Latest Activities...
Submitted by stevenh on Wed, 04/01/2009 - 07:49I've just finished uploading photos from Melbourne and a few of an 81-Class diesel pulling the Canberra fuel train.
The latter are in the Canberra Gallery and the Melbourne shots are in their new home.
UPDATED!... The Canberra Gallery has been updated with the most recent ARHS trip to Bundanoon/Brigadoon.
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Installing headlights in a TomyTec Nankai 21000 Series
Submitted by stevenh on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 19:07The TomyTec Tetsudou (Japanese for 'Railway') Collection is a set of static plastic train models released sometime back in 2006. They are initially meant for display, since they come with a piece of plastic track for mounting, but can be converted to working models with the help of other TomyTec products.
This post will introduce the Nankai 21000系 EMU produced by TomyTec in the 3rd series of their Tetsudou Collection. I will show what I've done to convert it to a working model and how I've managed to also add headlights.
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Layout obtained, Trains purchased.
Submitted by stevenh on Sat, 01/24/2009 - 21:06- Add new comment
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DCC "Directional" Lighting without a Decoder
Submitted by stevenh on Wed, 12/24/2008 - 16:47So, you have a 16-Car, 12-Car, 8-Car, 6-Car or 3-Car consist and you want to get the tail/head lights functioning correctly? Of course, you've already installed the expensive decoder in the engine car of the consist and if this is anything like all of the Japanese models I've dealt with, then it's somewhere in the middle and getting the power to the headlights is not really an option.
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Micro Ace KIHA 485 "あいづ" 6-Car Decoder Install
Submitted by stevenh on Wed, 12/24/2008 - 16:01
KIHA 485
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Booster Complete.
Submitted by stevenh on Thu, 11/27/2008 - 09:02Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am proud to finally announce that the Booster has been completed and tested.
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Photo Galleries
Submitted by stevenh on Sat, 11/01/2008 - 07:43Whilst working out the best values for the 'trip' resistors on the Booster I've been uploading photos I've taken around the place of trains.
So far this consists of Japan, Yass and Canberra... an odd mix.
Find the links here (also on the menu on the right):
Japan, December 2007 - February 2008
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Final PCB Board Complete!
Submitted by stevenh on Tue, 10/28/2008 - 17:57Well, Silver Circuits manufactured and delivered my PCB much much quicker than expected and I'm not complaining!
PCB Board (on angle)
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PCB Design Complete
Submitted by stevenh on Tue, 10/21/2008 - 19:34Well, after a long fight of finding appropriate software and then design I've finally sent off the final (if not entirely messy) design to the manufacturers...
PCB Design
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DCC Booster Prototype Mark II
Submitted by stevenh on Sun, 10/12/2008 - 12:44Ok, hot off the development 'floor':
Booster Prototype 2 (Short-circuit protection)
...is the Booster Prototype 2.
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Eizan Dentetsu (叡山電鉄) Kirara 900 Decoder Install
Submitted by stevenh on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 22:54I'd bought both the Maple Red and Maple Orange versions of this EMU back in 2006 when I first went to Japan and have always loved the quality and performance.
Kirara 900
Since the latest trend has been to DCC all my gear, I had decided that what better candidate next than to do one of these up.
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trainControl evolves...
Submitted by stevenh on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 16:05After a few more days of work the trainControl application has evolved further:
trainControl
- Loading and saving of trains/connection config
- Resizable
- Add/Delete trains via interface
- Connect/Disconnect on the fly
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trainControl v0.1 created!
Submitted by stevenh on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 14:30After 3 days of coding/learning/coding-again I managed to whip together a fairly usable *nix console application to control the DCC System.
trainControl v0.1
It is a client for the srcpd service mentioned previously and can control any number of trains.
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Controlling the Booster from Linux
Submitted by stevenh on Fri, 09/26/2008 - 10:18After losing the source code to my DCC Throttle application I decided it was time to get the whole system controlled from Linux (or, in my case, Debian.)
I'd known that the DDW Server I'd been using was based off srcpd and that they were more-or-less compatible.
After a lot of tinkering (making sure libraries/compilers/etc... were installed) I finally got srcpd compiled and running.
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EF81 (Twilight Express) Marker Lights
Submitted by stevenh on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 21:20Well, after a successful Decoder + Headlight install I thought I'd attempt to get the reverse marker lights going as well.
I'd been told on the JNS forums that these lights are used very rarely in Japan and that explained why the model manufacturers (in this case Tomix) didn't bother to put lights behind them.
Despite this there is a 'tube' of clear, but red, plastic behind the marker lights and this means that I would only have to get an LED lined up behind it to get them to work.
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EF81 (Twilight Express) DCC Decoder Install
Submitted by stevenh on Sun, 07/27/2008 - 16:38Well... This wasn't anywhere near as easy as I was hoping... The Japanese really know how to use every last bit of space in their models and although the full-metal chassis adds a nice amount of weight for smooth running, it is hell when trying to make room for a decoder.
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Prototype Booster Complete!
Submitted by stevenh on Thu, 07/17/2008 - 22:01Well... after a night of work (and using my breadboard version as basis) of soldering and drilling I have a prototype!
Rear and internal views
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Odoriko 185 Series Decoder Install
Submitted by stevenh on Wed, 07/16/2008 - 13:02Enter the Odoriko Express Passenger train; This was always going to be a challenge...
Odoriko 185 Series in original colour
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Homegrown DCC tinkerings...
Submitted by stevenh on Wed, 07/16/2008 - 10:41Ok, after a miriad of attempts to control my model railroads with computers (parallel port to relays, voltage controls, etc...) I decided it was time to go to DCC... I mean... why not use the rails as a data bus and have all the logic inside the locomotives themselves. I had decided that all the european command stations were too expensive and that I would do as some of the references below have done and just use my computer to push out the 1's and 0's. Anyway, after a lot of trial and error I have a working prototype... but stay tuned for something more production ready.
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Blog Innauguration
Submitted by stevenh on Wed, 07/16/2008 - 10:01Ladies and Gents,
Welcome to the first post of my Blog which should entail all sorts of shit from TTD, Model Rail, DCC, etc...
I'll hopefully start with my story of creating the DCC <-> Computer Booster Board and getting it to run with free software sourced from the web... following will be my plight to install a Hornby DCC Decoder (R8215) into my 5-Car Odoriko Set.
After this I'll just try to attempt the site as much as I can with my tinkerings and keep people informed on how to DCC MRR on the cheap :)
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