I was given several great looking signals for my layout. I have several questions. All of the signals have two targets with RED & Green grain of wheat bulbs meaning 4 bulbs and 8 black wires. I have extended the wires and now have them all in pairs. All lights work.
Can you use incandescent bulbs with an Arduino system? All videos show LED’s
If you can not use Arduino would you use Current Sensors or IR Sensors? system?
Can you use incandescent bulbs with both Current or IR systems? All I keep seeing is LED’s
What exactly do I need to put the system together? Be SPECIFIC.
Manufactures, Part Description, Part # if possible. Every thing I see talks about LED’s
How do you intend to use the signals? If your goal is simply as turnout position indicators, Ike most of mine, that’s simple. If you’re looking for block occupancy and detection, that’s a lot more complicated.
Can you replace the incandescent bulbs with LEDs? With a Transition Era layout, I like my incandescent bulbs for structure and street lighting. However, I use LEDs for crossing signals. They look just fine.
Sooner or later, an incandescent bulb will burn out, and you’ll have to replace it anyway. It will be easier now before it’s installed on a layout.
That would be to simple. I have to do it the hard way. Train will trip signal. I also have a bunch of wheels with Resistors if I choose to go that way. It would be hard to change the bulbs to LED’s at this point the way the signals are.
IF you want true “block signal” protection they offer boards for that, too but I simply use the IR detection and allow the signal to “time out” after the last car clears the detector.
I would use Arduino to set up the system. A train running over a IR to trip the relay. I just want the signal to show that the block is detected to signal a following train.
Yes you can drive incandescent bulbs with a Arduino! I made a expansion board with high current driver chips. Each chip has 7 channels each channel is capable of 500ma or a half amp.
This is a NANO expansion board for a pair of crossing flashers.
This is a drawing of a crossing controller including gate servos.
I operate all my 12 volt Grain of Wheat bulbs at 70% voltage, much more realistic and greatly increases bulb life. I’ve only had to replace a couple of bulbs operating on reduced voltage in 30 years.
The controller (Arduino) can run off a 8½ volt supply and the onboard chip drives the high current incandescent bulbs.
If you are interested drop me an email, my personal email is in my profile.
there may be no need for anything other than a block detector that turns the signal to STOP while a train occupies the block and restores it to CLEAR when the block becomes unoccupied.
some detectors have dual outputs one inverted, active when not-occupied and one non-inverting.
transistor/resistors can be added so that the it can drive bulbs at high voltage than the detector operates at
How many heads, Red and Green or Red, Yellow and Green?
Do you have a signal controller?
How many signals will you have?
I use three color LEDs, single head signals with an Arduino controller and optical IR detection. Visual only signals, no functions for controlling train movement.
My controller handles up to 16 blocks using a Arduino Mega.
What type of detection?
I use reflective IR detectors, the Arduino FC-51. They are fairly large but the actual 3mm sensors can be remotely located and they can be replaced with tiny SMT sensors.
To get help you need to have a plan on how you want it to work. List all items so that we know what your working with.
So far it adds up to toggle switches. Obstacle detection is normally a low current switch, on off which means only on when it is detecting something. Abruptly on and off. A simple photo switch will do that.
My Arduino MEGA signal controller will work with any obstacle detector that has a switched ground output from each block. It will operate any three color LED signal and up to 500ma bulbs with high current driver chips. It will control 16 blocks with detectors using a simple truth table.
i think you’re asking if an incandescent bulb can be used with a block detector.
that can’t be answered for certain without knowing the current and voltage requirement is for the bulbs you want to use. but in general, a transistor/resistor can usually always be added to drive a higher current device
i think you’re asking if a single block detector can drive two sensors signals or possibly that a single block detector monitors multiple blocks, which could work, but why would you do that.
i’ve only used custom detection circuits. a board might have multiple detectors.
If a current detector board could be used to drive more then one block I would only need to but one board. If each were seperate I would need to buy a board for each signal…
How many signals do you have? You will need a current detector for each signal. Each signal will represent one block.
My layout has 14 mainline blocks and one siding. I use several optical IR detectors in each block. For bidirectional signaling that’s 28 Mainline signals. A single Arduino MEGA handles drives all 14 blocks. I do not have signals in the hidden areas in my mountains but the hidden area block detectors must be used.
Not to bad, 12 Mel scratch built three color searchlight signals at about $4.50 each. Two store bought signal bridges $36 each. Two Arduino Mega controllers $30, $155 total signal system plus the IR sensors at 60₵ each.
