Best model train control using locofi wifi sound decoders. How to use model railway software to make operation of your dcc. This solution allows you to perform most of the control algorithms locally, which greatly simplifies and speeds. Traincontroller is characterized by particularly simple and effective use as well as secure operation.
These notes attempt to describe custom hardware and software designed and built by geoff green and other members of the psry used to control the railroad. Jan 19, 2019 i just finished my mini control panel for the turnouts on my layout. I am about to start construction on my control panels for my layout. I use the panel control system from mgp here in sweden, a very competent system with its own programming app and uses loconet for communication. With the help of these tips from allen keller, you will be equipped with the knowledge to create your very own model railway control panel. And the decoder tester is a rewired to fit panel unit from loys toys, picture below. The turnouts are controlled by mini momentary button switches that are connected to the digitrax input pins. I first read about the process used to make the control panels 20 or so years ago in the model railroader series published in book form as building the burlington northern rr in n scale. The jmri panel pro freeware was used as a starting point and all the sensor identification, signal logic, etc.
This project describes an interface which connects a model railroad control panel like the erbert. We feature beginner and advanced help on all model railroading scales. Modelers can use tortoise motors or solenoid snap motors to drive switches. The loco buffer is a locobufferii revf rs232 serial to loconet interface by rrcirkits that i rewired to fit the panel front. Well designed control panels will ultimately improve the operators experiences, while poor ones will increase their frustrations. Using ctis flexible family of control modules, you create a control system thats perfect for your model railroad.
Model railroad software building your model railroad. One of the easier model railroad software programs to master that doesnt cost much its free, is the track planning software available for download from the website as freeware and works fairly well for simple layout designs. It is an easy and straightforward alternative to using a ctc board. You can build control panels and control your layout using panelpro to set up signaling. Ctis powerful, userfriendly software makes it easy to control every aspect of your model railroad from your pc.
Most advanced of its type, locofi is the future of model railway in the age of iot. Model railroad control panel interface arduino based interface to connect a control panel to the pc. At evan designs, were dedicated to supplying hobbyists from all over with regular and small led lights for a variety of fun and interesting projects. It presents the layout as a computer screen panel inspired by digicon. Beginners guide to command control and dcc national. We offer open source hardware and software to help you operate your railroad as prototypically as you like. Tangled wires and overcrowded control panels are a thing of the past. Run your trains on dc or dcc track power or even battery. Atrack for windows atrack is a powerful free extension to complement the facilities of your nce corporation power cab or power pro digital command control system and to assist you in running your roster of locomotives on your model railroad atrack allows you to store full details of all of your locomotives and accessory turnout decoders, with all of their dcc configuration.
To learn more about dcc, check out this dcc resources page. Various types of model railroad software are available which may be helpful for developing actual or virtual layouts. It is possible to combine an analogue style control panel with dcc digital. This is an extremely basic model railway control panel, but it still allows your railroad to operate seamlessly. First, he illustrates how to create a magnetic board with a track plan graphic. Whether youre searching for tiny led lights for diecast police cars, diorama lighting or model train lights, our selection of bright bulbs and accessories will breathe life into your craft. All holes and mounts would be made right through the entire panel.
Walthers layout control system railroad model craftsman. The jmri libraries contain the panelpro application for creating panels to control or follow your virtual model railroad. You can have multiple layout panels, but you have to tell the software how to. Evan designs model train diorama software, led lights. This is a very big difference from the usual model of building electronics on the layout, since you are building a distributed control system. Panelpro, an application for making control panels jmri. Using the train brain modules from cti electronics to achieve stateoftheart. Panelpro provides four separate ways to create panels. Dcc combined with computer control model train advisors. Model railroad control panel practical engineering solutions.
Rodney blacks cats application is another tool for creating modernstyle control panels. Here is a design for an ir detector circuit i did a while back. Printed circuit boards for model railroaders model. How to build a control panel for your model railroad model. The other rail is called the control rail in which. Introduction layout control for windows, macos and linux. Unlike a motor, which runs continuously until power is removed or it is stalled, a servo moves to a commanded position and stops. Cats computer automated traffic system is an integrated suite of open source programs that provide signal logic and operations support on a model railroad. Our interactive control panel puts you in charge at a centralized traffic control center. The following is a picture of bobs control panel showing, from left to right the. Mar 23, 2020 a program to control your digital model railroad. The cti system is a modular approach to model railroad control, youll buy only as much control capability as you need. Tips to designing a model railway control panel model.
