Control model trains wirelessly with your smartphone
Model trains have been a staple of DIY hobbiysts for generations, and while wireless control options can be purchased, KushagraK7’s hack lets you use your phone instead.
The setup consists of an Arduino Uno, along with a motor driver shield to vary the trains’s peed and direction, as well as flip turnouts to allow for different sections of track to be used.
The system employs a novel interface system, where an off-the-shelf Bluetooth receiver passes DTMF (telephone dial tones) to a decoder board, which then sends this decoded data on to the Arduino. While some might opt for an HC-05 Bluetooth module or similar, this enables control with a standard tone generator app, and the phone could even be physically connected via a stereo cable if convenient.
January 4th, 2019 at 04:12:43
I saw under Instructables someone left a question regarding the control of each train separately. It’s been a long time since I’ve played with HO scale trains. Do the “switches or turnouts” as you call them switch power to the appropriate siding when they are enabled?
January 8th, 2019 at 07:06:47
The turnouts used here have a power routing feature which directs the power to the appropriate siding where they are switched. This eliminates the use of complicated wiring.