spy1101001

I'm gonna try either an Arduino Nano or a Digispark board and solder it all together so that it's as compact as possible! i want it to fit ALL my trains if I can!! I will probably post a YouTube video and post a link to this site when I finish the first stage! Still waiting on parts to come! sPy from Oz

Yeah I thought of that, but I didn't really want to deal with two-way communication from controller to all trains, then ALL trains back to the controller...sounds messy!! It''l be interesting to see how the colour sensors work when they arrive..I'll let you all know! sPy from Oz

Just make your OWN cable!! (You might have to butcher a lego PF cable though..... :-) But then you can use whatever gauge wire you see fit! sPy from Oz

Besides the fact that 9V or 12V tracks are expensive, how hard would it be to pick up the 9V off the track (NO CONTROLLER) and then route it to an internal Arduino controller say which uses 433Mhz RF reciever to get signals from a master Arduino controller??? THIS IS MY FANTASY!! (I HATE BATTERIES THEY SUCK!) sPy from Oz

Well done mate! But it seems like a WHOLE lotta work though!! Consider this..Pull the PF IR reciever OUT and chuck it in the draw just in case you wanna put it back again..(only if selling model, otherwise why?) Install an Arduino Nano or Digispark (About twice the size of your thumbnail) with a 433 Mhz reciever (cost total so far, about 4 bucks!) Install these in all the trains you want to control! Use another Arduino (UNO maybe or Mega) with a 433 Mhz Transmitter, (comes with the reciever as a pair). Price of Arduino Uno - about 3-4 bucks! Send a data string via RF and use an ID tag in the string to identify which train you are trying to control and a command string to tell it what you want it to do.. e.g: forward +/-, reverse +/-, full stop etc.. The coding is really easy and you can do cool things like better range on control (you don't even have to be in the room), better speed control (not just 7 forward and 7 reverse), setting limits on speed (maybe on certain parts of your layout) and many many other things that maybe I haven't thought of yet! (OK, what about using a GUI on a computer to control your layout!!) All in all, a much much easier solution, and no need to use multiple frequencies! What do you think? Cheers, sPy from Oz

Some info on what I have been using: Arduino Nano or Digispark (onboard train controller) -> about $1.50 to $2.00 433Mhz Transmitter and Reciever modules to use with Arduinos -> about 50c ! (I got 10 pairs for 5 bucks off Aliexpress!) Haven't found a viable battery alternative, but do you guys and gals think about those long skinny long USB charging thingys? (About the size of a lighter, maybe a bit bigger) 10000Mah? As far as control for the trains, I use an Arduino Mega to control all the switches, traffic lights and control the trains! (I am making my own control panel with buttons when I want to control it manually) and also I am working on a GUI control panel using Visual Studio!! What do you guys think?

Hi! Again, I am very impressed with what you guys are coming out with! Having a huge interest in Lego trains and automation with Arduino, I can appreciate making the whole process easier. (as long as the cost doesn't negate the gain) I definitely think this motor controller is a step in the right direction..I personally think that size is so important in automating Lego trains because you really don't have a lot of room to work with and this brick would mean less soldering and possibly a size advantage.. What I haven't worked out yet, is how, when you have multiple trains running on a layout, can you identify each train so you know which train to stop and wait whilst another train goes thru the point or whatever?? I am trialing using a colour sensor paired with an LDR to detect a coloured tile on the bottom of the train so it knows which train is at that point on the track.. Any thoughts? :-) P.S: how much is the motor control brick going to cost? sPy from Oz

Greeting again MightyArjen! Yes, you're right..unfortunately, I haven't got any 9v track or 9v trains, so I guess I'm stuck with using 433 Mhz RC pairs AND batteries! (ugh)...as for identifying which train to stop, I have been thinking about that too..I don't know if it would work, but I was thinking of using colour sensors alongside (not literally) LDRs to detect which train is passing...what do you guys think? You definitely have to differentiate between all of your powered trains somehow...using a return signal from train to master controller would be OK, but you still have to determine WHERE the trains are!! :-) Frustrating! sPy from Oz

Hi, love what you're doing, I'm currently mucking around with Arduino and RF pairs to control trains, and I am wondering why you decided not to go with RF?? Cheers, sPy from Oz

hi all, I have just started into the world of Lego trains and controlling them with Arduino and i'm afraid it's become somewhat of an obsession! I have always loved Lego and trains since I was a child but could never afford it. I have a son who's 6 and shares my love of trains so I figured now was a good time to start! :-D I have limited amount of Lego at the moment, and have been mucking around in LDD and Stud.io building some signals, etc..this also includes using Arduino to control lights as well as trains..my first try with using some IR transmitter LEDs worked, but not real well which made me wonder whether IR is really the best method of control..I have read alot of comments already from people that RF is really the way to go so I will try that next when the 433Mhz Tx and Rx pair arrive. This led me to think of the next weakest link in the chain..the battery, which only lasts so long and is a pain to have to pull out and change..I know Lego and even third party companies have a rechargeable battery, but I'm buggered if I'm gonna pay $100-120 for each one!!! I've never had any 9v or 12v rail-powered Lego, and the way I understand it, you switch on the control, it powers the rail so much and makes the train go...but what if the rail was powered on all the time and you still controlled the train with an internal controller (like the RF receiver). Any thoughts on this? Sorry if I sound like a noob, since I have no experience with how the track-powered system works. sPy from Oz.

What are the bricks with the little holes?? sPy from Oz

skaako, I really like your design of motorised switch point! Can you give more details as to how you fit the motor inside that lego box? It looks like the motor is inside a 4x2 brick? Did you cavitate it to get it in there? Is motor just glued straight to lever with a 1mm hole?? Thanks! sPy spy1101001@hotmail.com