Better do an update....

Sorry to my readers for not updating the blog as regularly as I have done in the past. Seems like this year has just flown by without much modelling happening. Life is getting in the way, along with family commitments! When I have had a spare few hours during the week, competing interests have had to be prioritised. Railway modelling, Raspberry Pi, electronics and programming all want a piece of me.
I had a month off over May with one week up at Noosaville, and the three remaining weeks trying to reduce the 'things to do list' of tasks around the house. Modelling didn't really get a look in.
So since the last post I have:

• assisted with solving a problem with a MERG CBUS utility running on a Linux OS (Mint in this case)
• starting to look at Java and Python programming for future use on Raspi projects
• installed a Real Time Clock into my new Raspi 2B (along with sorting out some problems)
• investigating some alternative electronics projects to use as sensor and output use on the layout rather than have to use specific kits (MERG)
• went to the club each Wednesday when I was on holidays and helped out there on a couple of things
• ran my Climax, with a string of NSWGR wagons as I am yet to build the wagon kits I will be using, around the club layout when everyone else was having lunch. It took about 25 minutes to do a lap. A greyhound it isn't!
• looking at 12mm HO options to use on the club layout. I'm thinking of a mixed goods of QR stock from PGC Scale Models. Hopefully they are an OK manufacturer? Might even look at a PB15 steam loco. I've ordered a 23class QR diesel in 12mm (and 16.5mm) that I could also use to pull the mixed goods.
• finished off the terrace shops for my layout (weekend just gone)
• designing options for the backscene behind the main station on the club layout
• probably other things that I can't remember ;-)

So July is rapidly approaching and with it will be the 2015 Tour De France coverage, so expect not much to happen during that month either! I'll probably start on the next Metcalfe kit, a set of terrace houses.

So here are some pics and a vid for your visual edification.

Terrace Shops from Metcalfe

Weighbridge (or yard) office from Hornby.
This was brought back from London by my sister-in-law as my overseas gift.

Climax at RMCQ

The Metcalfe low-relief bank-shop-pub completed

Sorry it has been awhile since the last update. I've been busy with family life and when I've had a spare hour or so, I've been either making the Metcalfe kit pictured, or pottering around with configuring an old XP machine to run Linux Mint, install JMRI, and now trying to work out if I can run MERG's FCU application via Wine. This all sounds to technical for a model railway blog, but if I can get this up and running I can configure, manage and integrate the MERG CBUS system into JMRI all on the one PC without having to resort to using Windows.

Over Easter I spent a couple of hours progressing the Bray MPD side of the layout in anticipation of placing the buildings in position.

The next building project will be another Metcalfe kit, this one low relief set of shops, followed by terrace houses, the engine shed and a factory. I might get this all done by the end of the year!

Metcalfe Warehouse finished

I've been sporadically completing over the last few weeks the Metcalfe warehouse kit in low relief. This will be placed on the Bray MPD side of the layout to service a siding.

Next will be a set of three low relief shops one of which will be a corner pub.

Apart from the card kits for my layout I have been researching backdrop scenes and low relief kits for the Club HO layout for the area near the main station. I put up my hand to scenic this area along with a fellow club member. I am thinking a large town/city scene with a bit of variety amongst architectural styles to indicate the age of the town/city. This is not as easy as it sounds!

New Howto - Fitting a Zimo MX645 decoder into an Auscision 73 Class

I have finally finished the Howto that I was writing at the same time as doing the decoder install in the Auscision NSWGR 73 Class loco. The PDF of the Howto and the Zimo Decoder Manual can be linked to from the "Articles that I have written" page.

Signal box and outbuildings done

This week had me doing something different and get into building a Metcalfe kit of a UK signal box (LMS proto I think but could be anywhere in the UK). The kit also included a line side hut and a lamp shed.
These will be positioned close to the tunnel portal on the Bray MPD side of the layout. As such the 'box' will be seen from the rear side, so I haven't bothered to put a light in it. 

