Hey, I have been a train enthusiast from childhood; I am also an electrical engineering student. Last semester in one class I combined then both and we built a controller that would automat a track layout. So that made a few questions.
1: Are there already systems out there that can already do this?
I found some web sits that tell you how to get connect your layout to your computer but it was complicated. I was more looking for something like a “black boxes” that I could simply connect wires to.
2: would your average modeler be interested in a program that you could run on you computer and control you layout?
3: if you are interested what functions would you need to have to get you to use it over your already controller (dcc, block)?
I would like to get some feed back because I am look at this as maybe my senor project and if I had in that direction this would give it some incredibility to my advisers to pass it.
Well, there are about as many ways to accomplish this as there are stars in the sky. Now, why I didn’t think of doing something like this for my senior project I’ll never know. Anyway, there are dozens of ways to connect the computer to the approriate control circuits to switch ona nd off (and even controlt he speed of) DC trains - it amounts to 1 computer controlled throttle per block. The other way is one computer controlled throttle per train, and computer controlled block switching.
And then there’s DCC. There are several DIY DCC systems that use a PC as the command station. Other code coudl be added for automatic running of trains. And many of the commercial systems have a PC interface with documented commands so you can write the required software to control the trains. Or use one of the commercial or open source programs.
You will definitely need both hardware and software. Hardware to control the trains and provide position sensing, and software to make things happen based on the events.
I’d say no, they aren’t. Otherwise, we’d see a lot more layouts using the products/software that are available today.
All the capabilities of DCC, including the ability to run two locos up to each other, nose to nose, anywhere on the layout without regard to blocks, gaps, etc, but WITHOUT having to install decoders. Also, ease in tailoring the software part of it to my layout, so I can spend time playing with trains instead of learning computer programming.
As you’ll see, there are several things offered. Probably the most popular is DecoderPro, providing a graphical interface to nearly all decoders, plus the ablility to create a roster of all your engines, complete with all their CV settings. This makes it easy to copy the settings for an engine you’ve finally got working just the way you like it, or to re-set all your CVs if you should have to do a decoder reset.
Another is PanelPro, which sounds a bit like what you’re interested in. It works with various detection, etc., hardware, and can drive setting signals, and/or let you make virtual control panels such as CTC machines.
Thanks guys, it looks like there are some programs out there that do a good job. And if I wanted to add it my program I would just use one out there. But I think I came still do make it into a senor project; it covers a lot of my engineering courses. (Microcontrollers, sensors, logic, communications, vis…). And try to make it a little more user friendly(no typing codes). When I start working on it I will post some screen shots and ask a lot more questions.