CITY PROGRESS

Alan, you have made a lot of progress.  Having worked with you on our searchlight signals project for my layout, nothing that you do surprises me like it used to.  Your creativity, attention to detail, and ability to navigate the tools and procedures required for a project like this is outstanding. 

I had to search out automationfx vehicles to get a better understanding of how this works.  Do you actually control the vehicles with a controller of some kind?  It looks like they run with batteries and are guided by the metal wire under the streets?  And there are switches where you can pull into a gas station for example?  Do they sell vehicles or do you have to retro fit existing diecast cars and trucks?  This will add an outstanding feature to your city!  Have you seen them demonstrated anywhere?

Great project!  You never cease to amaze me.  Can't wait for progress reports.

Art

Spectacular craftsmanship!

Art

AutomotiveFX system is a "sort of concept" copy of the Faller HO system but with O-gauge cars as well.

As of August 19, 2024, the AutomotiveFX web site is down due to their moving.

the cars are battery powered rear drive with magnets connected and turning the front axels, the forward wheels spin independently so there is no sway to the car going thru a curve. They have a reed switch underneath the car or truck chassis that can be triggered by another under-street magnet to stop the car. They have left and right turnouts that can be magnetically triggered as well.

AFX sells parts to change any car or truck to an AFX vehicle.

All you need are mild steel (magnetic no stainless) rod embedded in the street where you want the cars to travel.

Alan thanks for the info, I can't wait to see them in operation.

Art

now that I routed out the 1/16" straight lines on the streets for the AutomotiveFX steel rods; I need to route-out the TURNS at the intersections, roadway that are not straight and the driveways at the two Gas stations.

to do that, I used CorelDraw to design the template below. the Template will be laser cut on my GlowForge in 1/4" clear acrylic. The slot fits my Bosch Colt router's Precision Brass Router Template Bushing Guides, the 1/16" bit is centered in the guide.

The actual cut will be upside-down from what is depicted under the street matching up with the straight routes that are already routed.

not all of my intersections are the same, and also, I do have some curved roadways. Each unique curve or turn will require another template. Each gas station has an "in and out path to the pumps.  Those paths will need templates too.

Since my entire city is in a CorelDraw 2D model, making the template models is fairly easy to do. I place a curve where I want the router to go. Then make the curve the thickness of my router guide; then Corel converts the curve outline into an object whose shape is subtracted from a rectangle that is laser cut to create a physical template.

Finally finished all the easy straight routing and the curves as well as the intersection curves to connect.

Will be inserting the mid steel 1/16" rods and gluing in to the routed

This leaves the  gas stations turn-outs and other Stop sections.

Working on a new 3D design for traffic signal heads; that I'd like to use round red, yellow, and green EL panels instead of LEDs because of the signal thickness.

3D traffic design that would use RED YELLOW GREEN Electroluminescent dots.

  I have enough trouble just keeping my trains running. This is pretty impressive getting autos and trucks involved in the action. This looks like the automobile version of hand laying track.

electro luminesces dots didnt work out as a replacement for 3mm LEDs as I never got a response from Miller Engineering.

Plan B was to use very small Red, Yellow and Green LEDs; and insert the LEDs in an insert that is inserted into the miniature Fresnel lens. Using the Fresnel lenses, I avoid the bulbus and not realistic LEDs poking out of the traffic signal heads. These are the same style lenses that I made for Chugman's Spotlight signals for his layout's Atlas Signal system.

But first I need to print and paint black the traffic heads.  there are 4 types; 1) single frontal; 2) double front-to back 3) 2 at 90 degree 4) 60-degree angle and 30-degree angles.

the backs will be yellow. So I laid out the signal locations on the upper city streets.

next insert the LEDs into the inserts 2)insert LED inserts into the lenses then the lenses into the signal heads. finally wire into the poles, insert the poles into the bases and round concrete foundations. An east-west north-south traffic control circuit is available on eBay.

Now, I have a whole bunch of premade LED traffic signals I bought that I will no longer need!!

lastly, I want to make pedestrian crossing signals  You know the ones with the red Hand and the white walking figure.

I think I can laser cut the holes at right to create a mask that fits over a red and white LEDs.

Great progress!  Working traffic signals will add the excitement to your city that signals add to the railroad.  But everybody is an expert on traffic signals so they could be more critical on them if they aren't working correctly. LOL

Thanks for the update, I was wondering how things were going.

Art

I have a roadway intersection that requires 4 aspect double headed traffic signals.  Since I can, I designed a variation of the 3-apect signal. This will be double headed to be seen from two different directions.

at this intersection

The signal heads need to be oriented so the cars can see the signals. To orient my double headed signals, I inserted the computerized 2D city plan to the 3D program.

Then in the 3D program I first oriented the signal heads along the roadways and pointed at the incoming traffic. Next I changed my viewing position to where the cars would be located.

Changed my view to the other direction.

The signal heads orientations are visible in both directions.

Now I can print.

PRINTED the 4 aspect traffic signals. will provide a picture after painting.

working on the pedestrian MAN&HAND signals.

So, I got to thinking about how to attach these traffic poles to the sidewalks.  I thought of using some sort of threaded insert to be attached to the bottom of the traffic signal poles.   3D printing threads requires an app in Rhino 8, my 3D design program.  There is a way to avoid the thread-app.

Fortunately, McMaster Carr has all of its threaded parts available to the public as 3D models in a lot of formats including AutoCad DWG format that Rhino will accept.

now I dont really care about the actual thread size, since I will be scaling it to fit the ends of my poles. You think wait, what about nuts and washers. With Rhino I can scale those as well using the program to create those by internally subtracting the scaled threads from a solid HEX nut design. See below.

Above is the scaled thread piece to be glued around the pole and the corresponding fitted nut and washer that will all be 3D printed. The bottom thing is what was removed from the solid HEX nut.

So I drill a hole in the sidewalk large enough to fit the threaded end of the pole, and use the custom-made nut and washer to secure the pole underneath. I have no idea the actual size of the 3D printed thread, or nut or washer.

They are custom printed to fit so who cares!

Amazing work, Alan

Peter

Alan,

Those look better made than the real ones. 

John

Do you know yet what software or device will control the signals?  If you have already stated that and I missed it, I would appreciate hearing about it again.

Art

Art

From our old friend at WEHONEST on Ebay....

NOTE:  per OGR TOS, ebay link removed

This circuit has a separate connection to control the traffic signals East-West and North-South PLUS a secondary circuit to control the pedestrian Man-Hand signals. As the Ebay Action says:

2 ways / 4 ways Traffic Lights Controller Circuit Board Simulator

Yes, our old friend who also happens to have excellent prices and has always been reliable.  Sounds good!

Art

Under the rules the eBay link was properly removed,...sorry Alan. My bad!

However, there is enough TEXT in the thread above to locate and search the Wehonest Ebay store for the circuit.

Or email me.

As we know, in either imperial or metric all HEX nuts, washers and screws come in standardized sizes. Thus, when designing parts that need to be connected by connectors, I must design around standard screw sizes for holes to accommodate actual connectors.

With 3D printing, standard sizing can be an unimportant consideration, as you can customize the connector sizes.

Since the traffic signal connection screw inserts, washers and HEX nuts are custom-sized, I figured I might as well add and print some "wings" to the HEX nut to make it easier to screw in by hand.

I have finally found a place for this Menards model on my layout. I am modifying "slightly" this Model, and 3D printing the change.

I think this is one of the best models Menards has made.  However, IMHO it just needed a bit of a small change.