd]

Intemperate outburst deleted - Moderator

 

[cowboybob]

Welcome to ETO, RailCom.Fan.

Looks like model railroading has changed, considerably, from my Lionel days (the engine puffed smoke!!)... .

 

[garyd]

You were correct Wesley I did not and do not want to communicate with you anymore , you were rude arrogant confusing and totally unable to take account of my disabilities , I do not appreciate someone going into a rant when all I did was answer a question you asked me to the best of my abilities , I have gone down a much simpler route that does not involve coding or making electronic circuits and am very happy with the initial results , yes it is more expensive but to be honest I have wasted a fair bit of money by letting myself be led by you so I just wish I had gone this way from the start .

 

[RailCom_Fan]

You were correct Wesley I did not and do not want to communicate with you anymore , you were rude arrogant confusing and totally unable to take account of my disabilities , I do not appreciate someone going into a rant when all I did was answer a question you asked me to the best of my abilities.

So, you think I was, Rude, Arrogant, Confusing, Unable to take account of your Disabilities, and went into a Rant.

To refresh your memory, this is the sequence of what you claim ended as a Rant...

On 12/Mar/2017, Wesley said:
"Gary, that means you can try TrainController NOW, to see if ANY Points change.

It makes NO Difference how many pieces of Track are connected, just try the Points that have their Cobalts connected.

This will mean that TrainController Point Changing is working, something that has never happened before.

Regards, Wesley."

On 12/Mar/2017, Gary said in reply:
"Hi Wes , I am able to switch the Cobalts that are connected but i'm not sure if things are happening as they should , ie I can only switch a point by right clicking on it and selecting the " set state" option ie the turn right turn left arrows do nothing .In the properties dialogue box for a point under the " connection" and "condition" tabs there are things that can be set but I don't have a clue as to what state I should set them eg should I set the "switch time" to 3 seconds to match the pulse duration of the LS100's ? and the condition tab has me totally lost , do you have any idea as to how I should set these things ? , regards , Gary ."

On 12/Mar/2017, Wesley said in reply:
"Gary, as I'm not a Mind Reader, I have no idea where you are in TrainController, or what you are doing. A Picture would have been of IMMENSE assistance!

You can Ignore the "Condition" Tab.

Which Tab are you in?

You don't say whether Edit Mode is ON or OFF.
- Which is it?
- What does your Mouse Pointer look like?
- Does it look like this???

Can you see the Status Bar at the Bottom of your TrainController Window?
- If not, turn it on here...

In the bottom Right Corner of your screen - In the 'Status Bar' - what can you see?
- Mine looks like this...

Is yours Offline, or does it have a COM Port Number???

- When I connect the Lenz LI-USB, it changes to this...

If yours shows "Freeze", then use the "Power On" Button...

When I turn the Power On, it looks like this...

Does any of this fix your problem?
- If not, then I'm going to need to learn to read minds.

Regards, Wesley."

You might see the above as a "rant", I see it as quite a lot of Time & Effort, trying to solve your problem.

As for your claim that you "have wasted a fair bit of money by letting myself be led", you told me that you had to sell a long-held musical instrument, to get the money required to finish the project. Now you say: "yes it is more expensive". So, you're blaming me for offering you a choice that was considerably cheaper, you then selected the cheaper alternative, and now it's all my fault that you no longer want the alternative you selected.

You obviously feel free to blame me because Arduino MicroControllers didn't work for you, then move on to something else. You say that you're "very happy with the initial results" from whatever you didn't specify that you're doing now, but it's my recollection that you were very happy with the initial results from using Arduino MicroControllers. I guess that only time will tell. Anyway, at least you're happy at the moment.

I don't know how far you have got with TrainController, but if you think that TrainController "does not involve coding", then you might be in for a surprise. There is quite a lot of coding-style 'Logic' embedded in TrainController settings. If you get into trouble, you can always ask your questions on the TrainController Forum. I trust that you will find someone who won't go into a "rant".

 

[garyd]

No Wesley what I regard as a rant is " do you think i'm a mind reader ? " remember that one do you ? you have been very selective in what you have reproduced Wesley but i'm not letting you draw me into one of you're much loved slanging matches such as your ones that are there for all to see on RM web , as for what i'm using now ? well the colour lights are now fully up and working within TC using Signalist sc1's and the Semaphores will be using a Megapoints controller plus their DCC module , I will be using one arduino however but just to operate the uncouplers , so there you are ,it's simple proven to work and no coding involved except for the arduino for which I have been given the sketch .so as far as i'm concerned Wesley you can go Waltzing Matilda .

