Garden Railway Forum

I had a similar problem recently, the DFPlayer sound card I was playing with interfered with another 5 volt circuit (not the processor). I solved it as you with a schottky diode and capacitor. I also changed the layout to ensure the 0v and 5v lines of the offending device went directly to the regul...

As soon as I started testing I noticed an intermittent control problem. I'm using a picaxe to control the motor speed, direction and steering. But there is some interference which causes the picaxe to stop and restart its program. I am sure this is what is happening as if it’s in reverse at the time...

I use Peter Spoerer for laptop speakers. You need to be careful with buying small speakers on eBay due to quality and if it comes with a well made back box for reverb: http://www.peterspoerermodelengineers.com/90275/info.php?p=4 Well I've ordered some cheapies, so I'll report how they perform when ...

You could try and pick up a laptop speaker - generally compact, but of better quality than the mylar 'tranny' types. https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/231573236571?chn=ps&adgroupid=50138193029&rlsatarget=pla-398785771140&abcId=1130076&adtype=pla&merchantid=9679984&poi=&googleloc=...

Can you not fit a speaker in the roof of the cab? I have recorded that sound on the video onto a 20 sec sound recorder card. I only have a 25mm mylar speaker to test it, and it was just hopeless. I could fit two, 40mm mylar into the roof but I have used them before in a little diesel and the volume...

Loved the video Greg, it was a bit steep that hill…. :) Think the wheels need a pivot of some kind to keep them both on the ground on uneven surfaces don’t you think. In the full scale ones they have them don’t they.. :thumbright: It was working fine before I added the chains. I've loosened off the...

I have now finished the painting and added a few details,- many more could be added, but I doubt I’ll bother. I added some weight up front and glued rubber bands around the front wheels to get steering grip. And used chains for the steering. I need to loosen off the steering to keep the wheels on th...

I am just flabbergasted at your skills. It's always great to read about a project that is 'pushing the boundaries', even if way beyond my skills or needs. Just to add a little about using servos etc outside. I use Picaxe outside, usually in a small clip lock food container, which is then inside a bu...

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 11:43 pm NO...NO...NO... never! We need sensible communication and response to posts, not the simplicity to say 'like'..... that is the end of conversation!

I agree absolutely.

The system uses a small neodymium magnet on a steering arm under a battery powered vehicle to follow a steel wire laid just under the road surface. In garden scale the old Australian standby of fencing wire would probably work as the guide wire, if it was embedded in a cement road surface. The Fall...

Assuming that a strip could be magnetised strongly enough, then two reed switches mounted just inside the front wheels could detect when they approached and/or moved away from the strip and trigger an appropriate twitch to the steering. How easy that would be in practice and how effective, is anoth...

Sunday update. I managed to bash a bit of lead into a cylindrical shape which gave me 20g in the chimney. Then 25g under the electronics board and a circular piece of 25g glued on the inside of the smoke box door. A great improvement, even without the rubber band tyres. I also rewrote the picaxe pro...

Great build Greg. Going to throw this one out there but to make your automation easier can you not place a magnetic strip or some rails for the traction engine to use so you don't have to worry about steering? You only then need to code speed, forward and reverse. A good suggestion. No idea how to ...

Lead is easy enough to cast, all you need to melt it is an old soup ladle and a blowtorch, or a gas ring. I don't know if it is still easily available, but Woods Metal (Cerrobend) has a melting point of 70degC and is useful for weighting models, as it is safer to handle and can be cast into a plast...

Great video, but I don’t think putting lead around the gearbox would help much, but the lead in the smoke box would and it’s easy to fold to shape in the smoke box. :thumbright: But the smoke box has the electronics in it. I can perhaps fit a little lead, but not very much. It's going to be little ...

Looking good so far Greg - like the way you ran across the grass whilst turning! :D As for the weight on the front wheels, it looks as though the front axle is mounted to a block of wood under the smokebox, currently? Could you cast a block of lead to do the same thing? I've never tired casting lea...

I’ve been trying to NOT build any more locos as I have run out of storage room. But I’ve bent my rules again and decided to build a radio controlled (road) traction engine. Maybe I can drive it around the loungeroom? But it would be nice to see it trundle along Lilyvale’s main street. To do this it ...

Here's a couple of my 'wants'.

Posting this on behalf of Rik who's having internet access problems Update 6 After 31 hours, an overnight train, some slight trauma, 860km of travel distance, 6400ft of vertical travel, two spirals, eight reverse zig-zags and a 20C drop in temperature we have finally reached Darjeeling. Wow! A lifet...