No introduction needed this week!
Last week we covered the modular design of our control and power units. This week we’ll dive into what’s in them and what they do.
In order of connection:
Raspberry Pi 3 – This is the brains, this runs iTrain. The software that allows us to automate the great majority of the layout operation.
USB Serial Interface – This acts as an interface between the Raspberry Pi and the command unit – allowing both to communicate.
Command Unit – You guessed it – this is like the “controller” for the layout. This is what sends the DCC signals to the layout.
Xpressnet Track Detection – These contain 8 input. Each input is from a “block” of track – similar to a real railway. When current is drawn from the block this module sends a signal via xpressnet to the command unit – which in turn sends it to iTrain – allowing iTrain to track all train movements.