Model Railroad & Misc. Electronics

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555 Timers

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(2008) Automatic Grade Crossing Circuit - Gate And Signals Operation - Circuitboards and Parts

(2004) Automatic Grade Crossing Circuit - Signals Operation - Circuitboards and Parts

UNIPOLAR And BIPOLAR Stepper Motor Driver Circuits - Circuitboards and Parts

Traffic Light Control Circuit (20 Step Sequencing Circuit) - Circuitboards and Parts

Quadruple And Octuple Infrared - Proximity Detectors - Circuitboards and Parts

8 - Photo-Detector Circuitboards - 2 Versions - Circuitboards and Parts

VT-5 - DCC Block Occupancy Detector - Circuitboards Available

Stall-Motor Switch Machine Drivers - Circuitboards and parts

DCC Ammeter - Circuitboards and Parts - Reduced Price

Product Warrantee             Shipping           Power Supplies

Introduction

  Welcome to my page of electronic circuits that are mostly for model railroads. Shown are designs that were developed to solve certain problems or achieve a desired control function. There are throttle, train detection, animation, control and general purpose circuits on this page.

  Following this section is a list of the circuits that appear on these pages. Select one of the internal page links or scroll down the page until you find something of interest.

  The link under the paragraphs in each section will take you to the document from which the text is taken. These documents will provide more detailed explanations and schematics for the circuits.

  The circuits listed in the index sections appear in no particular order but have been loosely grouped by the type of function they perform. The Numbers to the left of the index listings are arbitrary. There is also a "Miscellaneous Items Index" that features circuits that may not be model railroad related and also non electronic items.

  A number of the circuits on this site, in their original form, are in use by the London Model Railroad Group. This large 'O' Scale club layout is located at 69 Holbourne Ave., London, Ontario, Canada. Public viewing nights are the first Tuesday of the month from October to May.

  Some of the circuits on this page are of general interest, generally mine, and may seem to be of limited use. They are none the less, functional and at the very least a useful waste of my time.

  If you have questions, comments or need some help regarding the circuits on these pages you may contact me via email at: Rob Paisley. (rpaisley4@cogeco.ca)

Rob Paisley

  Note: The terms NORMAL and REVERSE for turnout alignment on the pages listed in this section are arbitrary and will depend on the actual needs of the user of the circuits.

The "index.html" Page Of This Site

A Few Links to Other Sites

Where On The Planet Is This Page Located

  The circuit is upgraded version of the 2004 - Railway Grade Crossing Circuit shown on this site. The upgrade allows the circuit to automatically control crossing signals and gates in a prototypical manner.

  The circuit uses a bidirectional time delay that staggers the gates and lights so that they operate as would be seen at a typical crossing.

  The booster shown on this page uses the LMD1800 motor driver bridge IC. It is rated for a maximum current of 3 amps and uses a 15 volt power supply.

  In these circuits a transformer is used to isolate the detector circuitry from the track power circuit.

  The circuits on this page are for an Infrared - Proximity Detector using the Vishay Electronics - TSOP4830 "IR Receiver Modules for Remote Control Systems".

  The circuit shown on this page is a reasonably Low Cost, Hi-Tech ammeter that can be used with DCC systems. The circuit's meter output is always has the same polarity regardless of the input polarity. This allows a low cost DC voltmeter or milliammeter to be used to monitor a DCC current.

  This page features a circuit that has twenty open collector outputs that turn on one at a time in a continuous sequential manner. The circuit make use of the 74LSxx family of TTL integrated logic devices. The circuits are designed to drive light emitting diodes or low current, low voltage incandescent lights but can also drive other loads of up to 80 milliamps.

  The circuit breakers on this page make use of the Zetex - ZXCT-1009 "High Side Current Monitor' integrated circuit. The circuits have variable trip current settings and are designed for low current applications.

  Two circuit breaker designs are shown; The first has its power isolation device on the Low or common side of the circuit while the second has it isolation device on the High or supply side of the circuit. Both designs use MOSFET isolation devices.

