Simply brilliant!!!
I just finished reading Bruce Carpenter’s article in July’s issue of MR about modeling a “defect detector”.
Say that 10 times fast!
I was trying to figure out the details to model one myself & Bruce covered everything!!!
Thanks Bruce & MR
You saved me some valuable research time!
Gordon
The defect detectors near me (on the CP) issue a slightly different message than the ones in the article. In theory – meaning there is no way I could do this lol – it would be possible to record a sequence of messages that would be randomly played when a train crosses the detector that would either give a go ahead clear or announce a defect. For example one could record on a CD and then purchase an inexpensive or used CD player with “shuffle play” that plays cuts in random order. Maybe one in twenty recorded messags would be defect. A track circuit could play the CD and chance would dictate whether you have a defect or not. of course you would not correctly count axles or train length etc but it would be one way to also simulate what a talking detector does. (Now watch – someone will point out that this product has been in the Walthers catalog for 3 years!)
Dave Nelson
Thats a great idea Dave…would it be easier to use a computer than a CD player? I’m not a full fledged computer geek, but it might be easier to get the detector to signal the computer rather than pu***hey play button!! [;)]
I think I’d have a CD of just defect warnings just to mess around and see how long it took the crew to figure it out!