JohnGaltLine posted:I'll start with the miscellaneous ones that don't fit neatly anywhere else. RTR12, I've been following along with GRJ's insulated rail module but just haven't had anything useful to add to the conversation up through now. It's likely to be a useful device for many folks. The discussion has also served to really drive home a point to me, though. Nothing against the thing because it is some good solid engineering that fills a need, but it serves to show that folks are willing to spend some dollars to avoid working with even the most basic electronics. That has set the tone for my project here, as I think one of the most important aspects will be making it dead simple for people to use, with no learning curve whatsoever. It needs to be available ready to use out of the box, and easy to set up for folks with no inclination to learn any new skills.
As a side note, as of right now I've been unable to find a way to duplicate the functionality of pre-built relay modules from china for the same or lower cost than those modules. I agree with the problem of insuring a consistent design to the modules over time that was pointed out in GRJ's thread, and need to consider that further for a design here.
JGL
I like tinkering and don't mind making my own stuff, but my knowledge is much more limited than many folks here. The appeal of GRJ's insulated rail device to me is the fact that GRJ made it, it's on custom PCB, Others like Stan, PLCProf, you, etc always have input to things like this that are created here on the forum so there are a lot of neat features. Also I like following along with the development and want to support you folks doing more of this. I agree that others (probably the majority of O gaugers) just want something that is easy to hook up and get working like they want. I think you are on the right track in making something that way as far as ease of use and appealing to the majority of the O gaugers around here. You are on the right track here with ready to go right out of the box, IMO.
What I was talking about in adding to GRJ's device was what Stan described in much better detail. He thought of a lot more than I did, but that is sort of what I was thinking and provided much more. I think the shorting plug was a very good suggestion for adding on to GRJ's device and I think GRJ liked it too. Also the ease of loading programs, configuring, etc.
I also agree with the Far East products and counting on getting the same devices later on. I have quite a few of those things right now that I can no longer find or I would order more. Probably not a good source unless it's a chip or arduino or something like that. With these things I don't think they can change them too much.
Looks like you are off to a good start and have some of the great talent here offering suggestions. Can't beat that!! I will now go back to following along and trying to keep up as things develop.