  The circuit on this page is for a simple light detector circuit board that has 8 detectors that can be used with visible or infrared light systems. The detectors use LM339 voltage comparators as the active element.

  There are 2 versions of the 8 unit Photo-Detector circuitboard. Circuitboards and parts are available for both versions of this circuit.

  The original photo-detector circuitboard where the Outputs Are LOW When The Inputs Are HIGH. (The LEDs are ON when the Phototransitors are dark.) and a new photo-detector circuitboard where the Outputs Are LOW When The Inputs Are LOW. (The LEDs are ON when the Phototransitors are exposed to light.)

  The circuits on this page are switch machine drivers that can be used to operate Stall-Motor type switch machine motors. The circuits use LM324 Quad or 358 Dual operational Amplifier chips to provide a PUSH-PULL output to reverse the polarity of the supply to the switch machine motors.

  "AT" type computer power supplies are often used by model railroaders to provide accessory power for their layouts. These supplies are reasonably inexpensive due to their age and have been removed from old personal computers.

  This block occupancy detection circuit uses a current sense transformer to isolate the detector circuit from the track power circuit. The output section of the circuit takes its power from an external power supply and uses a LM555 timer to provide the release time delay and both an Open Collector and Bipolar output each detector.

  Two block occupancy detectors using diodes and voltage comparators.

  This page presents block occupancy detector designed for general purpose use on systems where the polarity of the power to the track is reversible.

  This page is about a block occupancy detector that uses an optoisolator to electrically separate the track from the detector output. Four variations of the detector are shown.

  Some simple signals circuits that do not have pages of their own.

  This page shows a less expensive alternative to screw type terminal blocks for use on printed circuit boards. These are described as "Push-In Terminals for 0.042" Dia. Holes" and require soldering of external connections.

  The images shown on this page show circuits that can used to measure and record with a LEGO® RCX Brick that comes with the LEGO® MINDSTORMS and LEGO® ROBOLAB robotics sets

  The ciruit on this page is for a rechargeable battery tester using a LEGO® RCX Brick to gather voltage verses time data and then upload the data to a PC using the ROBOLAB Software.

  This page features a replacement circuit for the LM3909 LED Flasher / Oscillator. The replacement circuit uses discrete components and is essentially the same as the internal circuit of the LM3909.

  This is an inexpensive way to make a stepped resistance box using a Single Pole - Twelve Position rotary switch and eleven resistors for each switch.

  This pages in this section of the site will present basic information about electronics for Model Railroaders. Pages will be posted with information on various components and simple circuits that a model railroaders are likely to use in their hobby.

  These circuits allow an ON-ON type DPDT toggle switch to control a twin coil switch machine motor. The handle of switch can then be used to indicate the route selected. The circuits are also able to control LEDs that could be used to indicate the selected route.

  This circuit allow an ON-ON type DPDT toggle switch to control a single coil switch machine motor such as those made by Kato®. The handle of switch can then be used to indicate the route selected. The circuit is also able to control LEDs that could be used to indicate the selected route.

  This circuit is for a "F.R.E.D." that is designed to be used with DCC control systems. The circuit is based on the LM555 timer chip.

  The circuit on this page provides realistic operation of the flashing signals at a level grade crossing. The circuit uses six photo transistors to control the operation of the flashers and can easily supply up to four sets of LED flashers ( 8 LEDs).

  The circuit on this page is a 6 Aspect driver for a bicolour LED type Searchlight Signal. The available signal indications are; SOLID - RED, YELLOW, GREEN, and FLASHING - RED, YELLOW and GREEN. The circuit can also turn the signal OFF for approach lighting if desired.

  This page attempts to show the voltage waveforms associated with model railroad DCC systems as they would be seen with an oscilloscope. Also methods of measuring DCC system voltages and currents are shown.

  This page shows schematics and diagrams for a MiniDCC© system that was built for my personal use.

  This page features schematics and diagrams that are for use with the MiniDCC© system. - A DCC ( Digital Command Control) do-it-yourself project....

  This page features H-Bridge circuits used for controlling direct current motors. Several designs are shown using both CMOS and Bi-Polar power devices.

