A few months ago I have made my own version of Holger Matthes’ BR80. It was not a full replica because I didn’t have all the pieces required so I had to improvise. I also opted for an all-black version instead of a black+red combination.
I decided I needed a steam engine after some experiments with a MINDSTORMS EV3 setup with a train turntable, two rail switches and a pseudo train with SBrick and RFID:
After I added a mechanism to disengage the train engine from the cargo wagon I decided I needed a steam engine since modern trains don’t need the turntable to operate.
As the SBrick had 4 outputs and I was only using 2 for the motor and the lights I wonder what else could I add to it. Choosed two extra functions that would look good on a LUG exhibition:
- a smoke engine
- a horn
The initial project was dismantled but I’m now returning to it with a MILS-based layout to use in larger dioramas with other PLUG fellows:
Currently the turntable and the rail switches are still manually operated but at least I now have a steam engine. With real smoke:
This is ‘Gatto Negro’. It means ‘Black Catt’, I’m using the extra ‘T’ because in Bluetooth Low Energy jargon ‘GATT’ means ‘General Attributes’ and I’ve been using a lot the linux command ‘gatttool’ to quickly test my BLE devices.
Of course ‘Gatto Negro’ is also BLE – it uses the new LEGO Powered Up hub and the PUP version of the LEGO Medium motor instead of the Power Functions IR Receiver, LiPo battery and M motor.
Unfortunately with the current firmware of the PUP Hub using a M motor isn’t the best option: the remote BLE Handset doesn’t hold the speed setting so we have to control the train with short or long button presses, always at full speed. Same happens with current LEGO App because LEGO programmers decided that only a train motor should be used for trains (each PUP device has an unique AutoID and the App was made to use train motors with train controls and non-train motors with car controls).
So I made my own ‘Gatto Negro’ aplication, with MIT AI2.
Next posts I’ll write about the smoke generator and the App.