Stux

https://bricks.stackexchange.com/a/10745

Not true, you can join multiple hubs and a remote into the same network. Then the a/b controls will affect both hubs. alternatively you can do it in software with the PU app, which allows you to do things like use the reverse speed on the second motor.

KeyBrick One is game changing, as in, it changes the game of kids playing with their lego trains. now that my kids have a freight train and a double length passenger train all keybrick powered, they’ve been playing trains all holidays, unlike before when we were continually having to shuttle recgarchables and deal with slowing trains. Family and friends are beginning to ask where they can get KeyBricks for their new Christmas presents or their older disused ones, but the answer is nowhere :( I’m even considering a few more :) @keybrickone, Have you got any plans to take more orders any time soon?

I recently bought 2 copies of Passenger Train 60197 for $140 AUD each, seemed like a pretty good value just for the track and PUp components. Includes the remote. I'm enjoying my double length passenger train actually :) But still, that doesn't solve the running time problem.

Yep, I very quickly replaced my 12V tracks with modern RC. So much faster to build and this way I don’t shed a tear every time the kids break a 35 year old rail ;)

This one? https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/113994-12v-train-motorbb12v-disassembly-and-repair/ thread discusses opening, cleaning and replacing contacts in a 12V motor, with custom machines brass replacements. Then using donor replacements (not ideal), and has CAD measurements for making replacements.

From earlier in this thread, a more appropriate USB cable Nice train BTW :)

Was my first train, followed by 7745. I love both sets, but do lust after 7740... not sure if it’s just because it was always in the catalog layouts...

PS: I read your article in RailBricks 3 :) Have you been keeping up with the work of PyBricks, and self-hosted programs running on the CityHub? Would be a lot simpler than building in RCX bricks ;)

Some great research :) (which I linked to earlier ;) ) What I was getting at, was if you had a large loop with unpowered and powered sections, how much powered section would you need to have the train run indefinately, or perhaps for 8 hours? I guess, if the keybrick charges at 5W, then it comes down to the instantaneous draw of the train. I'm not sure how much a train motor draws :) But according to this site, the PUp train motor uses 3.73W under load (a load) https://www.philohome.com/motors/motorcomp.htm I find the idea of having 9V/12V available at loitering points fascinating for extending runtimes, without necessarily converting an entire plastic track to 9V.

It’s an engine and in the future a transmission, bring your own wheels ;)

I’m fairly certain the idea is to have a brick which converts from track power, via a pickup, to usb on the train. this would allow a pup train to charge whenever it’s on powered tracks. and as I see it, that allows a pup train to run on everything, which seems like the holy grail to me. I can’t see how it would be bigger than an existing pf or brick. I’d hope it were much smaller. I wonder what percentage of running time a train would need on powered tracks to run indefinitely.

Now that would be a cool MOC/diorama :)

Another neat approach would be to run a usb cable from the keybrick to a hollow tender... and there you can put any run of the mill "usb power bank" for rapid refueling, just like refilling water/coal ;)

That works for manual control but as soon as you try automating a layout the rapidly changing power outputs make it a no go eg, I’ve been playing with “speed limits” on sections, allowing full speed on express straights etc, and limits on curves, station entries etc, doesn’t really work when the necessary speed limit at full battery results in no progress 10 Minutes later

Won’t come with a magnet in a baggy right? Anyway, ordered... 16 left ;)

Well, the kickstarter failed, but on the other hand it showed there were certainly some people willing to put down hard money in support of the idea, and surely as PUp takes off and given time and success there would be more demand. What are you going to do now? I personally would still be interested in 2-3 keybricks.

Had some fun last night using the control program from : Carpet needs replacing...

