Automatic Shuttles

[Tony Galiani]

Just saw an ad for these in a Hobbysearch mailing:

 

My collection of KiHas really don't look good on the tight radius curves of the layouts I have done recently.  Looking for a new project where I can show them off and thinking a plank with simple track plan might be nice.  Something like this might fit the bill if I wanted to display it.  Look to be about US$65.  Not sure if there are other or better options out there - hadn't given this much thought but getting the ad piqued my interest.

 

Ciao,

Tony

[Yavianice]

Is this just an attachment to shuttle trains back and forth? Seems a bit simplistic / prone to crashing without sensors, or am I missing something? 

[disturbman]

Here is the notice by Cosmic:

 

 

 

You need the sensors (CA-D1) to run these.

Edited March 18, 2022 by disturbman

[Madsing]

I don’t think that these CA-D1 are sensors. They are just diodes that will stop to train at each end, until the polarity is reversed. So, the control unit probably automatically reverses the polarity at regular intervals. 

[disturbman]

Yes, indeed. Hadn't read the notice/description. I had assumed these were sensors you embedded in the track.
 

Quote

A diode (energized only in one direction) is provided on one cap (insulation) of the rail, and the vehicle output from the power pack is repeatedly moved forward and backward by a timer.

[...]

Time adjustment width: Approximately 5 to 60 seconds (one way)

 

 

Might be misreading this, but a timer of 5 to 60 seconds does not seem like a long time. I never looked into it, but I'm sure there are other, very simple ways of automating a point-to-point layout. A friend of my parents used to have one in the 90s. Can't imagine it was very complicated.

Edited March 18, 2022 by disturbman

[cteno4]

This is a simple reversing timer. You can get them on ebay for about $5-10. Basically they flip the track polarity for a set time back and forth. The isolated track sections at the end stops the train because of the diode. Once polarity is reversed the current can then get thru the diode and the train goes to the other end and spake process happens in reverse.

 

the usual circuits have a broader range of time you can set.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224238066149?hash=item3435a159e5:g:coUAAOSw2Zhfs9it

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001413109812.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.e57668cdwCwY9g&algo_pvid=2948c686-170d-4d9a-a537-069c626cea90&algo_exp_id=2948c686-170d-4d9a-a537-069c626cea90-22&pdp_ext_f={"sku_id"%3A"12000015988535713"}&pdp_pi=-1%3B7.29%3B-1%3B4.63%40salePrice%3BUSD%3Bsearch-mainSearch

 

jeff

[Tony Galiani]

Thanks for all the additional info.  I need to check the options a bit more though I do like (what seems to be) the plug and play aspect of the Cosmo units.

 

I think the adjustable timing would be okay since I am thinking of using this on a small plank maybe about 1 meter or so long.

 

Ciao,

Tony Galiani

[cteno4]

Btw for a fun display layout you can just do the track gaps and the diodes and use a dpdt switch to reverse the direction. This way the train runs to the end stop and waits there until the visitor flips the switch and it goes to the other end and waits for a switch throw.

 

jeff

[disturbman]

1 hour ago, Tony Galiani said:

I do like (what seems to be) the plug and play aspect of the Cosmo units.

I think you would only needs to strip a couple of cables to achieve the same plug-and-play effect.

[cteno4]

Someone did a very nice pdf on how to use one of the ebay reversing circuits for a tram reversing unit.

 

http://www.modeltrainsounds.com/InstallReversingModule.pdf

there were a couple of train specific kits on ebay and commercial units using this type of controller and diode isolated track, but I haven’t been able to find them. The one issue with this form of reversing controller is the tram comes to an abrupt stop when it just gets over the diode spanned gap in the track at each end. There are others that use ir sensors you put in between the tracks in the roadbed or isolated sections of the track at the end with separate feeds to the end sections that detect current draw then the controller slows the tram to a stop at a rate you can set. These of course are a bit more expensive. A number of arduino projects around these concepts as well.

 

cheers

 

jeff

 

[nbobkk]

I haven't used either of these because I don't have my hands on a tram yet, but in my research I came across these two websites which have lots of products that could also meet your needs:

 

https://heathcote-electronics.co.uk/simple-shuttle.html

(there's some not so simple ones two on the products page)

 

https://www.azatrax.com/back-and-forth.html