MERG kit # 3 (USB) started

I ordered the 12VDC transformer earlier in the week, so while waiting I started on putting together the USB interface kit from MERG. Once again it was an easy assembly up to the point of needing to check for voltages, and this is where I stopped as I needed the transformer. No further work on the terraces as I had a busy week apart from checking that I had the various components for the LED lighting. 

The transformer arrived Friday. I had to get a 2.5mm DC connector to connect the transformer plug to the test bed / bus. So off to Jaycar in the morning to get this and a 6A bridge rectifier for the ammeter mentioned in the previous post. Saturday afternoon was done at the club for a few hours. Firstly a working bee on the HO layout to make a start on cutting the various straights and curves for around the helix blob. Then the monthly meeting followed, and afterwards some more cutting. Later in the arvo I spent some time in the shed getting the DC connector mounted to the test bed.

Saturday night I spent wiring up the CAN / Power bus into the test bed and into the Input and Output kit boards. To my surprise the boards where not getting 5VDC power! 12VDC was going into the Output board which would then supply 5VDC to its own electronics as well as the power input to the Input board. Nothing. I followed the instructions again to make sure everything OK, and it appears to be. I'm stumped! I'm going to have to do some research through the forums to see if this has happened before and if not make contact with a fellow MERGer to see if he has any ideas what might be happening.

Sunday afternoon I quickly did a temporary hash-up of the ammeter to the bridge rectifier and track power (3Amps max through the SB3A booster). Immediately the 'short' light came on and the ammeter was registering about 1.5Amps. I wonder if this was supposed to happen? I'll have to check with Mr Mackie.

Well this week will be spent trying to sort out the MERG kits' power supply problem and maybe install the LED lighting into the terraces so that I can continue the build.

MERG kit # 2 started

As expected the TDF is getting in the way of modelling as I am spending the evenings catching up with the previous night's recorded session. However I was able to start the second MERG kit over the weekend and I am now up to the point of needing the power supply, so I will be ordering one of these this week. After my conversation with Ian Both, a fellow MERG member in Brissie, I have decided to accept his suggestion and use a 12VDC 5A transformer. It is cheap enough and if I need to revert to the AC based adaptor then I will.

No movement on the terraces as I have to sort out some LED lighting to go into them before I seal the front walls. I only have to worry about the front windows as no one will see the back windows.

The other thing of interest was I posted a query on the MERG yahoo forum querying the pronounciation, is it like 'berg' or 'merge'? Well did that throw up any interesting chain of events. Apparently both could be interchangeable as MERG was originally formed from the merger of two existing clubs, but you could use it as 'berg' as the 'G' is a hard G as in 'Group'. I think I will sound it out like 'berg'.

Mr Mackie took a delivery of 12VDC ammeters from ebay last week and a cuple of spares. I will purchase one of him and setup the DCC circuit as per Marcus Allman's page for Illavearf because since upgrading to an SB3a I have lost the inbuilt ammeter feature of the PowerCAB.

So this week I might get around to the LED lighting in the terraces OR start on the MERG USB kit. Not sure. Club monthly meeting this Saturday so maybe a working bee on the new layout before the 2pm meeting. We will see!

Terrace progress but no MERG # 2

Monday night saw me at the hobby table putting the cover brick paper on the terrace front walls. After that the week went to pot! No MERG kit # 2 and no further work on the terraces. However Tuesday saw the arrival of the order from Austrains that my mate PK and I went into halves on. Some NSWGR CWs, a PV and a few CVs. I put them on the layout today to see how they rolled and they appeared to run fine. One thing to keep an eye on is I think they have low profile flanges so when they went over a crossing frog they appeared to drop momentarily so the flange wasn't running on the base of the frog.

The other pleasant surprise was that I received the Raspberry Pi computer board in the mail on Friday. I wasn't expecting this until sometime in July or August. Now I just have to get the thing working so that I can attempt installing JMRI (for linux) onto it and then connect up to the layout to see how it functions as the 'nerve centre'. It has been awhile since I have tinkered with Linux!

The other thing done was that this morning I took the family on our annual Steam Train Sunday excursion. We went out via Sherwood and back to Roma St via the Exhibition line. Lovely day for it and always a nice thing to do.

MERG kit # 1 and some photos of the terraces

The week's evenings were fairly much screwed this week apart from Friday. I took advantage of this and undertook the build of the first of the MERG kits. It took me two hours to do all of the soldering and the instructions were simple and easy to understand. I've mounted the PCB onto a piece of ply to be used as a test bed for the other kits and a simple CBUS setup along with inputs and outputs. I just have to source an appropriate power transformer but I have been having problems with that as Jaycar doesn't seem to have what I need. I might send an email to one of the other local MERG members and ask what he uses and where it was sourced.

The MERG kit packet

The kit's contents

The tools

Hi res view of the completed board

The test bed with kit # 1 mounted

No work on the terraces this week but I have included some photos of the work to date.

The front without cover paper

Interior (however I have elected not to put too much in the way of interior fitouts as I can't see the point when it is sealed up)

Floor views

End view

Rear view of floors

Rear view of interiors

One other thing I scored was 40 metres of 8-core control wire. We were at the Aspley Hypermarket on Sunday and in their reduced lines aisle was a swag of Nylex garden irrigation control wire packs, reduced 50% from $10 to $5. Each pack was 10 metres of cable, and each core colour coded. So I bought four packs as I think these might come in handy for connecting accessories to the MERG boards if I go forward with these as a layout control system. I'll still use Cat5 as the CBUS bus and power system as these are twisted pair whereas the Nylex cable I am not sure about as yet.

