It is part of the MERG CBUS solution, so it might be a challenge to make a LocoNet interface or otherwise route the information to a PC.Īnother thing that might be worth exploring is counting wheels. So again no electronics in the rolling stock. An RFID tag must be glued underneath each locomotive or wagon. The MERG solution is as far as I know integrated into RocRail. But again – it is on RocRails list of supported systems.
#Rocrail block update
Barjut delivers data to the PC via USB, but according to the homepage, the RocRail driver is not finished (latest update is from 2009). The sensor consists mainly of a laser diode (from a pointing device) and a photo transistor and an Atmel ATMega. it will work for non-powered wagons as well.
Besides, it is already on the list of supported command stations in RocRail, so the interface might be there already.īarjut is based on a bar-code on a sticker underneath each wagon or locomotive. But the protocol is quite simple, so it should be possible to implement a RocRail interface. According to the homepage, Per started the project in 2004 and the latest posting is from 2012, where only a simple test program for the PC existed. I assume a USB connection could be implemented.
#Rocrail block serial
The stationary decoders delivers data to the PC via a serial connection – i.e. This again means that only wagons with power will be detected. Per’s demands some electronics in terms of a PIC and a couple of IR-diodes in every locomotive or wagon. In this category, there are also a couple of DIY systems that could be worth considering: RocRail also mentions the usual commercially available systems, such as Lissy. Reed switches, hall sensors, infrared sensors as well as current sensors and the cheapest option for 3-rail systems: Disconnect one of the outer rails on a small piece of track (which is how Märklins “contact” track is made). RockRail describes the usual point-sensors, i.e. when the last collector shoe leaves the block. when the first collector shoe in a train enters the block – and as another event when the current draw ceases, i.e. And the definition of a block is “the path between two switches”.Īs I am using a LocoNet encoder, RocRail will see my current sensors as an event when current start to be drawn in a block – i.e. RocRail suggests a very different strategy: Two or rather three sensors per block. And also the the PC program cannot see where in a block the locomotive is.Īs an alternative to current sensors, there is also voltage sensors.
But it also means that wagons that do not draw current from the track cannot be tracked. It means that each and every piece of track – even the switches – are covered by a sensor, so that the program on the PC can track all locomotives on the entire layout. I have simply wired all blocks to feed them through individual current sensors. From the very beginning, I was convinced that current sensors is the right solution.
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