Powerful software features the key to userfriendly computer control. Cti electronics of baltimore, md is a developer of model train computer control software not free and associated interface hardware that will permit your dcc model train layout to run your trains and associated model railroad accessories using an ibm compatible personal computer pc. Building control panels model railroad hobbyist magazine. Expand your options of fun home activities with the largest online selection at. Apart from the increased cost of the dcc control unit and having to put a decoder into each locomotive, one drawback is the number of buttons you need to press. Signalogic systems model railroad switch control systems. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. The materials and software were different, but the basic idea is still the same. A standard fascia mounted panel is also available to allow the user to control a switch and confirm the position of the switch. No boosters, command stations, additional wiring, computers, proprietary throttles or any cv programming required. Feb 7, 2016 control panel wiring with leds how to model railroads. Control panel design and materials model railroad hobbyist.
Dec 02, 2014 building a control panel there isnt any one particular way to build a control panel nor is there any one particular material to build one out of. I am at the point where i need to design and build a control panel for my yard and other turnouts on my railroad. How to build a control panel for your model railroad. Their locations can determine where people will tend to congregate and how well traffic will move throughout the layout room. Because of its broad range of features traincontroller is perfectly suited for beginners and professional model railroaders. Control panel designs model railway control panels. Hobby enthusiasts use our custom made physical control panels, an ipad app, or both, to control the turnouts, track power and uncouplers on their layout. My railroad construction plans are all hand drawn on graph paper. With traincontroller, we offer worldclass software for model railroad computer control. With scarm you can easily create the layout of your dreams. Another section discusses how to construct a model railroad control panel with led lights that denote turnout control and position.
Then, he distinguishes a fast clock from a regular clock and determines its purpose in model railroading. Another section discusses how to construct a model railroad control panel with led lights that denote turnout control. Us20140360399a1 wireless model railroad control system. If your control board is angled or vertical in orientation, you may have to set up the transformer on a small shelf separate from. This page introduces the application, and how to use it. You can manage your locomotive rosters and easily program your decoders using decoderpro. The pacific southern model railway psry has over 600 feet of mainline on a two and a half time around basement layout. Scarm the leading design software for model railroad layouts. Using an additional software package, or features in your board design package, you can also duplicate your design multiple times onto a single pcb panel. Anyrail the easiest model railroad design software. Trainplayer offers thousands of great layouts you can run, simple but precise tools so you can design and build your own, and an integrated system.
All this using existing infrastructure found in every home or club setting. Control panels can have a great impact on the overall success of any model railroad. Here is a description of a relatively easy control panel to build and some techniques to follow in building it. Control software cti model railroad computer control. Allen keller explains the four main components of the dispatcher control panel. You can dispatch trains, configure routes, and assign blocks, all with a single click of the mouse. Use panelpro to run locomotives, throw turnouts, control signals, and even create control panels. Mrrm interfaces to jmri include realtime commanding of turnouts and signals, realtime feedback of turnouts, signals, sensors, and digitrax transponders, loco and roster xml file exchanges with decoder pro, generation of jmri automation scripts. Designing with anyrail is like having the run of the ultimate model railway shop. Model train table plans assembly instructions materials and tools lists for building a simple 4 foot by 8 foot model train table with storage shelf mar 2 2012 didyouknow you can learn how to build a train table over on lionel s how to build ho. Control panels can be very plain or ornate, depending on the wants and desires of the person who is building the panel. The control panel is usually the most used feature of a model railway.
Flexible tape for model railroad control panelsflexible 18 inch tape follows curves, loops and other complex shapes with ease, so its perfect for rendering your model railroad track plan on your control panel. Model railroad yard design, tips, and understanding the basics of real railroad yards. Track diagram software model railroader magazine trains. A model railroad control panel is a central place where all or most of the electrical control of your layout occurs.
Thats it, you now have a control panel for your model railroad. Atlas track planning software atlas model railroad. I will show you how i build control panels on the albuquerque carnuel and tijeras rr. Mrcs is your home for open source electronics for model railroad operations. Replacing a traditional control panel with touch toggles gives better access and readability. You can dispatch trains, configure routes, and assign blocks, all. Weve included every train set component we can find, so you can draw on all the major manufacturers to create the perfect railroad layout.
An electrically continuous rail that connects both power packs to complete the common electrical circuit. The next generation of model railroad computer control the cti system is a new approach to model railroading that makes controlling your layout fast, easy, and most of all, fun. Track diagram software model railroader magazine model. Signal, block detection, turnout control, and dispatch panel. Model railroad computer control with traincontroller. Signalogic systems provides solutions for modellers to control switches on their model railroad layout utilizing a standard control and feedback configuration.
