I did a search of the forum for a simple circuit to start an accessory at 14vac and let run for a given amount of time but was not able to find anything. I am looking for something that uses a push button to start the process and then runs the accessory for a given length of time.
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eBay: 222613789142, $2.38 shipped free. You just need a DC power supply, a simple $2 wall wart will do.
Looks like it might have a function in limiting power on times for uncoupling tracks, to prevent burnout.
Problem with these inexpensive Asiandevices is that when you've accumulated a few, you forget what they were for. Also, difficult to read the terminal labels
I make a document file with pictures when I get them so later I know how to use them. 
Whatever information is in the ad I capture, and sometimes I look around the web and find specification sheets with more detail.
You are too efficient!
When you purchase any of these similar modules there is usually information on the ebay web page of the seller on how to apply the module. Print the web page and save it. The info is usually a big help.
Interesting! Can this timer be used to stop a subway train (3 cars running on 6-8 volts DC) for a timed stop (15-25 seconds) in front of a subway station?
Thanks for the quick reply and info gunrunnerjohn. I may have not given enough information to start but I have an 14vac buss for accessories and building lights. It looks like this unit used dcv for power and switches acv. Is there something out there that I can power off my existing buss?
Like I said, a simple AC-DC power supply will do it. A $2 wall wart is suitable to power the board, and probably a few more as well.
gunrunnerjohn posted:eBay: 222613789142, $2.38 shipped free. You just need a DC power supply, a simple $2 wall wart will do.
I bought 4 of these a year or so ago, a great deal for what it does. Their are dozens of different timers on ebay even cheaper than this one I ordered something much simpler than this that I hope to make a timer that will extend the pulse for the front coupler on a R2LC, which I am not using, long enough to blow the whistle on old RailSounds1 locos. I hope that if I set the time for say 3 seconds I can hit the coupler button 2-3 times to modulate the whistle. I am surprised that some model railroader has not wrote a book on all the things one could do with all the different boards available on eBay. I like to refer to them as Dollar boards most are under $3 and many under $1. The photo below is a 20 cent timer which I will add a small $1 relay or an opto-coupler and a 40 cent power supply to trigger the railsound 1 whistle with a coupler pulse. j
JohnActon posted:I am surprised that some model railroader has not wrote a book on all the things one could do with all the different boards available on eBay. I like to refer to them as Dollar boards most are under $3 and many under $1.
The problem is John, the landscape changes so quickly that by the time the book was out, the crop of timing circuits would be different! 
I believe they simply make a ton of a board type, and then just sell until they're gone.
gunrunnerjohn posted:eBay: 222613789142, $2.38 shipped free. You just need a DC power supply, a simple $2 wall wart will do.
John, the folks who sell this module and others you identify with an eBay number probably wonder why their sales spike from time to time. I remember when the warm white 3528 became unavailable or at much higher prices because of your use of them to light passenger cars.
To avoid that problem, I ordered a couple of these timer modules.
As always, thanks GRJ
I'm doing my bit to help US/China relations.
Dan, it looks like you found a different source than GRJ was using.
Funny, the auction I pointed to is still the same price.
sylvesterb posted:Thanks for the quick reply and info gunrunnerjohn. I may have not given enough information to start but I have an 14vac buss for accessories and building lights. It looks like this unit used dcv for power and switches acv.Is there something out there that I can power off my existing buss?
For your specific application (relatively low power) you could use a regulator module that converts 14V AC to regulated 12V DC. Less than $2 on eBay with free shipping from Asia. 2 wires in, 2 wires out with convenient screw-terminals.
Search eBay for "LM7812 regulator module". It appears some are a kit version (i.e., assembly-required) even though the listing doesn't mention this.
gunrunnerjohn posted:JohnActon posted:I am surprised that some model railroader has not wrote a book on all the things one could do with all the different boards available on eBay. I like to refer to them as Dollar boards most are under $3 and many under $1.
The problem is John, the landscape changes so quickly that by the time the book was out, the crop of timing circuits would be different!
John,landscape changes, some do some don't. I have trouble staying under the allocated 300 items on my watch list because of all these $ boards and some have been auto relisting for years. Some go away and come back months later. There again, it is difficult to find anything new on eBay that isn't being sold by more than one seller. When I find something I like I high-lite and drag the title into the search bar to see how many other sellers are selling the same item. A little tangent here I placed my first order on AliExpress two nights ago. I kept it small just over $20 to test the waters. Most of the same chinese stuff available on eBay. Something I noticed was the stated number of days to expect delivery is shorter than eBay.
