stan2004 posted:It seems to me the take-away of this discussion is the use of the servo.write functions to easily get up and running with an Arduino and a servo.
Stan: Right, but more generally, that all kinds of automation are possible with a microprocessor. Add in cheap relay modules along with homemade train detection circuits and LEDs for trackside signals and now you can build some good stuff; a reactive layout. Not exactly a new idea but now with the costs at a level that makes it very practicable.
Think about how a conventional layout could be setup to use isolated blocks to control more than one train on the same track. You could follow each train around the layout through its own transformer. You could use large bridge rectifiers (diodes to reduce voltage) to slow down a train as it approaches a more restrictive signal; trains would maintain a safe stopping distance without any operator intervention. All made possible because of the simple but sophisticated microprocessor watching over the entire enterprise.
I imagine many Arduinos around the layout controlling turnouts, led signals, power districts, talking to each other, running switcher operations in the yard to build a consist; and that's just for conventional mode. TMCC, Legacy, DCS, DCC are all candidates for automated control as well.
Sounds like fun to me!
