Speed matching
If you want to run your DCC locomotives together in a consist, you need to be sure they will go the same speed at the same Digital Command Control speed step. Speed matching involves programming your locomotives so they can run together smoothly. But before you adjust your decoder CV numbers, you need to be able to accurately measure the locomotives’ Mph speed and also know the CV Decimal numbers that will produced these results at Start, Mid. and Max.
Speed Traps
60 Mph is 88Ft per second. In 6 seconds you would travel 528 Ft. A Speed Trap could be set with start and stop sensors at 528 Ft. If the measured time from the sensors is less than 6 seconds, then you are speeding. The measured time in seconds becomes the record of your actual speed in Mph. Then in N scale this is 528/160 = 3.3 Ft in 6 Seconds, and in HO scale 528/87 = 6 Ft in 6 seconds.
Fixed distances and a stopwatch
Speed Traps N Scale HO Scale smph = (6.0 sec. / Time, sec.) x Speed Trap Mph
Very helpful, and good links, thanks for putting this together Robert.
Eric
I have the trainspeed product. Haven’t hooked it up at the club yet but have seen them work. They do work as advertised.
The Bachrus Speed Ometer is now running with JMRI 2.11.2 This is part of the JMRI Bachrus speedometer program. The JMRI 2.10 is the present working version.
Robert Frey
Does it matter what sensors you use? How do you get the sensor info to the computer? I’m using a rrrcircuits USB/Loconet interface.
With your DCC Locomotive turning it’s wheels in the test stands, the Bachrus Speed Ometer can put it’s Mph information at all speed step into a JMRI file. http://www.bachrus.com/ The data in this JMRI file is still being work on by the JMRI experts. This is being done in Test version 2.11.2 of JMRI/DecoderPro. Some of the changes involved are quite extensive. They may require a certain amount of experience before they are working well. Therefore, this test version should be considered experimental.
Robert Frey