DCC to Arduino adaptor board

[pctrainman]

Hi , I was halfway through the process of making 3 DCC to Arduino adaptor boards using Vero board when I lost the guy who was helping me with it all , I have little electronics experience and I need help in translating the attached circuit diagram for use with Vero board ie I need to know where to position the components and where to make cuts to the board ,I have all the components and the Ver o board ,any help would be most appreciated ,

 

[Arouse1973]

Hello
All you need to do is make sure all the points or nodes are connected, and any components that have to be placed running with the copper on the board have a cut to isolate the component.

So for example R1, you solder this to the PCB and it just so happens that you placed in running with the copper. You would turn the PCB over and make a cut or use a small drill bit to isolate the track from the resistor.

You will know if this has worked by measuring across the resistor with a multi meter set to measure continuity and if you here no buzzer from the meter then you have done it correctly.

The IC OK1 will have to be placed on the PCB so you cut down the centre of the IC on the reverse side. Some videos that might help.

Thanks
Adam

 

[pctrainman]

Thank you Adam , the Vids were a great help along with your explanation , I think I should be able to handle it now , can I ask a further question ? that relates to a much simpler project , are resistors that are mounted vertically done that way simply to save space ? or is there another reason ?.

 

[davenn]

are resistors that are mounted vertically done that way simply to save space ?

space saving is the main ( probably only) reason

 

[pctrainman]

Thank you davenn , as space is not a conideration on this project I will do what my instincts told me and install the resistor flat as I have read somewhere that when mounted vertically they can act as antennas if there is a lot of EMF quite close which there will be in this case .

 

[Arouse1973]

EMI shouldnt be a problem either way. Capacitor lead length is more important in most cases but again not for EMI issues. You get about 1 nH per mm of lead or track. This will add extra inductance to the component limiting its responce to fast transient currents.
Adam

 

[pctrainman]

Hi , I have the attached diagram given to me before I lost the guy who was guiding me through the construction of some electronics modules for model rail and Arduino , the simpler of the 3 modules required I have been able to assemble without any further help but I have a couple of questions on this one of which I need 2 and intend to construct them on the same piece of Veroboard , firstly i'm asuming that the Green component on the right hand end is simply a 3 way screw terminal block ? and my second question is does the 18 volt DC supply as well as the uncouplers Red and Black wires both go to this block ? and lastly how do I determine which way around the Darlington Transistor (TIP 120) goes ?.

 

[Bluejets]

Connections incorrect. I'll draw up a sketch but it won' t be in this fritzing arrangement. You really need to learn to draw in standard arrangement as then it is much easier to follow. Especially when things get more complex. Edit:- connections correct just very hard to follow like I said.

 

[pctrainman]

Hi , Thank you for your reply , I did'nt do the drawing it is how it was supllied to me , I don't think the last of the 3 projects will be any more complex than this one as it is just a DCC to Arduino interface using a fast optoisolator and I think a Diode and some resistors but i'm not sure as I was never given a drawing for that one .My electronics knowledge and circuit diagram comprehension is only basic at best so I would very much appreciate if you could indicate where I need to make cuts to the veroboards tracks , also I forgot to say in my first post that space is not a consideration I need to worry about so I intend to mount the Vertical resistor flat .I should also say that whilst I was still being given guidance I was asked if I had any Capacitors around 36 Volts but their use was not explained to me but at a guess i'm assuming my former mentor intended it to be used with the uncoupler board ?.

 

[Bluejets]

Enclosed a drawn circuit.
1N4004 (free wheeling diode) normally used when you have inductive loads such as motors, solenoids etc.
Don't refer to the return line as "earth". It is usually more associated with mains power.
Positive and Negative are your DC supply rails.

As I said earlier, your connections , on further looking, appear correct but difficult to follow.
If you look at the circuit I drew below you will see you need a couple of extra holes at the "02" grid.

When sketching a schematic, get into the habit of showing as below. You can add your " veroboard layout" for those that need to see how it is laid out but for general circuit description etc. the sketch arrangement is much clearer.

