techhobbies

I finally got there. Two trains running together and not requiring any user intervention. The outer loop was easy, but the inner loop is two independent reverse loops tied together. To make this work without my activating turnouts, I used the DCCConcepts LM-iD to sense when a train is getting close to the turnout, which then toggles the Cobalt IP Digital which is the turnout point motor. This was the magic sauce. It works great too, and didn't take too long to wire up.

I got the idea for this from the DCC Guy who did the same thing. I was going to try to do this with an Arduino and some current detectors I have, but this required a LOT less effort and wiring honestly. You can find it on his channel at video 197.

https://www.youtube.com/@TheDCCGuy

Note, I do actually have the correct Metra loco for the commuter, but it's not working right. I think I shorted the track the wrong way and it damaged it a while back, but I don't know. I'm probably going to swap the decoder at some point as a test.

DCC Concepts LM-iD
https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/legacy-models-intelligent-detector-single-pack/

Cobalt IP Digital
https://www.dccconcepts.com/product-category/the-cobalt-collection/cobalt-point-motors/cobalt-ip-digital/