Several months ago you put a schematic for a motion detector on the forum it started me thinking all the things that could be done with such a circuit and whether I could adapt a $ board off eBay. The search led to this SSrelay it activates anywhere from 3-32vdc and will control up to 4adc. They will do more chores than you can count, control directional lighting turn the heating element on the smoke unit on and off or high / low. Used without a capacitor they will flash an led. I am using two inside a MTH SP GS4 one to dim the headlight when stopped and one to turn off the MARs light. If they were just a bit smaller I could have put one more in the boiler to turn the smoke high /low . Since I could only get two in I used them for lighting since I keep my smoke off unless I have visitors. j
Gunrunnerjohn,
Can you recommend a timer that can be set to momentarily closed a relay ( like a momentary push button)at set intervals. I want to used it to activate a MTH gas station at set intervals?
Mel
Google "LM7812 regulator module" and you'll get a variety of gadgets, some even cheaper.
Here's one that looks like it might be good in illuminated cars: https://www.banggood.com/L7812...tml?cur_warehouse=CN
Mel posted:Gunrunnerjohn,
Can you recommend a timer that can be set to momentarily closed a relay ( like a momentary push button)at set intervals. I want to used it to activate a MTH gas station at set intervals?
Mel
Mel,
You will get solutions for your specific situation if you start a distinct post or your own. However, if you visit the eBay listing for this device, you will find in the descriptions, a repeat cycle mode is possible by setting jumper OP4 on this device.
RJR posted:Problem with these inexpensive Asiandevices is that when you've accumulated a few, you forget what they were for. Also, difficult to read the terminal labels
I will sure go along with that one! And I am a real sucker for these things too. I try to do like GRJ does with the printouts, but I forget to print the info and the ones I do print out, I sometimes misplace. 
I have a few that I am still wondering why I got them or what they were for? 
I think you are right that GRJ is much more efficient.
I have such a stack of papers on RR electronics and parts, that I'll probably shoot the better part of a day organizing them.
Many of the items I got through Alibaba have no documentation available.
rtr12 posted:RJR posted:Problem with these inexpensive Asiandevices is that when you've accumulated a few, you forget what they were for. Also, difficult to read the terminal labels
I will sure go along with that one! And I am a real sucker for these things too. I try to do like GRJ does with the printouts, but I forget to print the info and the ones I do print out, I sometimes misplace.
I think you are right that GRJ is much more efficient.
Good engineers are also good secretaries ! When you purchase parts print out the description in the ad and keep everything you order in a three ring binder and make some notes of your own on it. You will have a record of what you paid and what you planned to do with it. I keep a record like this for everything I purchase online to keep up with what arrives, so it was easy to have a binder just for repair parts. I'm usually counting the days till the stuff comes so my project can get moving. Most parts come in plastic bags slip a note in the bag. Folks, Get Organized, a day or two doing so will speed your projects along. j
Well, I don't use a 3-ring binder, I format the information in a Word document, then I print it to a PDF file for posterity. I can add any additional information to the Word file as I write it, and that also gives me a permanent copy that I can print if needed, and also makes it to my multi-tier backup system.
Here's just a sample, easy to do, and you retain a permanent record without killing a whole forest.
johnacton: Yes Mother!
You sound like my wife.
Being neither an P.E. nor a secretary, I have an excuse.
RJR, I think I am also organizationally challenged, along with also fitting pretty well into your excuse category above.
GRJ, that is a nice document you have there. I hadn't thought of using Word? Do you just use Word to 'Print to PDF' when finished? I have a PDF file printer here somewhere, Word may have one as well, can't remember? That would definitely save trees. I am gonna give it a try.
I do have a few 3 ring binders, mostly with train and accessory manuals, layout wiring diagrams, etc. I also have a few wiring circuits mixed in with a few other things like magazine articles, etc. Separate binder for that stuff.
I can almost always put my paws right on one of these documents (if it exists) in less than an hour! Then there are the ones I have to search for...
If you use Firefox or Chrome there is an app called "Print Edit WE" PEWE for short. Probably a similar app exists for Explorer. PEWE will take a screen shot of any web page and allow you to subtractively edit and remove any unwanted BS. Then save as HTML or PDF you can also print your edited pages with only the important parts included, saves a lot of ink and paper. I use PEWE and get a PDF to keep in my workbench computer and a printed version for the binder. j
gunrunnerjohn posted:Here's just a sample, easy to do, and you retain a permanent record without killing a whole forest.
John what we need is a similar board that can be accessed by a Cab1 and Legacy remote. How handy would that be ? j
By all means save the forest................................................................................for the fireplace.
JohnActon posted:If you use Firefox or Chrome there is an app called "Print Edit WE" PEWE
I use Chrome and PEWE sounds interesting. I'll go get it and give it a try. Thanks for the tip!
Also, to your next post, you never know what GRJ might have percolating (besides coffee) in his secluded laboratory and workshop...
JohnActon posted:gunrunnerjohn posted:Here's just a sample, easy to do, and you retain a permanent record without killing a whole forest.
John what we need is a similar board that can be accessed by a Cab1 and Legacy remote. How handy would that be ? j
By all means save the forest................................................................................for the fireplace.
