LoconetBreadboard

From SPCoast

[edit] Introduction

The Loconet Breadboard interface is a simple experimenter's interface to Digitrax's Loconet model railroad control bus. It is the same circuit as used on my Turtle and Detector projects with the addition of a safety resistor protecting Q1 from the accidental application of 14V DCC signals to the Loconet Jack pins.

Loconet Breadboard Interface features

• 5v power input taken from breadboard
• A complete hardware interface to Digitrax's Loconet
• Two LocoNet interface connectors
• Optional LED "network activity" feedback
• RX and TX data streams for connection to appropriate processor input and output pins.

The schematic and PCB layout were created using the free tools provided by Eagle CAD. Unlike ExpressPCB, you need to do a bit more work to get boards fabricated.

• Download Eagle CAD (Windows, Mac and Linux)
• Download Loconet Protoboard 1.0 Eagle Schematic and PCB
• [XXX Order the board from BatchPCB]

[edit] Project Overview

This project is actually quite simple; the design tools used are all free, you don't need to be an electronics expert to use them to order your own printed circuit boards; construction and assembly is easy - it takes about 15 minutes to assemble the board and maybe another 15 minutes to download the Arduino Loconet I/O demo sketch, wire your Arduino to this board and start hacking together your own loconet device:

• Ground goes to Ground, Vcc goes to a source of 5v power
• TX goes to D7 on your Arduino, and
• RX goes to pin D8

Without any Loconet connection, the LED should be on.

Download the Arduino Loconet demo sketch into your Arduino Sketches directory, compile it, load it onto your Arduino, plug the board into your Loconet (the LED should go off) and away you go - your imagination is the limit!

See the Category:Electronics Overview page for more information.