Richfilth

I've finally got my hands on a 10183 (Factory Train), and I'm digging through the .LDD files to understand all the models. I just wondered if it's possible to build more than one of the models at once? I know a few of the builds have multiple sections (Build 25, for example, is a complete train), but are there enough bricks left over from, say, Build 09 (black steam loco) to then build the caboose as well (Build 02)?

Hi guys, long time no see! I've made another video: this one embeds an Arduino on the train and removes the Power Functions IR receiver. This onboard arduino receives commands from a Master Arduino by the track, which can switch track points and could even read other sensors or control signal lights if you want to. All the code, parts lists and 'how to' guides are now available on the project website: arduinolegotrains.wordpress.com.

Younge, thanks for the kind words! I make tutorial videos as part of my day job, and I try and transfer those skills to these tutorials (even if the cameras aren't as high-quality as I'd like!), so your appreciation is very much appreciated! The Automated Coupler video only uses one locomotive, so maybe you're thinking of another video with two trains? Tutorial 6 uses two trains on two separate loops (no shared rails), while tutorials 8 and 10 use the track points to isolate sections of the track so that another train can run; you see this most clearly in Tutorial 8, where the parked train is between two points and therefore cut off from the power going to the other train.

Yes LegoLow, that's just how it works; you have to make independent blocks or track loops to control multiple 9V trains. Video 10 uses two independent sections, which is the main loop and the siding, and these sections join at a shared station using motorized sidings to cut power between the two sections. New video: ARDUINO ON BOARD! This tutorial places an arduino on board your train, so you can take your programs with you as you move! I've built the arduino onto a wagon so that you can see all the components, but this could also be build into the locomotive itself and just the battery located in a second wagon. The existing Power Functions parts remain on the locomotive, so it takes just seconds to convert from Arduino control back to "standard". I've also added two distance sensors for crash detection, so your trains can now run along a single line backwards and forwards instead of going round and round in a loop!

Masterful What cameras are you using on the trains themselves? I'm using a GoPro Session but it's quite heavy

New video time: POWER FUNCTIONS! Thanks to my crowdfunding campaign I was able to buy a Power function set, so I was able to work out the simplest way to control the new type of Lego trains with an Arduino! This tutorial is extremely basic; you don't have any real user input into what the train is doing, but don't worry! Coming up next will be Bluetooth control, onboard Arduinos and wireless Arduino-to-Arduino communication, so future layouts will have much more playability.

Thanks! I've already raised enough to buy one kit, so I've ordered a used 60052 set so that I can explain how to use Power functions!

Thanks for the support guys

Ok, it's an Indiegogo not a kickstarter, but... I've set up a fundraiser to help me make more tutorials on automating your Lego trains - click here to support me! The first round of videos was started 18 months ago, and took me a year to complete. SInce then I've had over 1,000,000 views, thousands of subscribers and hundreds of messages of (and for) support, helping people integrate the popular and cheap Arduino controllers into their train layouts. Now I want to make more videos featuring Power Function trains, bluetooth and mobile app controls, and on-board arduinos for train-based sensor detection. This fundraiser is to help me buy the lego, arduinos and assorted electronics that will feature in each video. Planned list of videos: Controlling PF trains with Arduino for absolute beginners Build a mobile app and control your train via bluetooth Fit an arduino to your train with dedicated sensors RFID tag reading to identify locomotives and wagons on the track Arduino-to-arduino wireless communications (linking locos to a central control hub) If I exceed the target, I plan to get a Raspberry Pi too so that I can introduce how to integrate these into your train sets, and how they compare to Arduinos! Even if you can't afford to help, you can still read the original thread about these videos, and you can check out the Youtube channel in my sig for more details and your own amusement :D TO THE MODS: Sorry if this is spam; please delete it if I'm breaking some rules I'm not aware of.

Yes, there are lots of things I still want to explore in both the hardware and the software; the problem is just time and money :D I needed to finish these tutorials before my baby is born, because after that I will be too busy (or exhausted!) to make any more videos for at least a few months. But my lego won't stay in boxes forever, and hopefully I'll have some spare cash to buy one of the PF trains and some newer-style motors for the track switches/points too.

