Working N scale hi-rail?

[Chris333]

He has a bunch of similar stuff including some tiny N scale locos
https://www.youtube.com/@diorama111/videos
They all seem to use stepper motors and IC chips.

https://x.com/diorama1111

[dem34]

What's the basic concept here?  Microcontroller raw chips, some sort of programmer to load it with brains, and wiring into it's inputs and outputs?

I believe the integrated circuits are dedicated chips for RC cars. So have basic RF receiving logic, basic motor control, Battery input, and light outputs. So I guess the only things you really need to do are know which pin corresponds to what input/output and what type of signal the control inputs are looking for to transmit.

[Chris333]

There are some code and diagrams on his Twitter:
https://x.com/diorama1111

[bigdawgks]

It is worth mentioning that Japanese N scale is slightly larger in scale (1:150). Still, everything that guy shows looks incredibly delicate and I'm always shocked at the lack of specialized tools. They must have incredibly fine motor skills and work under magnification. Tiny fingers are probably also a must.

[peteski]

He has a bunch of similar stuff including some tiny N scale locos
https://www.youtube.com/@diorama111/videos
They all seem to use stepper motors and IC chips.

Ah,  that explains that weird noise when the model is running.  Stepper motors are noisy because they do not rotate smoothly, but step many times per each shaft revolution.  At higher rotational speeds, that gets rather loud.  That also explains the excellent slow speed performance since stepper motors can easily be driven to spin very, very slow.

[mmagliaro]

Ah,  that explains that weird noise when the model is running.  Stepper motors are noisy because they do not rotate smoothly, but step many times per each shaft revolution.  At higher rotational speeds, that gets rather loud.  That also explains the excellent slow speed performance since stepper motors can easily be driven to spin very, very slow.

I don't think the drive motor is a stepper - just the two motors that control the raising/lowering of the wheels, and the steering are.  I only see two magnet wires going to the drive motor.  I think the noise is just because necessarily at this size, the worm gearing isn't all that precise.  At around 2 minutes, he demonstrates just the drive motor/gears and axle, and the gears are pretty noisy.  But personally, I didn't even pay any attention to that, because it is all Delrin, and such low load that it isn't going to wear out the gears and the noise isn't objectionable (at least to me). 

This shows tremendous model making skill.  All the precise linkages alone are fantastic work.  The soldering on all those magnet wires is
so delicate!  He put the microcontroller chips on a prototyping board and soldered it all up with point-to-point magnet wires... yikes.  I would have bailed on that and had a PC board etched.

And nobody has mentioned this yet, but apparently, he can get enough batter life out of that little rechargeable LiPO to make this practical?  I wonder how long it can run on a charge.  He has built a "dead rail" N Scale loco here.

[delamaize]

Whelp, This blows the high rail truck I made a few years ago out of the water.....

[peteski]

And nobody has mentioned this yet, but apparently, he can get enough batter life out of that little rechargeable LiPO to make this practical?  I wonder how long it can run on a charge.  He has built a "dead rail" N Scale loco here.

True, and with all the extra features (like raising and lowering the rail wheels, and I think I even spied lit directionals, brake lights, and reverse lights along with the headlights), it is has more features than an ordinary locomotive in a much smaller package.

[up1950s]

I real life he mutilates cows.

[OldEastRR]

Outstanding.

[jpf94]

Even more hope that deadrail can and will come to N scale sooner then later.   RC control of that unit to control steering, lights, and railwheel sets.  Amazing work, and a bright future for improved locomotives in N.

[peteski]

Deadrail?  Who wants to keep regularly recharging locomotives and illuminated cars. I that really better than cleaning track?  Having a bank of chargers and plug everything in all the time?  Just image the maintenance on a large layout where about dozen of locos operate at any give time, along with 3 dozen of illuminated passenger cars.  Who wants to corral all those units at the end of the session from all around the layout, just to "plug them in".

I think that all the modern rechargeable computing devices like smart phones, tablets watches, headphones, etc.  kind of brainwashed people into thinking that frequent charging is quite acceptable.   I don't like it.



What's really needed is a compromise between powered rails and battery operation.  Leave rails powered to charge the model's internal power storage. Basically  really high capacity but miniature keep-alive circuit.  That way the track  doesn't have to be very clean to keep the keep-alive's charge.  And no periodic recharging off all your little trains.

[JoeD]

Deadrail?  Who wants to keep regularly recharging locomotives and illuminated cars. I that really better than cleaning track?  Having a bank of chargers and plug everything in all the time?  Just image the maintenance on a large layout where about dozen of locos operate at any give time, along with 3 dozen of illuminated passenger cars.  Who wants to corral all those units at the end of the session from all around the layout, just to "plug them in".

I think that all the modern rechargeable computing devices like smart phones, tablets watches, headphones, etc.  kind of brainwashed people into thinking that frequent charging is quite acceptable.   I don't like it.



What's really needed is a compromise between powered rails and battery operation.  Leave rails powered to charge the model's internal power storage. Basically  really high capacity but miniature keep-alive circuit.  That way the track  doesn't have to be very clean to keep the keep-alive's charge.  And no periodic recharging off all your little trains.

where is tesla when you need him LOL

[tehachapifan]

My toothbrush charges by simply sitting in a plastic holder that has no metal contacts. Seems to charge just by being in proximity to the charging source. Could this type of technology by adapted to our hobby?

[nkalanaga]

It could, but it would be difficult.  It works by using two coils, basically a simplified transformer.  That doesn't work as well when one of the coils is moving.  It can be done, but is much more complicated, electrically.

Peteski's idea is probably the most practical - recharge the battery from the track, and use radio control.