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Tomytec 'Car-system'


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CaptOblivious

Sounds like a couple of hall sensors attached to that microcontroller. Would be interesting to see how the bus reacts if put on its back while running, and you waved magnets over different bits on the underside…

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Sounds like a couple of hall sensors attached to that microcontroller. Would be interesting to see how the bus reacts if put on its back while running, and you waved magnets over different bits on the underside…

 

all i can think of is "hocus pocus"

 

jeff

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CaptOblivious

Sounds like a couple of hall sensors attached to that microcontroller. Would be interesting to see how the bus reacts if put on its back while running, and you waved magnets over different bits on the underside…

 

all i can think of is "hocus pocus"

 

jeff

 

That's why Hall-effect sensors are so much fun!!

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yes i was thinking hall effect sensors as i didnt think they could do them w/o something registering the interval the field was applied and the polarity of the field.

 

perhaps a strong rare earth magnet on the end of a wand could make the bus start/stop and change speeds! they have it so you can lock the wheels to run w/o track!

 

cheers

 

jeff

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Just got my sets today and was playing a little. The magnetic controls are polarized and directional. Haven't found how to do a timed stop, but applying a magnetic field of one polarity to the right hand side of the bus makes it stay stopped. Applying that same polarity field to the left side of the bus triggers the speed.

 

I'll attempt to post a video demonstrating.

 

 

Now, that was an extremely powerful magnet. I'm not set up for much playing with making road tracks, intersections, etc. It does look like a fully controllable road network is possible, though.

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rankodd

 

thanks mucho! did you have the stop magnet installed? i think with that then the bus stays stopped until the switch is moved to go.

 

jeff

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rankodd

 

thanks mucho! did you have the stop magnet installed? i think with that then the bus stays stopped until the switch is moved to go.

 

jeff

 

It's actually the other way around. No magnet means it stops permanently. With the extra magnet the stop is timed.

 

One more video. I decided to try the over/under layout posted above. The bus does not like the gradient, much.

 

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Here's my promised video, showing how the under-road magnets affect operation (not my best video, really, but I think it gets the info across).

 

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No clue.  It will likely depend in part on whether you use true LR44 cells or the longer-lived (and much more expensive) SR44.

 

I've run a few dozen circuits of the track (I think) withough exhausting the first set.  I may try an endurance test one of these days, as I'm curious about that myself.

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I got, very roughly, a couple of hours straight out of my cheap DX bulk batteries. Not sure if I truly drained them or not - the "spent" batter still has ~1.35v in it, down from about 1.6v fresh (on my meter, anyway.) Not sure if I can get any more runtime by letting it rest.

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I have finally given in and ordered the sets. Has anyone tried putting one of the Tomytec bus on the Faller guide-wire and vice versa? Faller offers distance control and traffic signal control systems as part of their offerings under the car system. Though pricey (in my opinion), the control systems along with required sensors may be able to guide / control the Tomytec buses alongside Faller ones. I read somewhere (though I am not sure that the information was accurate or just a rumour!) that Tomytec borrowed from Faller the technology for the run system.

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John,

 

actually i think it was tomytec licensed the technology from faller. But it looks like Tomytec has redone how the sensors work and added some circuitry w/in the buss. the faller system has no internal control circuitry on the N scale busses, save the on/off switch and a simple reed switch which can be activated by an electromagnet below the road to turn the bus off while the electromagnet is on. turn off the electromagnet and the bus proceeds.

 

the tomytec seems to have two magnetic sensors that in various combinations will change the speed of the bus (fast<>slow) and will either pause the bus for 10 seconds or make the bus stay until the magnetic field is removed.

 

so while it looks like tomytec is building in something to eventually give signal/crossing control over the busses its not clear if the control system work in exactly the same ways to be interoperable for control. the faller might work on the tomytec bus stop as you can slide the magnet in and out so it might work on the faller reed switch, but dont have a tomytec bus system yet to try it (i do have a faller).

 

im guessing the steering mechanism is pretty much the same and they should track on each other's guide wires. follow the thread below and you can get some more of the details of some of the experiments users have tried with the tomytec bus control, its going to be interesting figuring out exactly how it all works.

 

cheers

 

jeff

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Have any of you guys who already have this tested it on various gradients?

Curious  because thinking up bridge over the track and back down to same level.

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Have any of you guys who already have this tested it on various gradients?

Curious  because thinking up bridge over the track and back down to same level.

 

There is a video on this down below and I've posted a photo below also. Why not read the posts before asking a question?

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lordwinslow2

Just got an email from Hobby Search, they are taking reservations for a new batch of Tomytec Moving Bus System.  Thinking about reserving 2 of them.

 

Winslow

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We know lord :grin

 

Bill while the video does show it going over a bridge.

 

Perhaps kei was wanting more informative answer such as it has a max grade of x%

 

Reasons this is so is because of z and because of y....

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lordwinslow2

Just got an email from Hobby Search, they are taking reservations for a new batch of Tomytec Moving Bus System.  Thinking about reserving 2 of them.

 

Winslow

 

Um make that I have put 2 on Reserve from Hobby Search...now i got to put in some OT.

 

Winslow

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We know lord :grin

 

Bill while the video does show it going over a bridge.

 

Perhaps kei was wanting more informative answer such as it has a max grade of x%

 

Reasons this is so is because of z and because of y....

 

 

 

Max gradient was what i was interested in. Looking at hand built track. Have a nice roll of steel wire that someone liberated for me.  :grin

Saw the video.

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Price is 15% off now - when I ordered mine it was 20% and I paid 6240 each.

 

The buses don't like gradients at all - likely because they're very light. I did the over/under video on this thread, and it slipped the whole way up. If you're planning something like that, make sure you have a long run up...

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Not sure wether to go for it .

was hoping they might climb a reasonable gradient, but if the traction is poor think static buses may be an easier option.

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