Transistor pinouts can be downloaded from the web but I have done it for you below also.

Servo leads come in many colours but I have never seen one with a blue conductor.
Futaba are Red (pos) Black(neg) Signal(yellow)
JR are Red (pos) Brown (neg) Signal (orange)
Spektrum the same I think.
Sanwa are reverse plug orientated so be careful there.

Sometimes it also pays to use mosfets ....with Arduino use the logic level types.
I use a couple of different types depending on what the load is.
2n7000 for small loading.... IRL540N or IRL3803 for larger.
Largely avoids voltage drop and easier to implement at times.

Your last circuit appears as an input to the Arduino from some source or other.

 

[pctrainman]

Hi , my servo extension leads are coloured Red White and Black ,the Schematic I attached is for a DCC ( digital command and control) to Arduino interface ,DCC puts around 18 volts on the railway tracks and is a modified form of AC so it has to isolated from the Arduinos with the optoisolator , I was hoping I could find someone who could convert the optoisolator circuit diagram to a veroboard diagram including any cuts to the Copper tracks , on the veroboard diagram I included the cuts are marked as a Grey dot , ignore the 2 blue dots on the edge of the board as these are only suggested mounting holes for the finished board .

 

[Bluejets]

Bit confused here.
First diagram is an input interface.
Second circuit you provided ( the veroboard layout) is an output interface.
Perhaps you should start again and explain what you are trying to do.

 

[pctrainman]

Build both circuits on Veroboard .

 

[davenn]

NOTE:
I have merged 3 threads on the same topic

@pctrainman .... can you please keep all these posts in the one thread as it becomes really difficult for people to follow the same topic across multiple threads



cheers
Dave

 

[hevans1944]

Thank you Adam , the Vids were a great help along with your explanation , I think I should be able to handle it now , can I ask a further question ? that relates to a much simpler project , are resistors that are mounted vertically done that way simply to save space ? or is there another reason ?.

Space saving is the main reason. I recall, about the middle of the last century, opening up the case of a Japanese transistor radio and marveling how clever it was to mount axial-leaded components (resistors and capacitors, mostly) perpendicular to the circuit board. The practice never caught on much here in the States, and now in this century everything is surface mounted. I eventually discovered another practical application: heat dissipation. Power resistors mounted perpendicular to the circuit board ran a lot cooler.

 

[RailCom_Fan]

Hi , I was halfway through the process of making 3 DCC to Arduino adaptor boards using Vero board when I lost the guy who was helping me with it all , I have little electronics experience and I need help in translating the attached circuit diagram for use with Vero board ie I need to know where to position the components and where to make cuts to the board ,I have all the components and the VerView attachment 33120 o board ,any help would be most appreciated ,

Actually, Gary (PCTrainMan) hasn't "lost the guy who was helping", he said he didn't want any more help. I know, because I'm the person he is referring to in his post, quoted above...

Gary sent me this email message on 19/Mar/2017:
"Hi , Thank you for the diagram but I would'nt worry about me and my layout anymore as i've decided to abandon any more work on it other than finishing it scenically , I spent a whole week trying to find another short and did find it in the end and then found that although the points are receiving power from the DCC bus the track (blocks ) are not it would seem that the reader boards are not acting as a return path for the current and to be honest i've had enough i'm fed up with forever chasing problems and forever trying to figure out what is going on , I thank you for your help and i'm sorry to have wasted your time , Gary ."

I was in the middle of preparing the Veroboard Layout, when Gary broke off communication. I finished it anyway, but didn't send it to Gary because he seemed very unhappy, and adamant that he didn't want to proceed with the Automation project.

Contrary to what Gary told me, he searched the Internet for a Veroboard Layout of the DCC to Arduino Optocoupler. I know, because on 18/June/2017, Gary found a complete kit of how to build it (Including the Veroboard Layout Diagram), on a website that I helped set up in the middle of April, 2017.

