Here is a late night rendition of the Lower staging panel that I drew up tonight.
It is supposed to be a push button panel PC connected to do the smarts. Basically
it is a route control panel where you select origin and destination.
It will be a control panel, and probally being a push button it will be duplicated
in the sun room for the station there to use, as well as at the staging yard as well.
The panel, would just feed to the computer as a IO device, as the computer will be
able to control this as well. It also means the CTC operatotr can as well.
Will I have a total manual backup controls - still thinking aobut that ! At the
moment I'm thinking of having a basic stamp controller doing the smarts, and it
would be "networked" to allow the oursode and duplicate control.
Or I'll put in a series of rotary switches to hard set the routes if needed.
How I think it will work:
I'm not saying this will be the panel, and that it will work this way, but it is
what I have in mind at the moment. a quick explaination of the panel:
- If you set a route, you can cancel it just by pushing the RESET button.
- The panel should be no bigger than a A4 sheet of paper.
- On the panel you have the blue push button used to select the route.
- The red LED's will show track occupancy.
- The organge LED's will show point setting.
- The Purple/blue LED's will show fouling the section either side.
If they are lit up, you are fouling the other tracks. These may be just IR detectors.
- Signal indicators are shown to allow a driver to know if he can enter/exit the yard
- The reset button puts all track to go via the continuous loop on the right straight to the left hand entrance.
- The Set Exit track section will ensure all points are aligned to that road
when a train enters that small section.
- When you set up a move in the staging yards, the signals will be set to red protecting the yards.
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Example of use:
- If you set a route, you can cancel it just by pushing the RESET button.
- To bring a train from the station into road 1 you press the "station" button
followed by the "1 road" button. Then press the "OK" button. You then drive the
train into the road, making sure the fouling LED are not lit.
- To bring a train from the station into road 1 , then back out: you press the
"station" button followed by the "1 road" button, then the "return" button.
Then press the "OK" button. When you drive through and hit the set exit track
section, the points will auto align them selves for a non stop run. Depending
on how the railway is operating you may have a green/red light to allow you
out of the staging.
- To bring a train from the station into road 8 you press the "station" button
followed by the "8 road" button. Then press the "OK" button.Drive your train into
the dead ended siding ensuring you clear the fouling point. Thos fouling LED at
the end will give you 3 inchs of track before you hit the buffers!
- To bring a train from road 5 to the station you press the "road 5" button
followed by the "station" button. Then press the "OK" button. You then drive the
train out of road 5. When you drive through and hit the set exit track
section, the points will auto align them selves for a non stop run. Depending
on how the railway is operating you may have a green/red light to allow you out of the staging.
- To bring a train from road 10 to the station, you press the "road 10" button
followed by the "station" button. Then press the "OK" button.Drive your train
out of the dead ended siding. Depending on how the railway is operating you
may have a green/red light to allow you out of the staging.
- To bring a train from the loop into road 2, you press the "loop" button
followed by the "2 road" button, then press the "OK" button. Drive your train
into 2 road ensuring the fouling led are off and your train is safely stored.
- To bring a train from road 4 and out onto the loop, you press the "road 4"
button followed by the "loop" button, then press the "OK" button. Drive
your train out of 2 road. Depending on how the railway is operating you may
have a green/red light to allow you out of the staging.
- To bring a train from the loop straight through road 3, and on to the staion,
you press the "loop" button followed by the "2 road" button, then the "station"
button, then press the "OK" button. Drive your train into 3 road and through to
the station. Depending on how the railway is operating you may have a green/red
light to allow you out of the staging.
- To bring a train from the loop straight through to the station,
you press the "loop" button followed by the "return" button, then the "station"
button, then press the "OK" button. Drive your train from the loop. When you
drive through and hit the set exit track section, the points will auto align
them selves for a non stop run. Depending
on how the railway is operating you may have a green/red light to allow you
out of the staging.
- To bring a train from the station straight through to the loop,
you press the "station" button followed by the "return" button, then the "loop"
button, then press the "OK" button. Drive your train from the station and onto
the loop. Depending on how the railway is operating you may have a green/red
light to allow you out of the staging.
You can see the operation can often works in reverse - it allow one to select
source-destination quite easily. So it caters for the novice who can select the route the logical way, or power use it
(ie selecting station to 1 road is like selecting 1 road to the station).
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