105 replies to this topic

[Maxlaam]

The overhaul to V3, aiming for realism

Dear members of SSC,

The time has come to overhaul Phase. Phase has been an on going project since 2009 and was first featured on Looping Star in 2010. Phase allows the user to operate a roller-coaster in a realistic way using sensors, relays and buttons to control the roller-coaster. The dream of being a ride-op was the inspiration for this project, being able to push a button to launch a car onto the track, have it start and stop automatically and open the gates with the twist of a switch.

Let me show you the history of Phase:

Phase 1.0,
the first version of Phase. Featured a slanted control panel and an external box for the components that did not fit in the control panel.



Phase 2.0,
same lay-out as Phase 1.0 but with a revamped and optimized code. Featured the ability to run two trains and switch between a single train or multiple trains.


Phase 2.1,
same lay-out as Phase 2.0 but with optimized code, ability to run two trains automatically and featured a realistic block system to allow for more trains than Phase 2.0.


Phase 3.0 is aiming to incorporate more realistic systems and electronics to control the roller-coasters. Inspiration to start this project came from working at the funfair at a roller-coaster called Super Mouse. The crew showed me the control panel and explained to me what all the buttons did, looking at the electronics cabinet showed me how a real roller-coaster operated. With this in mind I started thinking about a different, brand new, realistic design.

At the hardware store I bought a suitcase and some wood.


The suitcase was digitally replicated in Google Sketchup.


The real one


The Sketchup model

When the model was completed I started drawing a cabinet to house all the electronics; power supply, PCB's, Arduino, relays, etc.


The cabinet, the PSU is from an old PC and I also salvaged 2 8cm fans from the pc.

During my free time at school I started out sketching diagrams for the motors, servos, E-stop etc. Part of the E-stop diagram I owe to Floris2Burn.

After school the first parts were bought:


Switches, relays, diodes, resistors, wire, IC-sockets, screw terminals and shrink tubing.

So far so good, currently I have a bunch of electronics laying around but the project is far from finished. The wood for the cabinet has to be bought and cut to size before I can do any soldering or wiring. The project is already turning out to be very expensive so I will have to purchase my parts in monthly bulks.

I plan to keep this thread updated with every purchase/problem/build. Showing you how I will make this new version of Phase. Stay tuned for more!

Phase 3.0, let's go!

Thanks to Bananaman from my clan for the logo.

[Knexrule11]

Go Max! I love your phase projects. I would guess your planning to make a bigger control panel this time? More then a few buttons? What are you estimating the time to be from start to finish on this? And how much are you estimating the cost. Also, your Google Sketchup models are awesome. Are you planning on designing the whole thing in Sketchup first?

[RNB]

Wow. Looks very good! Can't wait too see how it works!

[maarten12]

Looks awesome, Max! I'm very curious in everything which is going to be included in the system. Are those rectangular shaped headers so you can plug on and off the relais?

[Maxlaam]

Go Max! I love your phase projects. I would guess your planning to make a bigger control panel this time? More then a few buttons? What are you estimating the time to be from start to finish on this? And how much are you estimating the cost. Also, your Google Sketchup models are awesome. Are you planning on designing the whole thing in Sketchup first?

Thank you
The panel will be bigger, hence the suitcase I bought. The suitcase is only going to contain the buttons, a few indicator LED's and a very special part which I won't reveal to you guys yet
I hope to get the wooden parts cut somewhere in October and assemble them. Then during November/December I will work on the electronics.
I estimate the project to cost around €400,- or $550,-.
The idea is to design the major components in SketchUp first to see if it will fit. I modelled the Arduino as a flat blue plate with some stuff sticking out, very basic but it will do the job.

Wow. Looks very good! Can't wait too see how it works!

I will use indicator LEDs, buttons switches and much more to show the user what is going on. This also allows for faulty parts to be replaced more easily.

Looks awesome, Max! I'm very curious in everything which is going to be included in the system. Are those rectangular shaped headers so you can plug on and off the relais?

Those "headers" are called IC sockets, 16pins. They work great with relays as you can just pop them in and replace broken ones.


Here is a picture of the SketchUp model of the cabinet:

Bottom left, 10 channel light chaser. Bottom right, power supply. Large green rectangle, relays, buttons, indicators and much more. Blue rectangle, Arduino Mega. White bars (x3), screw terminals.

Stay tuned for the next update

[Kool Coaster Kid]

Looks cool. What is the size of the cabinet.

[ickus305]

AUTO-MAX (that is automation to the maximum).

The conceptual state looks good. I really like how you have evolved a project to find out what works best for you and your scenarios and how to improve upon things.

The only advice I have is that while you are making things more and more complex and more and more true scale operationally realistic remember K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid), in that while you are doing you are doing something extremely complex, you do have have to make things harder then they need to be (which looking at your previous attempts you did a good job at keeping a very complex system working, because you did not over complex issues).

Good Luck with things and I can not wait to continue to see this project evolve further.

[SuperTKDKid]

Ima take a guess at some of your secrets:
1) Your special thing in the control suitcase will be unique wiring. You will do all of your normal wiring which goes into and adapter or something, which creates a port. Your will have a thicker wire that gets plugged into that port which opens up on the side of the box. The other end of the cord plugs into your cabinet, where the rest of your wires are.
2) Your making it all wireless. Aka, there will be some wiring going into a wireless receiver in the control suitcase. It will pick up the signal of one wireless receiver that is in the cabinet.
Are either of these right or close?

