I’ve updated my page on my Switch Machine Controller design, adding more information on how the controller and driver modules are designed to connect together. This includes a design for an Arduino UNO based test setup to verify that multiple Switch Machine Controllers sharing an I²C bus work as expected.

I’ve added a new block diagram to the Switch Machine Controllers page to better showing how the controller and driver modules for controlling switch machines are meant to be connected.

I’ve made some extensive changes to the Switch Machine Controllers page, adding a connection diagram for the driver modules and removing the drawings of breadboard layouts. It should be easier to follow now.

Added some information regarding modeling railroad turntables.

First, I added some back-of-the-envelope calculations to the Railroad Turntable page to verify that the maximum speed of my planned stepper motor will not be exceeded. Also, on the Turntable Calculations page I edited a note regarding Adafruit replacing their 16:1 geared stepper motor with a 64:1 model. As of November 2021 they have reversed that change, so the 16:1 motors are again being sold. Based on the maximum-speed calculations I mentioned above, this is a very good thing. 😉

I corrected some links on page https://modelrailroadelectronics.blog/switch-machine-controllers/ in the Software section.

Unfortunately, our planned venue for Arduino Day 2020, the Chinn Park Regional Library in Woodbridge, Virginia, has cancelled all summer programs due to their ongoing closure from the COVID-19 pandemic. So we will not be holding an Arduino Day event in June of this year after all. I am hoping to put on some sort of STEM/STEAM event there later this year. I will post an announcement here if that comes to be.

Due to the closures and restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Arduino Day 2020 event at the Chinn Park Regional Library in Woodbridge VA has been rescheduled to Saturday, June 20, 2020, from noon to 4 PM. (This just happens to be the Summer Solstice too. 😉 )

Saturday, March 21, 2020 will be Arduino Day 2020, a worldwide collection of public events where computer hobbyists get a chance to exhibit their Arduino-based projects. Each of the past few years has seen about 600 such events on Arduino Day.

This year, the Makers and Microcomputers Meetup group (https://www.meetup.com/Makers-and-Microcomputers-Woodbridge-VA/) will be teaming up with the Chinn Park Regional Library in Woodbridge to put on an Arduino Day event. The event is tentatively planned to run from noon to 4 PM that day in their large meeting room. The Library is located at:

13065 Chinn Park Drive
Woodbridge, VA 22192

More details as the date approaches. Watch for it!

Disclaimer: I’m the organizer for Makers and Microcomputers. 😉

I’ve added a page which gives some notes on how I plan to use I²C buses and UDP/IP over Ethernet to connect the various controllers in my project.

I’ve also added some more details on the design of the block-switching controllers.