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On 17/April/2017, Gary Posted...

Hi , I have the attached diagram given to me before I lost the guy who was guiding me through the construction of some electronics modules for model rail and Arduino , the simpler of the 3 modules required I have been able to assemble without any further help but I have a couple of questions on this one of which I need 2 and intend to construct them on the same piece of Veroboard , firstly i'm asuming that the Green component on the right hand end is simply a 3 way screw terminal block ? and my second question is does the 18 volt DC supply as well as the uncouplers Red and Black wires both go to this block ? and lastly how do I determine which way around the Darlington Transistor (TIP 120) goes ?.

As the person who drew the Veroboard Layout, the reason for using the Colours Black-Red-Blue is not to match any particular Servo Extension Lead, but to match the Colours of the 3-Pin Header on the Arduino I/O Shield which is at the other end of the Servo Extension Lead.

Gary told me that - since his Stroke - His Memory and Concentration had been adversely affected, so the idea was to use the same Colours at each end, rather than worry about what colours the Wires were. Manufacturers of Servo Extension Leads have different Standards, and by using the same Colour as the Header Pins, I reasoned that I didn't need to concern myself with the Wiring Colours.

I'm not sure what Gary asked about the Screw Terminals, because as far back as 08/February/2017, I sent Gary a Picture of the Green Screw terminals, and a Link to an eBay Seller, where he could buy them. These are the same Screw Terminals that Gary should have used to build the Veroboard modules he was referring to, when he said:

... the simpler of the 3 modules required I have been able to assemble without any further help...

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Later on 17/April/2017, Gary Posted...

Hi , Thank you for your reply , I did'nt do the drawing it is how it was supllied to me...

Yes, I never supplied Circuit diagrams to Gary, because he had told me he didn't really understand them, and he opened this Thread with the statement:

...I have little electronics experience and I need help in translating the attached circuit diagram for use with Vero board...

I reasoned that since he didn't want them, there was no need to provide them, as he wasn't going to look at them, or - worse - they might just confuse him.

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Later still on 17/April/2017, Gary Posted...

... I don't think the last of the 3 projects will be any more complex than this one as it is just a DCC to Arduino interface using a fast optoisolator and I think a Diode and some resistors but i'm not sure as I was never given a drawing for that one .My electronics knowledge and circuit diagram comprehension is only basic at best so I would very much appreciate if you could indicate where I need to make cuts to the veroboards tracks...

It should now be clear why Gary didn't get a Veroboard Layout for the DCC to Arduino Optocoupler from me - He told me he didn't want it on 19/Mar/2017.

However, he didn't find my Veroboard Layout on the Internet, on 18/June/2017 (Which is after the last Post in this Thread.

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Later in the same Post on 17/April/2017, Gary says...

... I forgot to say in my first post that space is not a consideration I need to worry about so I intend to mount the Vertical resistor flat...

Unless Gary has purchased more Veroboard, I shoe-horned everything Gary eventually told me about (The 2 Electromagnetic Uncouplers were a late addition) into all the Veroboard that he purchase. There is enough spare for 1 Module for any of the 3 Functions, but there is not sufficient for any Single Module to have extra Holes.

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I'm guessing that the reason Gary hasn't been back here, is because on 24/Apr/2017, Gary started the same Thread here:
- http://mrlforum.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/3470-dcc-optoisolator-to-arduino-interface-board/

And, on 27/April/2017, Gary started the same Thread here:
- http://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/arduino-to-dcc-circuit-help.150749/

Anyway, as you can see from this Thread, plus the other 2, it would seem that Gary has now collected sufficient information to complete Modules for all 3 of the Functions he needs.


For what it's worth, I haven't seen Gary come back in any of these Threads that he started, to close them off as 'Resolved'.

