TDP & Associates, Inc.
Electronics for the Model Railroader
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TDP & Associates, Inc.
Electronics for the Model Railroader |
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SignalMaster Preliminary Description The TDP SignalMaster is more then just a signal control system. The SignalMaster can be configured to control all functions of your model railroad except for the trains themselves. It will be able to control signals, turnouts and various control panels that are needed to make your railroad function. It will also greatly simplify the wiring of your railroad. The SignalMaster system will require a PC (personal computer) to function. The system consists of three main modules. The system master (1 per system) is the interface to the PC and comes bundled with the system software. The signal control board (up to 64 per system) can directly control up to five 3 aspect (red-yellow-green or position light) LED signal heads or up to 8 fully featured searchlight signal heads that use bi-colored LEDs. The third main module is the General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) board. This board has 24 lines that will be able to control turnouts, turnout position feedback, panel indicators, panel switches, and block occupancy feedback. There is also a series of small 'daughter' boards that will interface the GPIO and signal boards to specialized items on your layout such as slow motion or solenoid switch machines, grade crossings and high voltage/current signals. The main system boards are interconnected by 6 pin modular telephone cables eliminating the need of running hundreds of wires between the signals, turnouts, and control panels. The signal and GPIO boards were made small enough to allow you to place them close to the objects to be controlled to eliminate much tedious long distance wiring. All of the 'intelligence' of the SignalMaster is located in the PC. This allows the system to be very versatile and makes the hardware simple and inexpensive. Because of this the system can support any kind of prototype control system. Did you ever want to install a CTC board, but didn't want to wire up all of the control logic? CTC boards are easy with the SignalMaster. You wire the turnout levers, signal levers, code buttons and panel indicators for the CTC panel into GPIO boards (which are mounted in the CTC panel). Run the single telecom wire back to the system master and then configure the CTC board on the PC. Feel free to email us with suggestions for features that you would like to see implemented in the SignalMaster. I know what I want the system to do, and I know what my beta sites would like the system to do. Let me know what you would like it to do! |
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