detection systems

[mmartian22]

 just want to know if there is any detection systems that doesn't get so involved like the digitrax's where you need decoders and other stuff just  to get it going .what iam doing is setting up crossing  lites and signaling  leds will be used with digitrax prices its gets real steep.

[Texas Zepher]

mmartian22

want to know if there is any detection systems that doesn't get so involved like the digitrax's where you need decoders and other stuff just  to get it going .what iam doing is setting up crossing  lites and signaling  leds will be used...

Well, crossing lights is easy.  There are more ways to do that than one can shake a stick at:

1. magnets and reed switches.
2. pressure switches.
3. optical sensors.
4. in track current detectors (and multiple kinds of these).
5. ultrasonic.

Signaling is a different matter.  It gets really complicated really quick.  If one is not good with understanding electronic circuits the Digitrax or Atlas systems are the way to go.  But they can use any of the above sensing methods as inputs.  Some might need latches to work well though.
 

[mmartian22]

the electronics i understand   the ultrasonics sounds nifity but getting parts where i live poses problems . the in track currant detecters is the way i will go .who has these parts  besides digitrax .they got good stuff ,but pricey

[rrinker]

$7.50 or less per block for the BDL-168, it doesn;t get much cheaper than this if you need some sort of feedback system to connect to a computer or send occupancy information to signal drivers or something. If you cna find a suitable repalcement transformer you can build the trnasformer coil detectors that Rob Paisley has on hit site for much less per block, but then you just have an electrical signal that indicates a block is occupied, and you'll need to figure out a way to interface that to a signal circuit or whatever you are trying to do.

Less than $6.50/block for the RR CirKits BOD-8 plus coil set, but that setup will result in just a signal that you'll have to figure out how to interface to other circuits. Or add the Tower Control to plug in up to 8 of them and get Loconet feedback.

Coil detectors - no voltage drop, but not really suitable for DC pwoer (you didn;t say if you have DCC or not). Diode drop detectors - can be designed to work with DC or DCC but there's always a voltage drop to the track.

                                             --Randy

 

[Texas Zepher]

mmartian22

the in track currant detecters is the way i will go .who has these parts

The one I use when I build them myself is called a Twin-T.  Designed way back in the dark ages.  Still works as good today as it did then.  I get the parts from electronic supply stores (even Radio Shack).   Each unit takes two diodes, two or three transistors, two or three resistors, and a capacitor.   To save money if you only need to detect in one direction a "single T" detector could be made (but now that I think of it, I haven't tried that with DCC).

Here is a whole page of detection stuff:
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/~rdmurg/clinic/detectit.htm

The DCC vendors all make them with various features.  NCE makes one that uses inductance so it is totally isolated from the train track power.

[mmartian22]

thanks guys  texas and randy i was under the inpression that bdi 168 needed decoders  and the diagrams and web site is just what i was looking for.i knew there were  .other ways of doing it  but couldn't come up with any ideas.

.

[rrinker]

mmartian22

thanks guys  texas and randy i was under the inpression that bdi 168 needed decoders  and the diagrams and web site is just what i was looking for.i knew there were  .other ways of doing it  but couldn't come up with any ideas.

.

 I think you're looking at the Transponding stuff? Don't need that. RR&Co software even has a feature called Train Tracker that can tell you what train is in what block WITHOUT Transponders or RailCom.

                                      --Randy