A better mousetrap has always been the bane of DIY invention!
I am just about done with my "phantom" occupancy detector. That is, any self-respecting modeler built the phantom/transparent P-51 when it came out 50 years ago or so!
My idea is like the traveling O-gauge boxcar from a few years back. My thought is I will send this to a fellow OGR member who would try it on their layout and give us feedback. I will pay the $5 shipping. Then, the next guy does his thing and writes up comments/observations on OGR and sends it to the next guy paying the $5 shipping. And so on. At some point I guess it comes back to me. What I see is a DIY collaboration to experiment with a "new" occupancy-detection technology without the nuisance of ordering components, soldering boards, and so on. Masks not required. Anyone interested???
Separately, I commented earlier that packaging is a practical issue. The ultrasonic module is kind of unusual and may be difficult to embed in a trackside utility cabinet or whatever.
So what if the HC-SR04 module can be placed in a simpler housing that sits trackside...and there are 4-wires that go to the electronics board that sits below the layout. I realize I'm stumbling over my own words but I don't think it's practical to fabricate an odd-shaped trackside cabinet that is realistic...even with a 3-D printer. The Lionel 153IR occupancy detector is quite an unusual shape; and IMO it doesn't even look like a realistic layout accessory.
I'm thinking it would be much easier to fabricate an above-ground cabinet for JUST the HC-SR04 module....and then run 4-wires to the electronics which can be the circuit board without an enclosure as it would sit below ground (under the layout). Again, feedback???