From L-R: lamp shed, signal box, line side hut

Slightly different view

Next week I think I will continue with another Metcalfe kit, probably the Factory/Warehouse. This way I can start the scenicing with the buildings closest to the tunnel portal first.

You bl@@dy bewdy!

On this National Day of ours, I am happy to report that the 73 class IS FINALLY FINISHED! Woohoo, hip hip hurray, and all that cheer!
I had to rethink a few things and make some sacrifices, but it now works to my satisfaction. I decided to remove the control boards from the cabin, but I retained the crew. My thinking on this was that you only see the crew anyway, so now the sugar cube speaker is blu-tacked to the roof near the cabin light. It unfortunately blocks the cabin light on one side of the cabin but no matter. I tidied up the wiring a bit better with the removal of the zip tie and replacement with Tamiya masking tape. This stuff is pretty good for more than masking up!
Some further 'collateral damage' occurred with some of the finer details around the buffers breaking off, but these are so small they will not be missed. The other thing is that in all of the recent handling of the shell some of the locking lugs broke off so the shell doesn't fit to the deck neatly and rise up a tad at each end. The only thing this cause is the marker lights might misalign to their lenses. Just a gentle push usually realigns them.
I also removed the stay alive capacitor as there just wasn't any space.
The sound may not be prototypical for the 73 but it is a German diesel fairly close to the general specs of the 73. Sounds OK to me, I've never heard a 73 anyway! 
So I might take it for a spin down at the Club at the next meeting day. 
The other thing I got around to today was to start on some of the other various kits I have to put together. The first was a simple MERG track tester. Done. The next project will be one of the Metcalfe kits of a signal box so that I can start progressing with Illavearf again.
Here are some photos of the newly finished 73 class.

Only thing different that went ahead was the zip tie was replaced with masking tape and the shelf on the front gear box was trimmed back a bit as it was bending down and hitting the universal.

Closer view of first photo

The temporary shelf at the rear is now permanent

 

7309 on the DCC Concepts rolling road with the cabin light on

 

Rear view showing numberboards and marker lights on. Shell slightly askew hence why the red and white markers are not lining up exactly to their lenses

Front view showing numberboards, headlight and marker lights.

One of the drivers in the cabin

The 'collateral damage' - cabin control board, stay alive cap and buffer end details

Good progress with the 73 but with a not so good outcome

This week saw good progress with the wiring up of the 73. Using the SMD resistors certainly has improved the available real estate under the shell. I was able to get the decoder on its shelf, along with the stay alive cap and sugar cube speaker on the original circuit board shelf. The wires were all bundled up and secured. The shell was shoe-horned on (VERY tight fit). Then a roadblock was discovered. The shell was short 5-7mm of clearance to allow it to fit to the chassis. It would appear as though the amount of wiring impacted the internal clearance. You can see all of this in the photos below.
Upon having a chat with Mr Mackie and PK, several options were bandied about. I came up with my mine to see if this helps and will certainly investigate the other options proffered if mine doesn't pan out.
What I really want is to have the cabin light operating, as well as the marker, number board, and headlights. Retaining the sound would be great.
So I had a closer look at the available space. I redeveloped the shelving to be one shelf rather than a staggered shelf arrangement. I can live without the stay alive cap (for what they good they do) and might have a look at locating the speaker in the cab, with minimal damage to the cabin detail if possible. By the end of the week, I had got to a point where the speaker isn't installed but the rest has occurred. I am still about 2-3 mm short of the shell to reach the chassis, but I may just need to rethink the wiring arrangement. That will be this week's project if I get the time.

Top view of the placement of the decoder,etc

Side view showing the decoder, cap and speaker to the rear at the right. You can see the second shelf towards the middle that the decoder is on.

 

Front lightboard

Rear lightboard

View showing the 5-7mm gap between the shell and the chassis

Top view showing the spaghetti of wiring through the original circuit board access hatch.