[Maxwell58]

^ i hope so. i really loved looping star and i wonder what coaster this will be used on.

[Maxlaam]

AUTO-MAX (that is automation to the maximum).

The conceptual state looks good. I really like how you have evolved a project to find out what works best for you and your scenarios and how to improve upon things.

The only advice I have is that while you are making things more and more complex and more and more true scale operationally realistic remember K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid), in that while you are doing you are doing something extremely complex, you do have have to make things harder then they need to be (which looking at your previous attempts you did a good job at keeping a very complex system working, because you did not over complex issues).

Good Luck with things and I can not wait to continue to see this project evolve further.

Thank you James
I'm going for a little more complexity this time, a combination of looks and functionality. I will well document this build as it might come in handy some time.

Ima take a guess at some of your secrets:
1) Your special thing in the control suitcase will be unique wiring. You will do all of your normal wiring which goes into and adapter or something, which creates a port. Your will have a thicker wire that gets plugged into that port which opens up on the side of the box. The other end of the cord plugs into your cabinet, where the rest of your wires are.
2) Your making it all wireless. Aka, there will be some wiring going into a wireless receiver in the control suitcase. It will pick up the signal of one wireless receiver that is in the cabinet.
Are either of these right or close?

Guess 1 is pretty much right. The suitcase will only have the buttons in it, a 25pin cable will get the signals to the cabinet. All the other things are taken care of there

^ i hope so. i really loved looping star and i wonder what coaster this will be used on.

Thanks for the compliment, however Looping Star was Jogumpie's build. The electronics were mine though

Here is the most recent purchase, could've picked it up at Friday but the battery died from my phone so I didn't receive the call. I cba'd picking it up during the weekend because I would probably fill myself up with fast-food and booze (and so I did), the risk of taking it with me to the festival and breaking it was simply too big

Here are the 15V and 1A analogue meters that go on the outside of the cabinet.



Currently saving up so I can get the wood cut and then paint the cabinet before putting it together.

Stay tuned, comments welcome

[SuperTKDKid]

What color do you plan on painting the cabinet? I suggest either a nice wood stain or something similar to the suit case.

[-=TK=-]

I think it is going to look awesome! It looks like this project costs a lot of money, where do you get it from?

It looks really nice so far, i like it

-=Tk=-

[RNB]

^ If it wasn't expensive, I already ordered one .

Looks great!

[LaMbChOpZ]

Looks amazing max! I can't wait to see how this tuns out once it's finished! I'd say you should make a tutorial, but I don't think that many members on here have the skills (No offense) to make this.

Good luck and I'll be following this 'till the very end!

[Maxlaam]

Looks cool. What is the size of the cabinet.

Sorry for reading over your reply before, the cabinet is about 30cm deep 40cm wide and 50cm tall.

What color do you plan on painting the cabinet? I suggest either a nice wood stain or something similar to the suit case.

I was going for a white or grey-ish colour, about 2 or 3 coats to get a nice thick covering. I want it to look like a real metal cabinet.

I think it is going to look awesome! It looks like this project costs a lot of money, where do you get it from?

It looks really nice so far, i like it

-=Tk=-

Thanks I have my income, mostly from the expo's but also my work, also another money source but that is not a lot to be noteworthy

^ If it wasn't expensive, I already ordered one .

Looks great!

Thanks It's expensive, but if you can handle a screw driver and a soldering iron it might be really easy if you follow this thread

Looks amazing max! I can't wait to see how this tuns out once it's finished! I'd say you should make a tutorial, but I don't think that many members on here have the skills (No offense) to make this.

Good luck and I'll be following this 'till the very end!

Thank you! I'm documenting this really well so people can get inspired or try it themselves some time. As I said before, follow the thread well and see how I tackle problems and you might be able to build yourself one too. Expensive though

[SuperTKDKid]

Here is an idea: If you are not using your old control panel and box, you could use it for this: Whatever coaster this goes on, add a transfer track. Then make the old control panel control the transfer track.

[Maxlaam]

Here is an idea: If you are not using your old control panel and box, you could use it for this: Whatever coaster this goes on, add a transfer track. Then make the old control panel control the transfer track.

I surely am going to recycle the old panel, the buttons are the most valuable as they come at about 20 Euro a piece. Not sure if I am going to do anything with the box itself. Maybe for future projects.

First shipment of the new Baco brand buttons and switches came in I miss ordered one part so I am going to send them back and get a refund so I can order the proper ones.


From left to right and top to bottom: 2x 45° Switches, 1x Mushroom-head pushbutton, 1x 3 states switch (on-off-on), 1x E-stop (Idec, not Baco), 3x assembled contact elements with adapters, 1x 3 contact adapter, 1x E-stop ring, 2x single contact adapters, 4x NO contacts.

I'm the happiest boy in the world right now, these buttons are commonly found on real rides, realism ++

[LaMbChOpZ]

I love the buttons, especially the 45° Switches and the E-Stop with the ring. This thing will look so realistic, I'm super excited to see this finished!!!!!

[ickus305]

buttons... push!!

Glad to see things are still going along with this project

[Jogumpie]

In the meantime Mr. Jogumpie is working on his own "Phase". I want to do my input through a laptop, though. Anyway, let's get back to Max's project. I do like your buttons, but I never figured out how they are mounted. Enough programming experience here, but hooking up electronics is rather new for me (although I had some electronics classes a couple of years ago).