Fully automated container terminal + huge layout

[AlmightyArjen]

The past three months I was building on my new project: a container terminal that loads and unloads containers from trains: all automatic. I designed the Lego buildings, hardware and software upstairs in my "Lego room", which isn't quite big. So in the end I had to install the whole shabang in my cleared out living room. Thank God I have girlfriend who doesn't complain about these things! I had one weekend to get it all working.

I've built the whole thing up with a friend of mine but somehow I couldn't get the electronics working. It had to do with failing communication between the microcontrollers. Frustrating, since it all worked just perfect upstairs in my Lego room! So I did some last minute soldering to make the best out of it. That's why just one side of the terminal is functional. I working on an improved version to make it all work just perfect!

And here the result! Enjoy!

[funkdis]

Good to see some automation, looking forward to what the next 5 years of creative will bring to Lego.

Do you have a photo of your train layout, and how many straight/curved you used to make this?

[King Aragorn]

This is a stunning creation!

[ronenson]

Wow, this is so brilliant. The awesomeness of awesomeness. It the sort of thing I'd like to do, but never get around to doing. What a shame you have/had to break it all up again. I think you deserve a larger lego room.

[AlmightyArjen]

  On 12/25/2013 at 4:46 AM, funkdis said:

Good to see some automation, looking forward to what the next 5 years of creative will bring to Lego.

Do you have a photo of your train layout, and how many straight/curved you used to make this?

I had a sketch design but during the building we threw it away since it didn't fit in the living room We used almost all af my 9V tracks so there must be around 200 straights and 100 curves...

[dr_spock]

This is great like a GBC (great ball contraption) for containers. Do you have details of where the containers go after placement on the tank threads? Do they go through the warehouse and out the other side?

[zephyr1934]

That is an insane build, very nice. Are you going to continue developing it? What is the sorting strategy for the containers, just swap from one train to the other, or something more sophisticated? Having two trains (or was it more) run on the single track is also great. I hope you took that girl friend out for a nice night out.

[Hrw-Amen]

Very nice to see this kind of thing going. Such a shame it cannot be a layout all of the time, but i know how that feels. Nice to see the automation, but I was also wondering what happens to the containers inside the depot, do they get transferred to a lorry, it is hard to see?

[AlmightyArjen]

I had problems with the electronics and due to that only one side of the whole thing worked. The idea was (and it also did work like that) that the containers that are unloaded on one side go on the conveyor through the building to the other side where they get in line to get loaded by the crane on the other side and vice versa. So there would be a continious loop of swapping containers.

In short it works like this:

1. The system just randomly switches a switch to the sidetrack of a unload/load station (e.g. every minute)

2. When a train enters the station it is always stopped at the same point using a break sequence (switching polarity)

3. The system reads out a sensor to detect which train has entered the station (blue or red)

4. The system knows which of the 6 container places are occupied on that train and determines how many containers at max can be unloaded (e.g. 3)

5. The system then randomly decides how many containers will be unloaded (e.g. 2)

6. The system determines which of the containers will be unloaded

7. Then the system will update the free space information to be able to determine how many containers at max can be loaded

8. The system randomly decides how many containers will be loaded

9. Then the system will decide which containers will be loaded

10. The system sends the all that info to the slave controller which controlls the robotic arm which executes the unloading and loading procedure.

Quite complex, this part only has about 1000 lines of code.

I'm now working on a more robust system so I'm not done yet ;)

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

When I see the name "AlmightyArjen" I think to robots and other insane projects!

This is no exception, the docking bay is delightful, and the layout let me speechless!

The music and the video are the icing on the cake! :thumbup:

Amazing work!

Edited December 25, 2013 by LEGO Train 12 Volts

[funkdis]

  On 12/25/2013 at 9:37 AM, AlmightyArjen said:

I had a sketch design but during the building we threw it away since it didn't fit in the living room We used almost all af my 9V tracks so there must be around 200 straights and 100 curves...

Thank you for that. gives me a rough Idea how large my table will need to be. Look forward to following your posts Arjen.

[AlmightyArjen]

Thank you for all the kind reactions! For those who are interested, I've made also a little video with some things that went wrong during the commissioning :)

[Asper]

This is very impressive! (Do you have details how to drive the PF motors with arduino?)

[AlmightyArjen]

I use L293 or L298 motor driver chips for that...

[Asper]

  On 12/28/2013 at 9:32 AM, AlmightyArjen said:

I use L293 or L298 motor driver chips for that...

Thank you, so the "motor shield" should work also (with L298)

[AlmightyArjen]

  On 12/28/2013 at 8:10 PM, Asper said:

Thank you, so the "motor shield" should work also (with L298)

Yes, it will work just fine! But keep in mind that you have to cut the connector off the motor or use another connector to gain access to the wires that you have to connect to the motor shield. The thow inner wires are for the power.