I started a topic in Electrical about a remote control using these boards. One of the things I'd be considering is a serial link from the TMCC receiver to decode remote commands and send them to the receiver. That's a ways off, but it's one way to deal with this. A stand-alone TMCC receiver would be really cool, don't know how that might be received by the Lionel Legal Department.
rtr12 posted:Also, to your next post, you never know what GRJ might have percolating (besides coffee) in his secluded laboratory and workshop...
Yeah, I keep a close eye on him. j
modeltrainsparts posted:Can this timer be used to stop a subway train (3 cars running on 6-8 volts DC) for a timed stop (15-25 seconds) in front of a subway station?
Probably. If I understand the timer suggested above, you momentarily press a pushbutton switch to activate a timed-closure of the relay. So this relay would momentarily cut power to the subway for the 15-25 seconds...then reapply power.
As to emulating the pushbutton trigger, this requires momentarily shorting together the two wires. You could do this, for example, by placing a 10 cent magnet on the lead subway car which trips a 50-cent magnetic reed switch as it approaches the station platform.
JohnActon posted:If you use Firefox or Chrome there is an app called "Print Edit WE" PEWE
App? Do you mean add on or extension? Or is the app limited to those browsers.
An app is a program wrote for a operating system (s). It used to imply a rather small or limited program in particular. It was rarely used till smart phone programs came along because most programs were pretty large
...and worked.
I use CutePDF, but there are tons of PDF print drivers that you can use. I've just been using this one for years, and it's always worked fine, so I see no reason to change. 
Stan2004, Thanks - just what i need.
gunrunnerjohn posted:I use CutePDF, but there are tons of PDF print drivers that you can use. I've just been using this one for years, and it's always worked fine, so I see no reason to change.
I have BullZip, probably similar to CutePDF. And as you say it's easy and it works so I use it!
JohnActon posted:gunrunnerjohn posted:eBay: 222613789142, $2.38 shipped free. You just need a DC power supply, a simple $2 wall wart will do.
I bought 4 of these a year or so ago, a great deal for what it does.
Did anyone else buy this timer module and actually hook it up? I finally got around to messing with it and it's not the easiest gadget to apply. 
To wit, I believe the instructions are backwards in the diagram showing Jumpers OP3 and OP4 selecting "Once" vs. "Cycle". You'd think turning the timing pots CW would increase time...but CW appears to decrease time. The timing resolution for short intervals (a few seconds) is very finicky or non-existent. Etc.
If anyone is attempting to use this for a specific train application and is having issues, we can compare notes. Otherwise, I'd suggest one of the more expensive (~$5) modules - especially one with LED digital setup so you can precisely set the time delay(s).
Stan2004,
We didn't buy that specific timer unit. It looks like it would have worked better as ours didn't have the trigger switch. Therefore, when ever layout power is first applied, the timer is triggered and the trains run. They needed constant 12v power. They are used on the Eagle Scout layout project at the InfoAge Science Museum.
regarding the timing, I do recall that I selected the "once mode" and the "time range" with the pin jumpers. I was then able to reduce from the maximum within the range that the jumpers set.
So, I think the pots are working correctly on yours. I believe I was looking for a two range which fell within 40-45 seconds.
That one looks like Jumper OP1 and OP3 . 2 & 4, off. T1 pot to adjust, yes? T2 default. What time duration are you seeking? Is that where the pot is finicky? I don't recall the pot on ours being ultra sensitive.
The details of ours is attached. PS- this was in 2016.
Moonman, thanks for info on your unit.
The module I'm evaluating (and seeking others' experiences) is the one from eBay described earlier in the thread. Unlike yours, this $3 module has a trigger input. In the Cycle mode, you can start and stop the cycling by pressing the trigger button. In the Once mode, the trigger button starts a single timing cycle. Needless to say, a trigger input can be useful in train applications. I'm looking for adjustable timing ranges in the seconds to a couple minutes (not tens of minutes, not hours).
As I stated earlier, the eBay photo showing how to select between Cycle and Once are reversed. I can live with that. I can also live with the time settings decreasing as your rotate the control CW. But I can't get the timing range to match the 0-100 sec (short) or 0-15min (long) as advertised. That's a deal-breaker. I'm wondering if they sent me the incorrect version. As shown on the back of the board, this module apparently supports different ranges...there is a custom-programmed IC chip (not a 555-timer chip) that performs the magic. I'm guessing the wrong version was installed on the board. That is, the pots effect a much larger timing range. For example, setting to the trimpot mid-point effects a time interval of about 4 minutes in the short time range. This is obviously way outside the advertised 0-100 sec short range. The short/long range selection seems to work so selecting the long range indeed increases the time range by about 10 times.
I've made an inquiry with the seller though my experience is these Asian eBay sellers are not the actual source of the modules and they simply cut-and-paste specifications. I need to find patient-zero as they say.
The point being if there is a version of this board that is in fact 0-100 sec in the short-range (and 10 times that in the long- range) it would be quite a handy train layout gadget at less than $3.
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