Tindie Weblog | Highly effective Mannequin Practice Controller

For hackers into mannequin railways, customizing each element and having full management over locomotives is paramount. A regular serial protocol for communication with mannequin trains referred to as DCC permits management over a number of locomotives on the identical monitor. It makes use of modulation on prime of the voltage rail to speak and ship instructions. The OpenDec02 board not solely decodes DCC packets, it additionally has a PID motor management loop for sustaining pace below various masses. Auxiliary outputs can be found for controlling on-board lighting.

The OpenDec02 is a 4-layer board with energy planes, which assist heatsink the motor controller. It might probably drive motors at as much as 2.8A repeatedly, so long as the warmth is dissipated. Being based mostly across the venerable RP2040 dual-core ARM Cortex-M0+ chip, there may be loads of energy and an enormous variety of present libraries to include and play with! The mission is fully open supply, so you may modify the prevailing firmware so as to add any options you may want. The newest firmware comes flashed onto the 8MB flash so you may get began immediately. Merely hook up the board to the locomotive’s motor and energy provide, and it’ll begin decoding DCC packets!

The mission is predicated on a mission by Gabriel Koppenstein however the format has been up to date and you should purchase them pre-made as a substitute of DIY fabrication. If you happen to’re searching for a locomotive management board on your mannequin railway, undoubtedly check out the OpenDec02!