  This page presents a new version of the - 'Modernized "Toy" Throttle' circuit that is shown on the 'Various Transistor Throttles' page at this site.

  This version was specifically design to be used by a handicapped person and is controlled by a single axis joy stick that operates microswitches at each end of its arc of travel.

  This page presents signal driver circuits that are simple, efficient and inexpensive to build. These circuits provide only the most basic of signaling functions.

  This circuit would be used to hold a BLOCK OCCUPIED condition as a train passes out of the block even if the normal detector is not sensing a train.

  The calculators on this page can be used to find current limiting resistors and currents for Light Emitting Diodes.

  The first calculator determines the resistance for a desired LED current while the second calculates the current for a given resistance.

  Some power supply and control options for Stall-Motor switch machines

  This page shows some methods of track routing control for Stall-Motor type switch machines. The principle method uses a 2 Pole - Multi Position rotary switch while an alternate uses optoisolators and transistors to select the routes.

  Some pictures of the tunnel boring machine used to dig the second railway tunnel under the St. Clair river and between Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan.

  This page presents general information and tips for the LM555 timer. If you would like to try any of these ideas please take time to do some experimenting before using them in an actual circuit. All of the solutions on this page can be applied to the LM556 Dual timer chip as well.

  Also on this page are calculators that will give the output times of LM555 timers for a given set of component values.

  This page presents a low tech, low cost and reasonably simple automatic reversing circuits. They uses toy train set power packs to control the top speed of the shuttle while diodes in the track circuit provide a method of stopping the shuttle at the ends of the track as well as crude control of the trains acceleration and deceleration.

  The circuits on this page are basic designs for "Diode Matrix" switch machine control systems that can be used to operate "Stall-Motor" switch machines in 'Ladder' type storage yards or other multiple turnout areas.

  The driver circuits themselves use LM556 dual timer chips to reverse the polarity of the voltage to the switch machine motors.

  The circuits on this page are switch machine drivers that can be used to operate Stall-Motor type switch machine motors. The circuits use LM556 dual timer chips to provide a PUSH-PULL output to reverse the polarity of the supply to the switch machine motors.

This train detector makes use of hand held laser pointer devices that are widely available to detect trains over long distances.

  This page is about automatic reversing loop control circuits. The first switch machine controller is very basic. More complicated circuits will be added as they can be thought up and tested out.

  This page shows an automatic Reversing Loop Switch Machine control circuit for Stall-Motor type switch machines. The switch machine used to develop this circuit is the Circuitron - Tortoise™ (Model number 800-6000) slow motion type switch machine motor.

  The "Automatic Station Stop Circuit" brings a train to a station stop in two braking steps and then sends the train on its way after a set period of time.

  The first braking step slows the train gradually until it is at the station. The second brake step then stops the train just quickly enough to allow the first or second coach to stop in front of the station.

  This page features a simple, three IC unipolar stepper motor driver that can be used to drive relatively low speed applications at currents up to 1 ampere per phase. The circuit is made with parts that are available from a variety of sources.

  This page features a Bipolar stepper motor driver using three ICs. The circuit can be used to drive relatively low speed applications at currents up to 0.6 amperes per phase. The circuit uses parts that are available from a variety of sources.

  This page features basic, visible light photo-detector circuits that can be used to detect trains. These methods would normally be used with the photo sensor mounted between the rails.

  This page presents various capacitor discharge power supply circuits for use with twin coil switch machine motors. Also shown are some optional wiring methods that can be used to enhance the availability and control of these supplies.

  The following diagram shows the pinouts for some of the integrated circuits and transistors used on these pages.

  This page presents information on infrared - 'Across The Track' train detection circuits. The circuits are designed around the LM339 comparator chip and can use a wide assortment of matched infrared - emitter / detector pairs.

  The following are Low Power - Grade Crossing Flasher circuits based on the LM555 and LM556 timer chips. They are designed to drive Light Emitting Diodes but could be used to drive low current incandescent lamps.

  Here is a way to use old wire coat hangers to make simple and efficient wiring harness guides that can help keep your layout wiring neat and tangle free.