 

[RailCom_Fan]

No Wesley what I regard as a rant is " do you think i'm a mind reader ? " remember that one do you ? you have been very selective in what you have reproduced...

I'm not sure what you're reading Gary, but there are 2 of my "mind reader" comments shown in the Post - In fact, it's the FULL text of the email message, with not "selective" about it.

Maybe, you should read my post again, before stating that I failed to include them!!!
- Or, do nothing, and continue to claim that Black is White.

It reminds me of your claims in multiple Forums that I just disappeared, as an explanation of why you needed help from other. No where did you claim at that point that it was my behaviour towards you. In fact, your email, which is there in Black-and-White for all to see shows that you ended the relationship. That suggests that you have Alternate Facts, depending on what suits you. All I do is quote what happened. Not once have you provided any 'evidence'.

___
Gary, I understand that you're upset about the money you believe you wasted on the Arduino Nano Microcontrollers and their I/O Shields.
So, what about a Challenge Gary?

How about you provide quotes from any of our 430 email exchanges, where I talked a Reluctant Gary to into going with Arduino MicroControllers, against his stated preference for a different solution (Such as the MegaPoints or SC1), that you stated at that time was the solution that you preferred???

If you can, then I will PAY for the Arduino Nano devices and Arduino Shields. If you send me pictures of smashed Arduino devices, I will send the money to your PayPal account. No need to post them to me.

How about that???
Gary, it's time to put up, or shut up.

I think I'm as safe as houses, because Gmail shows me that...
On 5 February 2017 at 15:50, gary donaldson < email address removed to protect Gary's privacy > wrote:
Hi Wes ... I have been thinking about signalling again after a saw one of Rudy's videos where he uses an Arduino for signal control within TC, I know what an Arduino is and some of what it can do but had'nt realised that they can be used for signal control of both colour lights and Semaphores ( although i'm thinking it would be perhaps better to have 2 with one for colour lights and the other for RC servo operated Semaphores ) they are cheap much much cheaper than things such as the Signallist SC1 or it's even more expensive brother which is aimed at Semaphores in short the Arduino be no more than £20.00 with some of the other options coming in at up to £150.00 it would most likely produce more headaches going the Arduino route rather than the ready made route but with things in this country getting rapidly worse every penny I can save from now on is a Penny I can use to just live .I would appreciate your thoughts on both the track issue and the Signal control one , regards , Gary .

Gary, that's you, saying that you got the Arduino idea from "one of Rudy's videos where he uses an Arduino for signal control within TC". All this time you have been blaming me for the Arduino solution. Your words seem to show that your current statements about where Arduino devices came from, are actually (To use a Trumpism) 'Alternate Facts'.

Gary, that's also you, saying to me that the SC1 was much more expensive than you believe you can afford to pay. You also stated that there would be "headaches going the Arduino route rather than the ready made route but with things in this country getting rapidly worse every penny I can save from now on is a Penny I can use to just live."

So, you expected there would be "headaches", but that the cost was a much more important factor in your decision to go with an Arduino Solution.

 

[garyd]

Wesley , I do not require anything from you ie no further contact and no reimbursement , I had long ago put the whole sorry episode down to experience but did wish that I had listened to the warnings I was given about you from 2 sources , as far as i'm concerned the matter is closed .

 

[RailCom_Fan]

Wesley , I do not require anything from you ie no further contact and no reimbursement , I had long ago put the whole sorry episode down to experience but did wish that I had listened to the warnings I was given about you from 2 sources , as far as i'm concerned the matter is closed .

Again with the unattributed allegations, with not even a shred of evidence.

I have proved that you falsify the truth when it suits your aims.
You have offered absolutely no proof of anything. You claim things, and I easily disproved them.

At least now others know what they can expect from both of us.
It's on the Internet forever!!!

 

[garyd]

I did'nt name people out of respect for the privacy of others Wesley , but that's not something I would expect you to understand as the only thing you seem to understand is your self inflated ego , as for the internet I am very pleased it is there , forewarned is forearmed , and now having nothing further to add and having my layout very close to complete I shall be resigning my membership of this site because my stomach turns by the presence of one individual on it .