dr_spock

Welcome to Eurobricks.

chips.

There is pain. And then there's LEGO PAIN. Day 154 of 365: Brick Walking by dr_spock_888, on Flickr

You can try 14mm beads from ebay. They are cheap. I did a comparison of them: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=86686

Perhaps they don't have the production capacity to supply both markets. Trains may not be a "hotshot" in their production scheduling process.

You didn't miss much with that SuperTrain TV show. It was 1970s bad TV. The NBC network spent several millions building the sets and model trains. Then the show flopped. The train was supposed to be nuclear powered. Here is a possible idea. I think you'll need do some sort of long drawbar between cars so they can get through the curves without the corners of the cars touching each other and possibily derailing. I don't think the magnetic couplers on the wheel bogies will work going through curves.

Welcome aboard. I didn't have Technics as a kid either. Watch out, those Technic flagships can be addictive and wallet draining.

Interesting. They added an address bit in the protocol that could be used for an additional 4 channels. According to Philio, there is a bug with single pin mode on the version 1.0 of the IR Receiver. It appears that all my IR receivers are version 1.1 that blink blink when powered on. Are you refering PWM to set the speed to one of 7 levels? I used this in the video of my Amtrak train engine. I start off with level 4 in reverse. Stop and then level 3 forward... Level 7 was too much around the curve with the tracks sliding around on the folding table. void loop() { lego.SingleOutput(0, PWM_REV4, RED, CH2); delay(5000); lego.SingleOutput(0, PWM_FLT, RED, CH2); delay(1000); lego.SingleOutput(0, PWM_FWD3, RED, CH2); delay(5000); lego.SingleOutput(0, PWM_FWD4, RED, CH2); delay(5000); lego.SingleOutput(0, PWM_FWD5, RED, CH2); delay(5000); lego.SingleOutput(0, PWM_FWD6, RED, CH2); delay(15000); lego.SingleOutput(0, PWM_FWD5, RED, CH2); delay(5000); lego.SingleOutput(0, PWM_FWD4, RED, CH2); delay(5000); lego.SingleOutput(0, PWM_FWD3, RED, CH2); delay(5000); lego.SingleOutput(0, PWM_FLT, RED, CH2); delay(1000); } I think Roland Wiersma's LEGO Power Function library also supports the PWM increase/decrease modes. I found this in his header file. #define INC_PWM 0x4 #define DEC_PWM 0x5 I haven't tried all the different modes. I am not sure I need to use them all to operate trains although they could be handy to "momentum" brake the train into a station and stuff like that. Maybe I could implement speed sensing with two or more reed switches using time between switch trigger to calculate train speed. Positive Train Control so I don't get my Amtrak train fly off the curve. Another idea might be to let kids at events control the trains with the IR Speed Remote and use the Arduino to monitor and send an over-ride stop or slow the train command if the kids break a speed limit or run a signal.

The USC ISD set I had has new dark blue grey 10x2 plates but the other pieces are old dark grey. Those new dark blue grey plates are used internally for the structure that can't be seen on the outside. I think as one gets older, it'll get harder to see the difference.

Day 153 of 365: NO CAPES! by dr_spock_888, on Flickr

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Thanks I knew I saw it somewhere before. At the 4 minute mark there are two of them being driven by what appears to be a PF XL motor. I think the OP will have to gear down the 9V motor. Maybe a screw drive?

Sounds like you want to make the SuperTrain from the 1970s American TV show. You could motorize it with two Power Function train motors.

Which codes are those? Are they implemented in the PF IR receivers (V1 or V2)?

The light with the magnifying glass is a great idea. I have to get myself one of those soon...

I think I may have seen it used in a GBC before. You should be able to with the new Power Function motors. Are you using the old 9V motors?

After a month, my Arduino clone has arrived from China. I plan to use it to add some inexpensive automation to our LUG's ad hoc layout. We are starting to display trains and don't have anything permanently built. Some of our events are outside in the park where there is no plug in power. One of the requirements would be battery power option. We are basically starting new with the current LEGO train and power offerings. We agreed to make Power Functions our club standard. I selected an Arduino clone. I figured for $4 USD, it is not a big lost if I fried it. There is a reason it is $4. The clone is not quite exactly the same as the real Arduino UNO. It uses a CH340 USB to serial chip instead of the FTDI USB to serial chip found on the real Arduino. In order for the Arduino IDE to communicate with the board, the CH341 driver has to be installed. It doesn't come with the IDE software from the Arduino website. The driver can be downloaded from the Chinese manufacturer's website. Note the site is in Chinese: http://www.wch.cn/do...341SER_EXE.html For a quick test, I hooked up an IR LED desoldered from an old DVD player remote to the board and wrote a simple sketch. I made use of a LEGO Power Function library (http://forum.arduino...p?topic=89310.0) Some resources on the Internet say IR LED in the 940nm range works best for Power Function IR receivers. It worked! And it was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I've never used an Arduino before. More eBay parts are to arrive from China. I'm planning to use reed switches for detection. I think they are the simplest to set up and tear down with just two wires to connect. I ordered inexpensive SG90 servo motors to control the switches. I still have to figure out how to mount them on other club members switch tracks and remove at the end of events. I think this is going to be fun.

Them are fighting words.

Would plastic balls on plastic be a better choice? Magnetic sweeper could be a good investment.

Welcome to Eurobricks. Which set did you ordered?

That is about the time LEGO was transitioning from the old light grey and old dark grey to the new light blue grey and dark blue grey. I had an UCS Star Destroyer that had new dark blue grey and old light grey. It is possible that some sets of that era started using the new greys as the supply of the old was used up.

stormtrooper

Welcome aboard.

Same on Canada site. City Square is the same price as the blue cargo train set.

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