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Phase III expansion is on the way - this will be the place to watch it happen!


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LCC - Configuring a Push Button ~WITH~ Indication

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A few months ago there was a post on the LCC Groups.IO forum talking about the ability for one of the LCC node I/O points to both act as an INPUT, that is, to accept a push button command, AND act as an output, such as to illuminate an indicating light.  This is super cool!  Why?  Well at an all-in cost of around $3 per I/O point, it's hard to justify a lot of indicating lights on panels.  BUT... if we can get a "free" output for each discrete input, well, that is just like having your cake and eating it too!  (Never totally understood that analogy, but seems fitting.) The way this works is the node runs the I/O point as an output for 63 milliseconds, and then for a few milliseconds, it converts the output to an input where it polls the input.  So if it detects a "low" or a "high" in this window, it creates the appropriate event.  Slick, huh?  Timing at 63 ms is fast enough that even if the PB is just momentarily touched, it is enough to trigger...
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Logos and Lettering

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 Getting back into the swing and moving some things forward. One of those projects that I have been looking forward to is customizing a couple private railroad operations. One is the Ojitas Mine Railroad, which provides a fair amount of traffic for the layout. This takes cars from a short hidden staging location to interchange at Rosita. I plan to have the Ojitas RR own a few 70 Tonners and a caboose or two. Ojitas means "small eyes" in Spanish, so I set about looking for a suitable logo. A few google searches turned up a plethora of options. I settled on one, albeit it was in multiple colors. Not being one that wanted to spend much on decals, I used some color manipulation software to create a pure black and white image. I kinda like how it turned out. Pulls in the "ojitas" concept while carrying the idea of a rugged southwest mining operation. And simple enough to suggest a cheap corporate look. The other operation is the newly completed Halcon Cement plant. Not a...
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Configuring Push-buttons for Turnout Control in LCC (with BONUS section on Adapting JMRI for Feedback)

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So ALL the efforts, costs, brain damage and such to get LCC integrated into the layout is paying off in this one new step.  Let me explain. With LCC, each node is essentially its very own stand-alone microprocessor, capable of processing commands INDEPENDENTLY of a central PC or other server.  It just is connected to at the CAN bus, either looking for commands to respond (consumer) to or to issue them (producer).  SO... this addresses one of the goals of integrating LCC into my layout.  Sometimes I like to come down into the layout room and just run trains.  I don't have others with me, and for me, its a great way to unwind.  When I do that, I don't want to have to futz with turning on a PC and getting it going.  Ya, I know, some say it is not that big of a deal.  But if I am only going to be there for 5 or 15 minutes, seems like a hassle to mess with that.  I just want to through the power switch on, have the layout come to life, and run s...
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