JGL,
I can only suspect that you have read the book by Ayn Rand known as "Atlas Shrugged" since your user name alludes to one of its main characters. My previous comment about John Galt was just a wild swipe at the philosophy projected in that book; mainly that selflessness is not an admirable virtue at all and entirely evil. I was not targeting anything at you and your efforts here or anywhere else in this forum. In fact, what you're doing here is open and collaborative. You are looking for suggestions and that's very admirable. Please accept my apology for stomping on your post.
My only real point is that we as a group with some knowledge and experience tend to downplay the ambitious nature of the average train guy to be involved in the electronics end of the spectrum. We know that they want to learn about new things, just as I do, or they wouldn't be here reading this crazy stuff.
These people are builders. Microprocessors can help them in their building efforts. Trains are very expensive. They're looking for a way to buy more railroad equipment and don't want to put their money down under the benchwork where no one can see it. We can help them do that.
What I want to see is for those in the know to encourage experimentation and some risk taking on the part of the nominal amateur. To say that if you make it too hard no one will pay attention is to suggest that they are not interested in bettering their situation. It's not for us to say what someone else may be able to accomplish from what we provide in this forum or for that matter from a circuit made available from the people who participate here.
Again I should emphasize that what I have seen, in the Electrical Forum at least, is most impressive. Never have I seen anyone put down or called to task for asking questions. That's the way it should be. Man, have you seen some of the other electronics forums? Wow! Is it young people? They are brutal! "Don't you know about ohm's law?"; "You can't use a voltage divider to do that!" It's less than civil.
</sorry="yes">