This week maybe continue work on the terraces and might even get in the second MERG kit if time permits. The Tour De France starts Saturday night so I might be distracted from the hobby for a few weeks!

No MERG but a tad more on the terraces

I was able to get to the terrace houses and get the front walls ready to the point of covering them with their external paper and glue in position this week. I ran out of time to start on the MERG CBUS kits. Maybe this week. Also this week the HO scale bank for Lachlan's layout arrived. I thought this was going to be a smallish kit but as it turned out it was a rather large pre-built building! We spent some time Saturday afternoon making room for it (the shop had to be moved) and scraping out the grass that was present. The building had a light in it so I had to ran soe additional wiring between it and the 16VAC accessory power of the transformer. Lachlan was impressed as he has been wanting some lights on his layout and this is a start. Today he laid the 'bituman' down for the side and rear access road. Not bad. He has been watching and learning! Tuesday I was home as I was getting solar power installed so I spent some time laying the dirt/gravel in the Kensington Hill goods yard.

I note that my friend Mr Mackie had a great day today on a ARHS NSWGR 620/720 railmotor which was up Brissie way and was doing a day trip down to Kyogle and back to Roma St, out to Fisherman Island and back today. I would have loved to have taken the boys out but maybe when they are a few years older and can handle the trip. Either that or they will be 'too old for that' and I can go by myself and the other enthusiasts!

I also had my eye on a pack of NSWGR wagons from Austrains. I decided to wait until after the weekend where I was keeping a watch on some wagons on Ebay. Most of these went dearer than what I intend to buy them for, so my mind is now mind up. They are some idiot bidders on Ebay!

This week I am hoping to start one of the MERG kits as I have brought the soldering iron and bits and bobs in from the shed to the study/hobby room. Also I might be able to continue with the terrace houses. Slowly chipping away at it!

Terrace's progress

This week I was able to put two evenings into the terrace houses. They are now upright with the floors and internal walls in. Finally! Now the next step will be the exterior walls I think.

Earlier in the week the three electronic kits from MERG arrived. I had a look at all three to make sure all the components were in each. So now I have the minimum setup to potter around with, an inputs interface, an outputs interface, as well as the USB interface which allows me to hopefully see what will be happening with the I/O interface boards on JMRI or one of the other software applications I have (ie RocRail). I did some more research on the RocRail site (www.rocrail.net) and there are 3rd party boards which also interface with MERG CBUS that have caught my eye, namely the fast clock and LCD display board, plus a few others of interest. Anyway I still have to actually assemble them yet, so when I start this, I will take my time.

I unfortunately had to decline a running session over at Mr Mackie's today as I had a birthday party to take my son to. Boondall Ice World ice skating ring. If today was cold and miserable on the outside it was positively freezing here as you would expect on the inside! As it was I probably wouldn't have been able to get to Mr Mackie's even if this invitation hadn't been on the cards as the car is in the panel beater's following a rear-ender last week! When I got home this arvo I spent a small bit of time on Illavearf doing some more scattering of ground cover before I do the second step with the anti-static grass, maybe tomorrow.

So not sure what I'll be doing this week, terrace houses or one of the MERG kits. Maybe a bit of both!

NSWGR BCWs arrived

Nothing really eventful this week on the modelling front. My three-pack of Eureka Models NSWGR BCWs (bogie cattle wagons) - 3 letter code arrived during the week, courtesy of Mr Mackie. They look mighty fine. Can't wait to see what the BSVs (bogie sheep vans) look like. I'm getting 2 x 3-packs of these, so six altogether. For a bit of variety I am contemplating buying a combo pack of NSWGR 4 wheel 3 x CWs (covered wagon) and 1 x PV (powder van) from Austrains. Just looking at the finances at the moment, but might be able to swing it as a birthday present (any excuse!).

I hadn't received my MERG order as of the end of week, so I made an enquiry with the store to better my understanding of their order fulfillment procedure. Apparently filled the day I ordered and should take 5-10 days to get to Oz. So probably this week hopefully.

I read Hornby magazine and had finally caught up to March's edition (I am usually at least 2 months behind by the time it gets to Oz) and read with interest an article on Market Weighton. This station is one of the major junctions in the area that I am interested in doing something on specifically on Pocklington station which is rust down the tracks from Market Weighton.

Saturday was wet and without motor vehicle transport, so I spent a few hours in the shed pottering around. One of the tasks that I haven't had time to do got a guernsey, namely starting on putting some of the 'OO' scale storage trays that I bought from the Club about 18 months ago together. I had bought 10 flat packs and managed to put three together. This might be enough at the moment to get store my current stock, but I will have to check. I still have to get the foam inserts from the Club and paint the trays.

As for the Terrace Houses, not a thing was done through the week.

This coming Saturday is Club Monthly Meeting day and i might be forced to trundle down on the treadley again as the car is in the panel beaters following another rear-ender! Hopefully this meeting votes on the acceptance of the proposed modelling competition categories and rules.