Bluetooth and Arduino

[ge_rik]

Whilst away on my hols (in sunny France - and yes it was hot!!), I got to grips with the (very) basics of Arduino. Now I'm back I've been experimenting.

Still early days yet, but I've written up wot I dun on my blog for those who might be interested
https://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2019/0 ... phone.html

Total outlay on the control bits = £17.81. I could have done it more cheaply if I'd bought the bits directly from China - but I didn't want to wait.

Hope it's of interest.

Rik

 

[Deleted member 4232]

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[PhilP]

I had not realised you could get the Arduino in that small a package. - I expected something the size of a Raspberry Pi?

 

[ge_rik]

Shocked at the prices you paid!

Shocked in how high or how low?
I bought them from UK suppliers as I didn't want to wait for them to be delivered from China. I could probably get them cheaper via AliExpress etc

Rik

 

[JimmyB]

Rick, very interesting and food for thought.

 

[Deleted member 4232]

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[Deleted member 4232]

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[-bbbb]

Still early days yet, but I've written up wot I dun on my blog for those who might be interested
https://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2019/0 ... phone.html

Looks like there was a typo on that site: 'cheap was' should be 'cheap way'?:
"Overall, Bluetooth enabled technology does seem to offer a flexible and relatively cheap was of controlling model trains."

Always nice to see cheap ways of doing things, I wonder about the range.

 

[Madman]

Like John S, I too lack the umps to fully explore arduinos. I experimented with a kit, a few years ago, but lost interest when it came to programming it.

My Lionel "O" gauge locomotives come equipped with the bluetooth technology. It's all nice and tidy and thought out for me.....

 

[dunnyrail]

Certainly of interest in the cost department. But a big but for me is using a Phone or Tablet to control with. Yes most of us have them but there are often issues with Light blocking out the screen view on a bright day. My Garden is mostly in full Sun most of the day so this is a big issue. Also the Battery Time of a Phone, probably not too much of an issue for a lot of you but my Timetable Running days tend to be 4-6 hours long and that time on Blue Tooth will certainly drain a phones battery somewhat. I could also see this being an issue for Casey at his CFR where he is entertaining the public all day, however in his case I guess another Loco can be used if the Phone goes phut for want of Battery Power. Finally Range, no reply to -bbbb’s wonder as yet. Though I think this may have been resolved on another thread? As for possibly having to program anything Blue blub blub..........

Nice comprehensive review though as ever Rik.

 

[Deleted member 4232]

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[dunnyrail]

Looks like I may well have to do an investigation, but please never tell me that programming is easy - not for me it ain’t! My mind looses the will after any failure which is every time I try to get involved in the Witchcraft that is programming. Yes I can mess about with DCC now, but that knowledge was hard won after much ‘impatient’ explanation by certain friends that I was involved with. Though once I get it I am OK and this has always been the issue for me with trying to Program, the ‘Teachers’ all see it as easy and hack around on the screen going from one thing to another leaving me in a blur of misunderstanding. But I do like the possibility of this kit with a Knob to twiddle rather than a Mobile Phone.

Perhaps sometime soon someone will be offering Plug and Play Kits that just need a little bit of Soldering to the Motor and perhaps Battery Wires. Perfect.

As for Riks installation, would it fit the 0 Gauge Terrier you did? Tried to add this query to your blog Rik but Google got in the way, lost my post in a blur of forgotten passwords. See my problem?

 

[Deleted member 4232]

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[ge_rik]

Latest development

Steve Massikker of arduinorailwaycontrol.com has been in touch and wants me to collaborate on the final development and testing of an app designed specifically for large scale trains.

Watch this space as they say!

Rik
PS Range isn't a problem in my garden. The greatest line of sight distance in my garden is 17m and it coped easily with that even with foliage in the way. I might get around to doing a longer range test later - strolling down the street with phone in hand... Just like youngsters do.

PPS - Programming isn't really a problem doing it this way. The code is copied from Steve's website, pasted into the Arduino IDE program and then uploaded to the Arduino chip. The most difficult bits are:

1. Making sure the right driver is loaded for the Ardunio board - especially if a cheaper clone is used rather than the original product
2. Wiring up all the bits. I tried using Dupont male and female push-on leads but the connections were sometimes a bit iffy, especially when trying to cram it into the loco - in the end, I soldered the leads - and the pads are a bit small on the Nano.

 

[ge_rik]

Nano + BT & L298N £2.72
Pro Mini + BT & L298N £2.60
STM32 + BT & L298N £3.43

Latest order I placed, delivery time 3 days from China! More than likely stuff these days arrives quicker from China that it does from Mainland UK..........

Ouch! That is a lot cheaper. My prediction of half the price was a serious under-estimate. I presume those prices also include postage.

Rik

 

[ge_rik]

Looks like there was a typo on that site: 'cheap was' should be 'cheap way'?:
"Overall, Bluetooth enabled technology does seem to offer a flexible and relatively cheap was of controlling model trains."

Always nice to see cheap ways of doing things, I wonder about the range.

Now corrected - also spotted I had used 'to' instead of 'too' ...
Rik

 

[Deleted member 4232]

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[-bbbb]

Nowadays, the use of Bluetooth amongst Garden Railway enthusiasts appears to be non existent, but not quite obsolete, there have been mutterings amongst the dysfunctional for a resurgence!
...

I've been hearing about the cancer risks of bluetooth earbuds, But I don't suppose people will run bluetooth trains around their heads. Long range repeaters might be concerning though. I've been using a bluetooth speaker for loco sounds for some time. It's a convenient self contained package with built in rechargeable battery, very loud and clear. I just link the ipod to it and play the audio track while the train goes. It would be nicer to have an app for bluetooth audio that controls layers of sounds separately so the chuffing could be linked to loco speed without an expensive sound card, and the choo choo-ing, bells, and conductor calls could happen at the press of a button. Maybe it already exists somewhere, hopefully for free?

 

[ge_rik]

Just did a highly scientific range-test - 46m! (I put the loco on a length of track on the front lawn and wandered off down the street with my phone until it no longer responded. It took 46 large strides to get back again.

Rik

 

[PhilP]

Careful Rik!
You could get burned as a 'witch', for that sort of thing in some villages!