  This page features a photo and schematic from an article that was published in the August 1994 issue of Model Railroader Magazine. The article was titled "Build a model railroad odometer car".

  The following is a method to allow day and night detection using Infrared/Visible light sensitive phototransistors and a simple LM339 voltage comparator circuit.

  The Crossing Diamond Protection circuit is designed to prevent collisions where one rail line crosses another. Using phototransistor sensors to detect a train the circuit will disconnect the track power from the line that crosses the occupied line.

  The circuits presented here will prevent turnouts from being thrown while a train is on the switch, ideal where the switch cannot be seen by the operator. They use phototransistor sensors to detect the train and have a short time delay to compensate for gaps between cars. The circuit can also be used to protect crossovers and ladder tracks with the addition of more sensors.

  This is a circuit that will give an audible warning that a train is entering a particular section of track. The detector also has a LED that indicates when a train is entering or leaving the block.

  The drawings and photos below are for an operating incline railway that was built by the London Model Railroad Group for its 'O' scale model railway club located at London, Ontario, Canada. This is a single car model loosely based on a double car incline that operated at Port Stanley, Ontario.

  This page will show a number of variations on transistor type throttles. The throttles range from 'tried and true' types to 'experimental' designs.

  The basic transistor throttle serves as a base to which other circuits are added.

  Please note that the links to the individual Transistor Throttle Circuits loads the entire page. This will result in a delay while all of the diagrams for this page transfer.

1. Throttle Power Supply
2. The Basic Throttle
3. Walk Around Control for The Basic Throttle
4. Auxiliary Throttle Controls
5. Basic Throttle with Unplugable Walk Around Control
6. Experimental and Test Throttles
7. Full and Half-Wave DC Test Throttle
8. Variable Width Pulse Type Throttle
9. Regulated Current Pulse Throttle
10. A Modernized Toy Throttle - June,1999
11. Fine Print Section for Transistor Throttles

  The schematic above is of a Three Terminal Regulator (TTR) design based on a LM350K regulator which has a 3 Amp current rating as opposed to the LM317K with a 1.5 Amp rating.

  The following is a schematic drawing of a Silicon Controlled Rectifier type throttle for use on larger scale model railroads. Three versions of this throttle are shown on this page. They are not sophisticated designs but work well and are tough and reliable.

  The following are examples of home made solid state relays that could be used to replace mechanical types in many model railroad circuits.

  The 5 Times Around circuit was designed to automatically let an N Scale locomotive and car travel around a loop 5 times and stop for approximately a minute and then repeat the cycle.

  This page will provide some basic information about voltage comparator integrated circuits and and to act as reference material for other circuits. These circuits are based on the LM339 Quad Voltage Comparator chip.

  The circuits on this page are for various type of voltage regulated power supplies.

  The Circuit is for a 'Shunt' type ammeter that allows a meter movement with a small current rating to be used to measure a much larger current. In this example 1 milliamp through the meter coil will represent 1.5 amps by shunting most of the current through the 0.1 Ohm resistor.

  Some diagrams related to various aspects of science in general.

  The circuits in the following list do not have a specific page dedicated to them. The schematics have very little, if any explanation accompanying them. Some of the circuits are experimental in nature.

  The circuits in this group are:

• Soldering Leads To Phototransistors And LEDs - Posted July, 2008

• Ultra-simple Stepper Motor Drivers - Posted May, 2008

• DCC Circuit Breaker

• DCC To DC Power Supplies For Accessory Circuits

• Train Mounted Camera Battery Charger

• 10, 8 And 6 Step LED Circuits (CD4017)

• LED Out Circuits For Tortoise Switch Machines

• Snubber Diodes Across Relay Coils

• Ir Receiver Modules for 37 to 58KHz

• School Bus Signals Circuit

• RC Servo Motor and Victor 884 Test Circuit (LM555)

• Grade Crossing Bell Ringer (LM555)

• Using Common Cathode Or Anode Leds As Bipolar LEDs

• Transformer Secondary Voltage Reduction

• Incandescent LED Circuit

• Bad And Good Circuit Board Solder Joints

• High Side Current Monitors (ZXCT-1009)

