The Streetsville Junction Convention

I attended the Streetsville Junction Convention of the NMRA's Niagara Frontier Region April 26-28.  I presented a clinic on the LaunchPad for Model Railroading on Friday night the 26th and Saturday the 27th.  Both clinics were well attended and well-received.

I built a small On30 diorama with several LaunchPad animations. It survived the trip and almost operated perfectly (the LaunchPads did, the loco did not). 

On this diorama is a single track upon which a Bachmann On30 gas-mechanical loco shuttled back 'n forth under control of a LaunchPad.  There was a working crossing flasher animated by a LaunchPad.  This same LaunchPad was also flashing the red light atop a tow truck that was on the diorama. Three additional LaunchPads were present to run a bi-directional three color-signal system for three VERY short blocks.  However, time ran out on me and I did not have time to install and wire the signal heads, so that part of the diorama was not operational.

Three optical detectors were installed under the track to signal the LaunchPads to trigger the effects.  All of this was powered by a USB powered hub and a wall-wart was used for track power.  No power pack or DCC controller was used.  The software was built using tuning parameters to allow adjustments and the locos would run right up to the end of the track, but not go over; that is until the loco started to fail.  My loco gave out on me for some unknown reason during my first presentation (how embarrassing!).  However my host Clark Kooning's 24/7 in-house hobby shop had not one, but two replacement Bachmann locos.  I used one of his for my second presentation on Saturday.  These DCC locos were operating in DC mode on the diorama.

Here's a link to my presentation in PDF format:

The LaunchPad for Model Railroading Presentation

There is an embedded video in this presentation that I was never able to get it working in the PDF version and it was even giving me trouble in the original Open Office version. So here is the video of Hoffy's welder effect:





I attempted to video my presentations, but was frustrated twice by a "comedy of errors".  During my first presentation, I started the video late (on the third slide) and then, after about 23 minutes, the camera just shut down.  I was using my Canon SX-30, which takes excellent videos, but it must have a time limit on video somewhere in the menu structure that I was not able to find.  There was plenty of room on the memory card.  During my second presentation, I trusted the on-screen battery indicator and did not swap out the batteries - bad mistake. I only got about 7 minutes before the camera shut down for lack of power.

Here are both videos so that you can get the narration on the first 16 slides. During both presentations, the diorama is on a table off-camera to my left (your right as you watch the video) and I refer to it occasionally.









Finally here is a video taken the night before I had to leave for Canada of the On30 loco shuttling back and forth.  The "Professor Silencer II" referred to in the narration is "Professor" Klyzlr on the Model Rail Radio podcast who posed a challenge to design a similar shuttle system.  While the simple back 'n forth action demonstrated in the video does not satisfy all of the Professor's criteria, it's a start.  The crossing flasher and tow truck that were eventually installed on the diorama are not in place at this time.





I will post some pictures and, possibly, upgraded videos and a video of the whole diorama in operation as time permits.

Model Railcast Show #182

I appeared on The Model Railcast Show #182 which was posted Mar. 27.  You can find the podcast here:  Model Railcast #182.  Craig, Tim and Ryan do not keep these links up permanently, so I would suggest that you listen to or download this podcast in the next month or so.  I won't give away what I talk about, so that you'll listen to the show.  BTW, please support the Model Railcast, I have; but I was not able to do so last year due to my period of unemployment.

Since the show has been posted, page views on this blog have taken off.  So all of you hackers out there; let's see some projects!

The show was recorded about 2 weeks before posting and, at that time, TI had raised the price of a LaunchPad to $5.  About the time of the show's posting TI boosted the price to $9.99 !!!!  I certainly hope that the further price increase was not a result of anticipation of increased sales because of the show. So for all of you who listened to the show and now find that the price is much higher I want you to know that it came as a surprise to me too!  I feel bad abut recording the show, only to have the show's listeners hit with another price increase.

Mouser Electronics and Newark Electronics, which I mention in the show as alternate sources of supply, have kept up with TI's price increase.  Mouser had over 6200 of these in stock at the time of the price increase to $5; and they have since increased their price to $19.32!!! They are price gouging for sure, and making a bundle on the units they purchased at less than $5.  I've always bought my electronic components from Mouser, now I'll reconsider my purchases from them.  It would serve them right if no one bought a LaunchPad from them and they had to sit on the 5000+ units that they have left until hell freezes over!  Newark is sold out, but has only raised their price to $10.

On a happier note, several Arduino-compatible motor controller modules that I ordered from China have arrived.  I will be interfacing with these shortly and I intend to include one into the small display that I am preparing for the clinic at the Streetsville Junction convention.  Building said display proceeds slowly, and I have to pick up the pace if it is to be ready for the convention.