The panel has vgrooves so you simply snap apart the individual boards. Another name for a directcurrent power pack with speed and direction controls to operate a train. I put 21 copies of the same circuit onto a single panel. Model railroad manager endorses the use of and contributes to the jmri open software initiative. This panel will usually include your main transformers, or controls to your transformers, for turning the power to your layout on or off. Many model railway enthusiasts enjoy the manual input of switching turnouts or having the ability to detect the presence of a train on hidden areas of the layout particularly fiddle yards. Tortoise and twincoil switch machines are currently supported. I f you design, build, or operate a model railroad or you ever thought about doing so or you just like to run trains then youre in the right place.
Trainplayer software brings model railroading out of the basement and onto your screen. You can build control panels and control your layout using. Michael graff deo adjuvante labor proficit swedish custom model builder. Control panel lighting the following figure depicts a model railroad control panel whereupon red and green leds are used to show model train turnout position. So its unplug wire to the power, unplug wire to layout bus and a wire to loco net system. Acrylic sheet available at your local hardware store or home. Locofi allows simplified multi train multi user wireless model train control using intuitive smartphone app designed for pros and newbies alike. Locofi wifi model train control wifi sound decoders. This software allows you to create and customize your very own layout, view it as a 3d model and then generate a shopping list to make your dream layout a reality.
How to make a model railroad control panel from acrylic sheet and a printed track diagram. Digital command control resources for model railroaders. Nov 18, 2019 radio control modelers have used servos for years to control aircraft, vehicles and boats. Panels can be manufactured to most shapes and sizes and can include rack mounted systems for private and commercial installations as shown below featuring cnc drilling with screen printed panels and draws to contain control apparatus. A standard fascia mounted panel is also available to allow the user to control a switch and confirm the position of the. Layout control for windows, macos and linux introduction.
Just download the setup package, install it and start editing your first track plan. Basically with the cti scheme your present manually. The turnout positions are indicated by bicolor 3mm leds. A method of wiring a model railroad using two or more power packs and track electrical blocks to allow independent operation of two or more trains. A panel is one or more background pictures, on which are drawn icons to represent turnouts, sensors and signals on the layout.
Control panel design suggestions model railroader magazine. The control panel software, which leads to a dispatchers control panel, was able to directly transfer all the data from the layout. A control system for a model railroad includes a wireless transceiver circuit, associated with a model railroad device, and control software, operable upon a general purpose wireless smart device, comprising programming code for bidirectional wireless communication with the wireless transceiver circuit. Simply transfer a scale drawing of your track plan to the panel, then apply the tape over the lines to create a clear, professionallooking layout diagram. As you may have already discovered, controlling a model train is a rather simple matter. Ive seen the usual use of masonite, plexiglass, and some sheet metal, but im looking for other ideas. Download model railroad control panel interface for free. I am curious as to what software or computer program everyone uses to create the track diagrams for their control panels.
Rocrail is free software for controlling model trains for linux, apple. The july 2019 issue of model railroader magazine features a buyers guide for digital command control dcc starter systems. And as your railroad empire grows, your cti system is ready to grow right along with it. Our cpnode system is an updated, completely open, layout control system based on the popular and proven cmri system introduced by dr. Arduino based interface to connect a control panel to the pc. This panel will usually include your main transformer s, or controls to your transformers, for turning the power to your layout on or off. How to build a model railroad control panel youtube. Gadgetronicx electronics projects diy model train controller project.
Signalogic systems offers model railroad switch turnout control throw solutions. Xtrackcad is a cad program for designing model railroad layouts. Building a control panel there isnt any one particular way to build a control panel nor is there any one particular material to build one out of. With cti, you can interface your entire model railroad to any windows compatible computer. Scarm means simple computer aided railway modeller software for easy and precise design of model train layouts and railroad track plans.
The jmri project is building tools for model railroad computer control. With the jmri panel editor, you can make a control panel look and operate any way you want. Another method is to use either material and mount a computer printed template over the supporting panel. You can manage your locomotive rosters and easily program your decoders. We design and manufacture control panels for the model railway hobby. We want it to be usable to as many people as possible, so were building it in java to run anywhere, and were trying to make it independent of specific hardware systems. Other software, allows for train control and acts like a cab throttle. Model railroader is the worlds largest magazine on model trains and model railroad layouts. Until recently, servos were avoided in model railroads because of the control complexity and mounting difficulty. Control panel designs model railway control panels custom. Using touch toggles in a large model railroad panel. Cats uses jmri for accessing the layout hardware and provides the logic for tying the hardware pieces together. Physical control panel mounted on layout with optional mounting bracket. Feb 5, 20 how to build a control panel for your model railroad.