New video! The Automated Marshalling Yard! In this video, two locomotives exchange 3 wagons between a main loop, a station and a siding. It uses as many features of the previous tutorials as possible. It's also the last video in this series... for now. It's been great fun making them, and it also shows what can be done with an Arduino, some lego, and zero programming experience

It's been a month, so it's time for another tutorial! This time, it's an Automated Decoupler:

Originally I planned a whole description of the LED circuit, how to read a datasheet, what the resistor does etc etc blah blah blah. But that made the vid 15mins long, and IMO even 10mins is too long for a tutorial, so I had to delete it! So the key information ("Protect the Arduino: Use a Resistor!") is the only bit that remained Wow, that's real microcontroller programming! Using the Arduino IDE is quite a bit simpler, although the next tutorial will be covering the Interrupt functions of the arduino chips.

Hey Lego fans! It's been a long while, but I finally made another video. A simple concept - LEDS - but used to do something cool; two trains on one loop, in opposite directions :D Hope you like it!

Yes, that's exactly how I've built mine: It's ok to file/sand/grind down the sides of the LEDs so that they fit into the technic brick - just don't damage the end of the LED.

I don't mean to spam, but all my Arduino for Lego train videos are available here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyvLxhkuFuukFxgYQx2eB9g The Junctions tutorial (#6) explains how to create a state machine, and tutorial #2 shows how to use photoresistors in a really simple way (no auto-level sensing code). All the code is shown in each video if you need help. The tutorial I'm making at the moment shows how to make an IR sensor to detect trains, which can fit inside a 32000 Technic brick, and should be online in a week or two.

Check out my videos, which explain how to get started with Arduino for lego trains. Watch each of them, and you'll learn how to include libraries and how to set up infrared sensors. From there, it's a very small step to setting up an infrared LED to send out Power Functions commands via the Arduino. Other people have even placed tiny arduinos on board their trains for further control, but that removes PF completely and just powers the motor directly from the arduino (with a battery and motor controller, of course).

Oh I know; the original 2039 piece is still expensive (I needed some for my 4558 set), but if it's just a project I'll use the newer 11062 piece, which is half the price. I'm putting LEDs insde the Big Yellow Station which come on when it gets dark (using a light sensor), and it would be nice to have some platform lights to match. The little 3mm LEDs fit snugly insde a 2x2 round brick

Great stuff I thought you'd discovered some secret Lego part that I wasn't aware of, but if it's just a drill then I'll buy some spares amd get to work

Another fantastic video! Well done Arjen! How did you make the lights for the 4544 station platform? It looks like the LED wiring runs through the white column pieces, but I didn't think those were hollow...

I own both but 4563 will always be special because it was my first ever lego train. Looking at the wagons, I find 4563 has the better selection; the barrels are great accessories, the tractor is a nice bonus vehicle, and you even get a fork lift truck which is much cooler than the annoying rubber-band lifter truck that comes with 4564. I do like 4564's big yellow engine, but it's just the same as 4565's and 4512's engine when you line them all up together. In contrast, 4563 is the only little shunter in the 9V range, and it's a lovely, quick little loco that looks good in front of every wagon.

Hi again! This latest video demonstrates how to decode an infrared (IR) remote control, and how to use those codes to control your 9V trains! Enjoy!

7937 is the only post-9V set I own, and it seems to work pretty well with the older stuff. This video, for example, shows it being used a lot with the old 4558 train: But it's a very small station, and really only one wagon fits at the platform. There's a nice playability from a kid's perspective, but it's only ever going to be a branch-line station. And little bits are always breaking off it - the clip-on lights and the barriers around the bridge are particularly flimsy. It comes with 4 minifigs though, which is a decent amount for what is otherwise a very small building.

Great to see someone else putting an Arduino to use - especially a little Nano! For future attempts, you might want to try an ultrasonic sensor at the end of your tracks instead of switches - that means you're not dependent on a physical contact to shut off the train (which can be unreliable sometimes). Here's a video to show you what I mean:

ALL arduinos can run without a cable to the computer - that is what Arduino is designed to do. You only connect them with a cable when you want to program them, but after you write your program and send it to the Arduino, you can remove the cable. I only have the cable in my videos to supply 5V power. Some people add a Bluetooth module to their Arduino so that they can read the sensor inputs and control motors - a simple HC05 Bluetooth module is all you need for this. Some people have connected an arduino with wifi and were able to program it, but I don't have any experience with that.