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2018 mini os track layout6/2/2023 NodeMCU’s are otherwise programmed with LUA, a custom script which I’m not familiar with. The fact that some dedicated software developers had ported the NodeMCU for use with Arduino also greatly contributed to the ease of use. This enables it to be controlled with any wifi-equipped device, like a mobile phone, tablet or PC. The Hectorrail 141 is controlled by a NodeMCU which is a small develpment board containing an Wifi-chip (ESP8266) and lots of memory making it possible to program an entire wifi accesspoint and webserver into the board. This worked very well and the Hectorrail 141 can take both the narrowest curves and the switches at considerable speed. Therefor, when I embarked on the next project, a Hectorrail 141, I did not draw it to scale, but shortened it and reduced the size in order to increase functionality. This however proved tough to get to work because I have a much narrower curvature of the track than scale which meant that the wheels very easily derails, especially in the switches. ![]() First I modeled the in Sweden very common RC6 in scale. Plows proved tough to print and were dividedĪfter the Z70 and a couple of freight cars (hopper, container and tanker) it was time for something a bit more advanced. I’ve used this as a complement to the 6x3x2,5mm ball bearings I’ve used. The shafts are made from carbon fiber rod which is usually abrasive, but dummy bearings printed in PLA holds remarkable well. PLA also has an interesting feature, it is very resilient to ware. Many times the strength need is exaggerated and PLA works fine for most applications, this is a good example of that. The wheels are printed in PLA, and works very well. They can be used with simple PWM motor drivers like this one: These are with great certainty leftovers from a scrapped industrial project, or replacements as they are many times more expensive new from factory. Motors like this one can be found on ebay. I soon replaced the motor with a 16mm DC-motor with planetary gearbox, which proved to both increase battery life and speed. ![]() This was the easiest way of getting it to run as a test, however RC-servos have quite a substantial gear reduction so the speed was very low. The first generation of the electronics used 4pcs AAA batteries and an Arduino Leonardo board and a standard RC-servo had to donate motor and controller board. My interest is purely technical, and in this I found a multidimensional challenge that ticked all my creative boxes, mechanical design, scale, function, electronics but also involved my kids which gave the project a purpose. ![]() When looking at all this it might look like I’m a train geek, but that’s actually not the case. Next thing was designing rolling stock, and my first project became the locomotive I remember that I had in my Märklin H0 model train system when I was young, a locomotive called Z70.
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