 

[pctrainman]

I would'nt worry about it Wesley , I have gone down another route and am much happier with the result and the means of achieving it , and a word of advice , do not in future tell someone that you understand their disabilities when you quite obviously in my case did not and also do not ask that someone to answer a question you sent them and when they reply giving the answer as best as they could then proceed to go into a rant and insult that person , in short Wesley you did nothing but cost me time money and unnecessary grief with no result at the end .

 

[RailCom_Fan]

I would'nt worry about it Wesley , I have gone down another route and am much happier with the result and the means of achieving it , and a word of advice , do not in future tell someone that you understand their disabilities when you quite obviously in my case did not and also do not ask that someone to answer a question you sent them and when they reply giving the answer as best as they could then proceed to go into a rant and insult that person , in short Wesley you did nothing but cost me time money and unnecessary grief with no result at the end .

I hear what you say Gary, but I have to say I'm confused.

The First of the 430 email message we exchanged was on 31/December/2017.
The Last email you sent me was on 20/March/2017.
- That's 79 Days (More than 9 per Day)

But as recently as 28/May/2017 (http://mrlforum.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/3470-dcc-optoisolator-to-arduino-interface-board/) you're still choosing to work with what you got from me.
- That's 76 Days after you told me you didn't want to continue with the Automation Project.

Why you would spend that much time on something you said you didn't want to do is beyond me.

___
And, you seem to be blaming me for the amount of money you spent.

If I recall correctly, you chose to buy from more expensive eBay Suppliers in the UK, rather than what I identified for you, which was your choice.

And, what you paid for your TrainController Software Licence, was an expense that I urged you to delay, until you were closer to actually needing it. So, you can't blame me for that either.

The cost of the Arduino equipment pales, in comparison to the cost of the TrainController License.
The rest of the equipment (Adapters to the Signals and Electromagnetic Uncouplers) would have been required, whether you used an Arduino or not.

All the Servos for your Semaphore Signals were your choice, not mine. In another email message on 01/Jan/2017, I said to you:
"Do you plan to have Semaphore or Light signals. Will they be 2-Aspect or 3-Aspect. Have you given any thought to how you might Operate them?
If you were thinking of Semaphore Signals, I don't know how much Realism you want, but a Solenoid operation - while easy to implement - can be hard on the signals, and doesn't look so good.
A Slow-Motion solution can be implemented with a Tortoise-type motor, which can be operated from any On-Off Decoder, To replace an Expensive Tortoise with a Cheap Servo, you require a Decoder that can handle a Servo. Not all can, but they are becoming more popular to switch points with, because a Servo is VERY cheap. Unlike a Tortoise used to operate Points, a Servo has NO contacts for powering a Frog.
So, what are you plans/thoughts for your signals?"

Your response was:
"I would never consider Solenoid operation as I don't like the noisy clunky things and had planned to use Servos but decent ones and not the very cheap crap , I know that both ESU and Viesman do good but relatively expensive servos but have been advised that the very same units that they sell are available much cheaper unbranded elsewhere , as for controlling them I was thinking about DCC4PC's switchboard ( if it has made an appearance by the time I need it and can afford it ) or maybe a unit from someone like Block signalling or traintronics"

So, you can't blame me for the Servos either! They were something you planned to use, before I came along!!!
And, you had Servos operating connected to your Arduino, with the software I provided you, before 19/March/2017.

That Arduino solution cost less than US$10 for the 4 Semaphore Signals you wanted to connect to each Arduino.

So, it seems that the only expense you can blame me for is the 3x Arduino Nano MicroCntrollers, and the 3x I/O Shields, because you said you wanted a No-Soldering solution.

Accordingly, I apologise unreservedly for trying to help you avoid spending a lot of money on Commercial Decoders.

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You seem to have forgotten what I said to you in an email message on 01/January/2017 (They day after we started exchanging email messages), when I said:
"Now, DON'T let me push you into anything!!!!!!!!! These are just My SUGGESTIONS for what You MIGHT do. I'm happy to help in any way I can."

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If you want to paint me as the 'bad guy' here, that's up to you and your memory.
But, that's just not how it went.