• Light Activated Detector Circuit (LM393/LM555)

• Special Function Timer Circuits (LM555)

• Timed DC Throttle

• Various LED Blinker Circuits

• Finding Bad Joints In Track Wiring

• Current Regulators For Light Emitting Diodes

• Current Vs. Voltage For Various Automotive Lamps

• Diode Type Constant Lighting Circuits

• Timed Uncoupling Ramp Driver (LM555)

• Grouped DCC Block Occupancy Detectors

• High Impedance Voltmeter Adapter

• Finding The Resistance Of Meter Coils

• DCC - Zero Stretching Simulator (LM555)

• Push Button Stop / Start Motor Control Circuits

• Colour Shifting for Bi-Colour LED's (LM555)

• 1200 Watt Lamp Dimmer (Q4015LT)

• Using 1 Transformer For 2 Throttles - Why It Cannot Be Done

• CA4060B Timer Circuits

• Low battery Voltage Cutout Circuits

• First Across The Line - Race Timers

• HIGH or LOW power switch

  If you use any of these circuit ideas, ask your parts supplier for a copy of the manufacturers data sheets for any components that you have not used before. These sheets contain a wealth of data and circuit design information that no electronic or print article could approach and will save time and perhaps damage to the components themselves. These data sheets can often be found on the web site of the device manufacturers.

  Although the circuits are functional the pages are not meant to be full descriptions of each circuit but rather as guides for adapting them for use by others. If you have any questions or comments please send them to the email address on the Circuit Index page.

  All HTML code, images, and page design, hereafter referred to as "content," contained within this site are the copyrighted property of Rob Paisley, and can not, under any circumstances, be cached, re-transmitted, copied, or altered without his explicit written permission, in which case, he shall be acknowledged as the copyright holder and author.

  Unless specifically stated in a written contract, Rob Paisley grants no licence to any party for the use of the content in this site for the manufacture and sale of goods, nor any other commercial utilization.

  Rob Paisley assumes no liability for any damages, direct, or consequential, which may arise from the dissemination, application, or misapplication of the content contained in this site. The User of the information provided in this site assumes all responsibility for any damages, direct or consequential, which may arise from its use. Rob Paisley retains the right to alter the content within this site at any time without notice.

  References to registered trademarks within this page are provided for informational use only, and are not intended as an endorsement for any service or product. Any such trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

  By clicking the links on this site, you, the User agrees to the above stated terms.

Revisions And Updates To This Site

Automatic Grade Crossing Flasher Circuit (2004) Added To - December, 2008

Power Supplies Added To - November, 2008

UNIPOLAR Stepper Motor Driver (74194) 2008 Added To - November, 2008

BIPOLAR Stepper Motor Driver (74194) Control Circuit Added - October, 2008

Automatic Railway Grade Crossing Circuit With Prototypical Crossing Gate Operation (2008) - Updated - September, 2008

8 - Photo-Detector Circuits - New Circuit Version - August, 2008

Dual - Transformer Type - Block Occupancy Detector For DCC - Reversed Outputs Added - July, 2008

Circuits Without Pages Of Their Own

Soldering Leads To Phototransistors And LEDs - Posted July, 2008

Ultra-simple Stepper Motor Driver Circuits - Posted May, 2008

Automatic Reversing Circuits - Inexpensive System - Added To - June, 2008

Rail Crossing Diamond Protection Circuit Circuit Added - May, 2008

DCC Ammeter (ZXCT1009) Circuits Added to - April, 2008

Traffic Light Control Circuit (20 Output Sequencing Circuit) Added To - March, 2008

Replacement For The LM3909 LED Flasher / Oscillator Updated - March, 2008

3 Amp Stand-Alone DCC Booster (LMD18200) Posted - March, 2008

My MiniDCC System - New Booster (LMD18200) - Added - February, 2008

Quadruple And Octuple Infrared - Proximity Detectors - Posted - January, 2008

London Model Railroad Group (2006)

28 December, 2008