Control Bus
There may actually be more than one control bus on the layout, if I can’t fit all of the functional requirements into a single system. I’d prefer just one though.
Requirements
The requirements for the control bus (or busses) are:
- Connect to JMRI
- Support track switch controls (these may be homebrew servo-based systems, or something else).
- Support Signal masts (note: Japanese signals with up to five independently-controlled lamps per head).
- Support Train Occupancy Detectors.
- Support remote on/off control of switched accessories (this is basically a requirement to support relays or equivalent switching circuits).
- Support on/off state detection (this is basically a requirement to support remote switches, although it’s likely to be use for other things, such as optical occupancy detectors).
These are all fairly common requirements for any control bus, so filling them shouldn’t be too hard.
Desired Capabilities
These “requirements” are a bit softer. They may ultimately require some other control bus (or busses) from the main one. And they could be discarded if they’re just too hard to do.
- Support walkaround hand-held (wireless) throttles.
- Support bus nodes made using Arduinos (i.e., have an interface “shield” or similar and an available library for the bus protocol).
Design
I have no clue, as yet, about what I’m going to do here. There are a plethora of solutions, and I really need to pick one and run with it. But I’ll probably procrastinate until after I’ve started building track.
