Automated-Point-to-Point-Model-Railroad-With-Yard-Siding: The Arduino model opens up tremendous possibilities in railway road, especially when it comes to automation. It is a continuation of one of the previous projects.
The project consists of a railroad layout identifying a train and placing the train along the yard. With the help of feedback mechanism and train and turnout, all operations are controlled through an Arduino Microcontroller board.
Automated Point to Point Model Railroad With Yard Siding Steps:
Here is what you will require for the build:
- Arduino board is compatible with Adafruit motor shield v2.3.
- Adafruit motor shield v2.3
- Expansion shield(Optional, recommended to expand the +5V and GND pins of the Arduino board in order to connect the sensors.)
- 3 ‘censored’ tracks.
- 4 male to male jumper wires
- 3 sets of 3 male to female jumper wires(A total of 9 wires used for connecting the 3 pins of each sensor to the Arduino board and power.)
- A 12-volt DC power source current capacity of at least 1A(1000mA).
- USB cable to connect the Arduino board to the computer.
- A computer to program the Arduino microcontroller.
Program the Arduino Microcontroller
Make sure your Arduino IDE has the Adafruit Motor Shield library installed. You can get complete documentation about the motor shield and the necessary software from this link.
Test Layout
Kato Unitrack unit is great for making temporary layouts, especially for testing purposes. The length of the track in the main line (any length between points A and B is possible.) Make sure all the joints of the rail are properly formed and the track rails are properly cleaned.
Install the Motor Driver Shield on the Arduino Board and Connect It to Track Power and Turnout
Carefully install the shield on the Arduino board by aligning the shield pins with the Arduino board headers. Do this gently and make sure no shield pins are bent.
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