Level rail crossing and other questions for TomyTec bus system

[JanW]

30 minutes ago, JR 500系 said:

How do you stop and move the bus off at the bus stop?

Tomytec buses have two magnetic field (hall) sensors half way between the wheels. One at the right side and one at the left side of the bus. The one at the right side is capable of detecting the difference between a N-S field and a S-N field and is used to control the bus at a bus stop or traffic light. The one at the left side can only detect one magnetic field direction and is used to accelerate or decelerate the bus. 

Definition of which pole is North and which South is somewhat arbitrary in this discussion as long as you do not mix them up. Let's say that a magnet with the North pole up at the right side of the bus, stops it. 

 

The sensor at the right side now, has two mode of operation:

1. Just to stop the bus. There is a magnet with the N-pole up, detected at the right side of bus.  The red LED in the bus is lit. When the magnet is moved away the bus carries on. 
2. To stop the bus for some 6 seconds (indeed, the passengers really need to hurry) only.  To do this a magnet with the S-pole up is positioned at the right. When the bus drives over the magnet the sensor first detects a magnet with the S-pole up and a split second later the stop magnet with the N-pole up. The split second equates to a driving distance between the timer magnet and the stop magnet of some 30 mm.  So the timer magnet with the S-pole up is positioned 30 mm before the stop magnet in the same drive path at the right side of the bus.

The sensor at the left side has also two modes of operation

1. If the bus drives slowly and the bus passes a magnet with the S-pole up at the left side of the bus, the bus accelerates. As the bus passes the magnet the yellow LED in the bus is lit as long as the magnetic field is detected. In fact the driving is just a little bit faster. Maybe it is most noticeable with fresh batteries. I have not tried it.
2. If the bus drives fast and the bus passes a magnet with the S-pole up at the left side of the bus, the bus decelaretes . 

The speed magnets are useful before and after a stop, say some 50 mm before a bus stop to mimic the slow-down before a stop and 40 mm after the bus stop to mimic the acceleration after the stop. 

[JR 500系]

Oh wow! Thanks for the detailed explanation! Now that's what I call a 'Magnet Scientist' ! 🙂

 

I'll be sure to check it out! 🙂

[JanW]

 

I have been experimenting some more and have now been working on a busstation with 3 busstops where 3 Tomytec buses will come and go. All will be automated by a Arduino thingy. Also created a 3-way turn-out to allow the buses to pick one of three stop spaces. 

Adding the 0,5 mm steel wires just under the road surface and between the tracks on the railway crossing was quite a fiddly job. I needed to remove the plastic parts to the sides of the track to install the steel wires separately. 

Still work in progress of courses!

Here the topview of this area in my lay-out.

 

 

A sneak preview on how things will look-like when completed. 

 

First I need to master Arduino stuff, including controlling servo's and connecting sensors (i'll use Hall sensors to detect a bus).
I'll keep you posted!

 

Jan

[cteno4]

Excellent Jan! Really fun to make your own paths. I really enjoyed playing with my faller to see what you can do with these like this. Tomytec are even better! 

 

Cheers

 

jef

[JR 500系]

Very lovely! Magnet Scientist! It would be great to see the finished product! 

 

Will you also be doing the railway crossing stop-and-go thingy? That would be awesome! 

[kvp]

I'm really amazed by how little space these buses could actually turn around. It's pretty sure this is way below C103, i just don't know how much.

[JR 500系]

51 minutes ago, kvp said:

I'm really amazed by how little space these buses could actually turn around. It's pretty sure this is way below C103, i just don't know how much.

 

Technically, the buses can make C66 as it is the smallest radius available, but not the High speed coach buses, though it has been checked that some can pass through... 

[Pauljag900]

4 hours ago, kvp said:

I'm really amazed by how little space these buses could actually turn around. It's pretty sure this is way below C103, i just don't know how much.

The smallest radius for the bus from Tomix is 66mm,so yeah very tight turnaround.👍😀

[Pauljag900]

3 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

 

Technically, the buses can make C66 as it is the smallest radius available, but not the High speed coach buses, though it has been checked that some can pass through... 

Sorry guys but I did nt notice sammy s reply there😂😂😂

[JanW]

4 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

Will you also be doing the railway crossing stop-and-go thingy?

Hi JR 500,

Currently the railway crossing has no barriers or lights. It is the simplest crossing Kato delivers. The crossing is on a side branch to the industrial area, so no regular traffic. However I may add lights (i.e. safeguarding with lights only, without barriers) or even add barriers. Next interlock them with the bus traffic. 
There is complication at the crossing: Buses cannot pass each other on the crossing. So an interlock is needed to prevent that buses run into each other. It will get complicated... 

[JanW]

4 hours ago, kvp said:

I'm really amazed by how little space these buses could actually turn around. It's pretty sure this is way below C103, i just don't know how much.

By trial and error I figured out that my bus can do a 60 mm radius.  Initially I though that it even goes down to 50 mm but at that radius, the bus slowly loses track of the guide wire. At a 90 deg bend, it is kind-of doable because the bus will catch up with the guide wire soon enough after the bend. However at 135 deg or more, the bus really looses guidance and veeres off the road! So 60 is the absolute minimum. My lay-out uses 60 mm to take the turn onto and off the rail crossing and to take the corner at the Tomytec factory.  

[JanW]

On 7/21/2018 at 1:56 PM, JR 500系 said:

How do you stop and move the bus off at the bus stop?

There are two options:

1. To stop the bus: install a magnet at the right side of the bus. The magnet is oriented with the north-pole up. The sensor in the bus is located half-way and roughly in line with the right front and rear wheels. . When the magnet is removed (e.g. with a servo), the bus moves on.
2. To stop the bus and have it move on after some 6 seconds (the passengers really have to hurry up) : Install a 2nd magnet with the south pole up, some 30 mm before the stop magnet. 

[JanW]

I have a question to y'all: How to add the bell sound at the rail crossing when the lights blink? 

The KATO standard rail crossing probable has a nice sound chip that emulates the sound through a small speaker. I have been searching the internet for ways of doing it without using the KATO rail crossing. I get no further than the standard train kits with a standard sound (ding ding ding) or the Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board that can be loaded with WAV files with the sound of the real thing. 

Any other better idea's? 

[kvp]

4 hours ago, JanW said:

I have a question to y'all: How to add the bell sound at the rail crossing when the lights blink? 

The KATO standard rail crossing probable has a nice sound chip that emulates the sound through a small speaker. I have been searching the internet for ways of doing it without using the KATO rail crossing. I get no further than the standard train kits with a standard sound (ding ding ding) or the Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board that can be loaded with WAV files with the sound of the real thing. 

Any other better idea's? 

Tomytec has two railside noises boxes and afaik one of them has a standard japanese crossing sound. You can swap the batteries with a wall adapter connection and add morse relays parallel to the pushbuttons for automated control.