Takara Tomy Maglev Train

[Melandir]

I have found this news around internet, does any of you know something more about it?

 

 

[bill937ca]

From what I see its a prototype and production models will come in 2015 (spring or later).

[cteno4]

Hmm perhaps not superconducting but perminant magnets so no liquid nitrogen needed! Wonder if they use induction to propel it or a small motor in the car pushing on the sides (cheating). I've seen tiny trains propelled by a simple induction system but ther are not mag lev!

 

Jeff

[Melandir]

I find it interesting, I'll wait to see it better when it will be release, I'd like to know how it work

[HantuBlauLOL]

its out guys.

 

 

can someone here reverse engineer it?



edit: the price.. what? https://www.hlj.com/product/TKT82599/Rld

Edited May 26, 2015 by HantuBlauLOL

[Melandir]

It's fantastic...... I hope to get one as a Christmas present

[kvp]

Reverse engineering:

-the two side magnet strips are repulsed by permanent magnets on the sides of the cars, these form the 'rails' that the train float

-the middle magnets are intermittent permanent magnets, that trigger a sensor (reed relay) in each car, placed in front of an electromagnet

-the electromagets turn on, pushing the cars away from the middle permanent magnets

-when the electromagnets in the cars are above the middle permanent magnets, the sensors get pushed off from above the permanent magnets

-which turns off the electromagnets, allowing the train to slide freely forward by its momentum

-the side wheels steer the train in the curves, since there is no horizontal positioning magnet

-the power is provided by onboard batteries, that also power the lights

 

The system is relatively simple, and it's possible to remotely stop the train by removing the middle magnet strip from a stop section or by inverting it's polarity. Not a prototypical maglev, but a working maglev system. (with mechanical horizontal guidance) Also, it seems to be a H0 scale and the price looks right for a bunch of heavy rare earth magnets in the tracks.

 

ps: It would be possible to make a magnetically steered version in N scale, but the price would be even higher, since you would have to put the linear motor into the track.

Edited May 26, 2015 by kvp

[cteno4]

There is a company doing mini linear motors, good bad this could not be employed in n scale!

 

http://www.idlmotors.com

 

There is the issue of curves with anything looking prototypical! I recently purchased the test car n scale models (thanks Brian!) for display with the club layout. We were joking we should put some magnets in it and make a straight raceway that has two strips of percmanent magnets to levitate it. Then we could have it on the layout with tunnels on each end of the long straight strip. Then we could employ some foam rubber motor driven wheels on each side of the track (aka the old hot wheels booster) to shoot it quickly from one end to the other, back and forth at random intervals. Would be a quick blurr but folks would then wait to see it shoot they the layout every so often!

 

Of course you can get regular n scale trains on standard track to run on straight aways at 600kph, but would be fun having it mag lev!

 

Jeff

[kvp]

 

There is a company doing mini linear motors, good bad this could not be employed in n scale!

That could be done, you just have to scale it up. Permanent magnets for lift and a linear motor for propulsion. Curves are a problem, but if you make it fully levitating and use bogies, then the cars can have an overhang to the magnetic tracks. Actually the new japanese prototype does exactly this.

 

The idea is to use the same levitation as the Tomy train, but with 2 pairs of dual strips of permanent repulsing magnets on the tracks, with the two permanent magnet strips riding between them. This gives horizontal guidance like a conventional 2 rail system. You have to make very short cars with 4 magnets on their corners, often called bogies that can negotiate tighter curves and assemble trains from them by connecting them with car bogies mounted on vertical pins. With a small 5th magnet placed in the middle of the 'power' bogie, you can move the whole train by turning on a single electromagnet in a long row embedded in the middle of the track between the 2 dual strips. This way it's possible to alter the speed and direction of the train. Turning is done by allowing enough clearance for the cars, so the walls have to be moved further out. The bogies would keep the cars on track even without the walls, so they are purely decorative. You can go as low as R140 with this technology and since the trains have only permanent magnets in them, they don't need batteries for running.

 

Costs: The small, strong permanent magnets are not too expensive, but you'll need lots of them. 4 strips for the track and 4 really strong small ones per bogie, all set to repulse each other. The electromagnets can be simple coils, since most of the work will be done by the permanent magnet in the middle of the power bogie. You'll need a coil driver for each chain, so at least a 4 output coil driver circuit is needed for each block. Driving the coils in banks means much higher currents, but allows all bogies to be used for propulsion (if aligned carefully to match the bogie distances to the phase shifts of the coils) and needs only 4 power circuits per block. For longer tracks, it's possible to assemble them from smaller blocks (with a sensible current limit like 1-2A) and power up only the one that has a train in it. I'm sure it can be done from a few hundred dollars per meter.

 

[IST]

its out guys.

 

Oh, wow. I like it. I do not need it, I do not have enough room for that, but I really would like to have one set.

[1954G]

Apparently Tomy expects to sell 20,000 units per year. 

 

http://asia.nikkei.com/Japan-Update/Tomy-to-release-maglev-train-set

[ToniBabelony]

I can imagine Tomytec going overboard and doing this set in actual N-gauge. The curves would become a problem though with the correct car length, as there would be very little space for car body overhang.

[HantuBlauLOL]

I'm thinking about replacing the center track magnets with a zigzag wire.. It would be controlled with a PWM based on-off controller.

 

How the real maglev curve track works?

[kvp]

As i said the walls are decoratibve and can be left off. The real maglev has bogies so the carbodies can have an overhang in curves. It works exactly like viaduct track with the appropiate wall distance widening.

[cteno4]

Could cheat and try the ultrasonic approach! Still need the forward push...

 

http://www.hlj.com/product/OTH113/Rsc

 

Jeff

[ToniBabelony]

Could cheat and try the ultrasonic approach! Still need the forward push...

 

A treat for all the dogs in the neighbourhood. Propulsion? How about turbine-jets for the glory of technology?

[HantuBlauLOL]

40mm EDF would be more efficient, jet turbines are way too expensive and fuel hungry.

[cteno4]

I was thinking air hockey with directed jets, and yes howlllllll!

 

Jeff

[Densha]