After playing with the kids trains, and trying to implement some logic, I quickly grew tired of not being able to implement re-usable logic blocks, until I found a way to have one block able to affect another, and have those blocks be re-usable for different trains. The trick was to figure out a way to specify variable references for composite blocks, so that the composite blocks could both read and write to the variables, to allow input/output to a block, and one block to affect another block in the same program This allows implementing re-usable control blocks which can be used to simply implement relatively complicated lego train control and automation. The attached flickr album contains screenshots of the blocks (handset control, motor control, and colour based speed change, as well as an automatic reverser and a station routine loops (stop, reverse if necessary, then pickup passengers and continue). The kids enjoy it, and I enjoyed playing with their trains ;) Here's a video demonstration of the train control program running, with last nights kids layout. The green loco is controlled independently of the yellow one, which is automated, but you can override the automation... with inevitable results. Video of Layout Running Flickr Album: Motor Controller This is the motor control subroutine First parameter is the motor port to control, 2nd and 3rd parameters are the velocity and direction global variables. I use "v" and "d" globals for the first train, "w" and "e" for the second train, and so on. The routine needs to be run in a loop. v is a value between 0..100, where zero results in motor braking, and d is 1 or -1, indicating reverse. This can easily be modified to run a pair of motors, one in reverse, etc. Or you could run two separate loops with the same globals for chaining trains. Handset Controller This is the handset control block. 1st parameter is the handset port to read, 2nd and 3rd parameters are the relevant velocity and direction global references. Implements emergency stop, and will correctly adjust speed up/down as you press +/- (or hold). Will snap to zero when below 30, and will clamp to 100. Needs to be run in a loop, and if a motor control block is also running with the same variables, then the motor will respond to the handset port. In theory you should be able to have multiple handsets controlling the same variables, for multi-person train control. The v > 40 block is used to play a braking sound, but because playing the sound will prevent the block from terminating, in order to correctly implement you need to use another global variable as a flag, which is then picked up in the main program. 0.15s wait at the end controls how fast the speed increments when held down, and seemed to give the right speed response to me. Colour Speed Change This is a colour based speed change block. By putting plates of the desired colour in the track (10 studs long for reliability) you can automatically change the speed of the train, for example, have green before a long straight to speed up, and then white/yellow etc before a curve/station to slow the train down. First parameter is the sensor port to read. The sensor would be integrated into a train. 2nd parameter is the colour to detect. 3rd parameter is the velocity global reference for the train in question, and 4th parameter is the speed to apply when the colour is detected. One loop running this block is needed for each train that you want to obey the "speed limit", and the speed limit can be different per train. The kids love being able to move these plates about. When created, the various blocks look like this in the palette The blank ports are hub/port specifiers, the suitcases represent global variables, you specify a global as letter/symbol, and they *must* be globals, not locals, and the paintbrush is a colour. Negation Operator The negation operator is only present if you are using the various controller layouts, so here is an implementation of it, and also demonstrates how to implement math operations, use the tool icon on the icon to change the block type. The full control program Initialised globals v,d for train 1, and w,e for train 2, sets "s" to be train 1s colour sensor. Starts routines 1,2,3,4,7, which are colour detection routines. Also, starts two handset routines which read the a/b ports of the handset and configure train 2 and 1's speed/direction respectively. The motor control routines are started and apply train 1 and 2s speed/direction respectively. There are 5 colour detection routines setup for sensor "s", white/yellow/green are speed changes, red is a reverser, and blue is a station routine. The station routine will stop at a station, ie a blue plate, and will back up if it overshoots. After a brief period (picking up passengers) the train continues. Brake and arrival sounds are played. If yellow plates are used it will help the train stop without overshooting! I haven't figured out how to put the reverser logic into a composite block successfuly, and haven't tried to put the station routine into a block... yet... the global i/o is a bit finicky in PUp. Gee, I wish I could duplicate composite blocks, and I wish I could label them... and variables... and I wish I could import/export/duplicate blocks and programs!

Amazing, am I correct, and you've also managed to squeeze in the colour sensor?!?

Not sure this is possible on an iPad. I was thinking the app could support other actions on the composite blocks, like how the delete button is, but perhaps a “...” button

Racing Brick review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TsMJHeNEfg

This is what the old electric plate looked like: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=4758#T=S&amp;O={"iconly":0} Lego currently sells a 9V/PF to PF/PF extension cable. (but not for much longer...) https://www.lego.com/en-au/product/lego-power-functions-extension-wire-8886 It would probably make more sense to use a PF connector on this hypothetical brick I guess, that'd enable someone to use the PF->9V cable to source power from a 9V motor/pickup (as opposed to PF) I'm sure its getting hard to find the 9V<->9V cables these days, which is why it probably makes sense to use a PF compatible connector. This hypothetical piece should demonstrate what a pickup would look like, and it shows 3x2 electrical plate between the wheels.

The Boost set is pretty cool. It teaches you how to use the Powered Up style coding approach, and when you want to incorporate other PUp components with the Boost components, you just use the Powered Up app instead of the boost app, the coding is the same, just more blocks are available, and it works just fine with all the Boost components AFAICT

It would be magic if the required electronics could fit into a brick with a usb port out one side and 9V electric plate on top. Extra points for a 12V plug socket as well ;)