Avontuur in Miniatuur

Pgina 1 de 7

Home

Projects

Tips & tricks

Digital

Build yourself

Shop

Links

Interesting IR detector

An IR detector is ideally suited to detect trains, especially if there is little margin for error or where other detection methods are hard to implement. Sharps IS417F IC comes with almost all the circuitry you need to build a reliable IR detector. Just add an IR LED, a relay and a handful of components and you can switch on and off about everything. The reach of the detector is about 30 cm. By using the LD 274 IR LED this can extended to about 1 m.

I have designed a compact circuit board for the IR detector. It can fit almost between the tracks almost everywhere. You can also mount the detector IC on the short side of the board. This gives you the option to mount the board under the layout and stick the detector through a hole besides the track. The LED is connected to the board via wires; it is mounted on the other side of the track.

http://www.floodland.nl/aim/info_lichtsluis_en_1.htm

19/04/2013

Avontuur in Miniatuur

Pgina 2 de 7

Parts Count 1 1 1 2 1 1 1

Description IS471F IR LED SFH 409 or LD 274 transistor BC547B diode 1N4001 resistor 4,7 kilo Ohm capacitor 0,47 F relay FRT5 12V DC

Conrad # 185094 154070 or 153641 155785 162213 403334 453374 504394

You will need a few components besides the IS417F to make the detector work. The detector works on 12 Volts DC. A diode makes sure nothing burns up if the power supply is connected adversely. If you dont have a stabilised 12 Volts DC power supply lingering around, you can create one easily with the 78xx power supply board. The output of the IS417F drives a transistor, which drives a relay. The relay has two sets of switching contacts, which caters for a wide variety of applications.

Connecting

http://www.floodland.nl/aim/info_lichtsluis_en_1.htm

19/04/2013

Avontuur in Miniatuur

Pgina 3 de 7

Connecting the IR detector is straightforward. Solder the LED to the two pads next to the detector IC and connect the power. Aim the LED at the flat side of the detector. When you move a hand between LED and detector, you should hear the relay switch on and off. You can connect just about everything (check the data sheet for maximum ratings if you intend to do extreme stuff). For example: a set of lights that indicate whether something is blocking the detector. This is how you make a train detection for your (analogue or digital) staging yard, control the lights at a railroad crossing or .... well, whatever you want.

With BMD16N and BMD16N-SD feedback decoders

http://www.floodland.nl/aim/info_lichtsluis_en_1.htm

19/04/2013

Avontuur in Miniatuur

Pgina 4 de 7

Of course you can connect the IR detector to a feedback decoder as well. In this example I used the BMD16N. The IR detector delivers a more accurate detection than the traditional ground detection or current detection techniques. If you use a computer to control your trains, you can make them stop exactly on the spot, i.e. over a decoupler.

http://www.floodland.nl/aim/info_lichtsluis_en_1.htm

19/04/2013

Avontuur in Miniatuur

Pgina 5 de 7

You might as well combine the detector with a BMD16N-SD current feedback decoder. You only need to add a simple 10 kilo Ohm resistor to make it work.

Automating reversing loops

http://www.floodland.nl/aim/info_lichtsluis_en_1.htm

19/04/2013

Avontuur in Miniatuur

Pgina 6 de 7

The IR detector also provides a simple and reliable reversing loop solution, which is not based on short circuit detection (like most reversing loop solutions are). The reversing loop has to have double isolations on both ends. Mount the IR detector next to the track and make sure its beam crosses one of the isolations diagonally. The relay of the IR detector used to reverse the polarity of the reversing loop. By default the polarity should be alright for crossing the isolation at the other end of the loop. A train can enter at the other end without any problems. When the train approaches the IR detector, its beam catches the train before it reaches the isolation near the detector. The detector flips the polarity and the train can pass the isolation. When the train has passed the IR detector and the isolation, the relay is released and everything resets to the default state. The reversing loop can be travelled in both directions.

http://www.floodland.nl/aim/info_lichtsluis_en_1.htm

19/04/2013

Avontuur in Miniatuur

Pgina 7 de 7

A more complex solution can be created with two IR detectors. The detectors switch an extra relay, which in turn controls the polarity of the reversing loop. The feedback decoder has nothing to do with the actual reversing loop circuit, but illustrates how you can add current detection to a reversing loop. You can use the same set-up to add detection to the single IR detector reversing loop solution above. Boards are available from the shop.
2011

Huib Maaskant - Alle rechten voorbehouden - aim@floodland.nl

http://www.floodland.nl/aim/info_lichtsluis_en_1.htm

19/04/2013