In this Instructable I will show you how to take your model roller coaster to the next level! I have loved roller coasters since before I can remember! Through the years I have watched the rides run at theme parks and learned from some professionals about how computer systems keep riders safe on roller coasters. I then implemented the concepts on my own K'nex coasters.
Now after years of making I'm proud to show you how to create your own roller coaster safety control system! This will show you how to add an operators control panel that looks similar to a real roller coaster control panel. You will then learn how to implement the panel into a complete ride control system that mimics a real roller coaster running two trains.
Implementing the concepts on your own model coaster should not be hard.Why have a computer control system?Whenever you ride a roller coaster at an amusement park from the second you leave the station to the second you return a computer is making sure that you are safe. However, it is also ensuring that the ride is operating efficiently. By that I mean things like slowing down lift speeds to conserve power and allowing multi train operation for higher throughput. The control system's number one goal is to keep riders safe. Basically its number one goal is to keep the trains from running into each other.
The way the control system does this is through a system of blocks. The idea is if a train is occupying the next block do not let the next train in. This model coaster control system has the same idea. The system will not let the next train in until it knows that the next block is clear. If you watch the video above you can actually hear the lift motor stop until the train has entered the station then start back up to let the car go.
This is the control system waiting for a clear block just like a real roller coaster would. This model roller coaster control system is as close as it gets to the real thing!
Arduino UNOArduino MegaRaspberry PiAllen Bradley 800T Illuminated guarded push buttons. 1 red mushroom E-stop push pull button. 3 Amber. 2 Green. I got the push buttons on Ebay5 Infrared Obstacle Avoidance Sensor Module for Arduino Smart CarSainsmart 8 channel relay moduleLOTS of jumper wires and 22 gauge wireLego Mindstorms NXT 2.03 Lego mindstorms motorsLego pneumatics systemcraftsman 5 gallon air tankBike pumpBasketball needleDexter Industries Breadboard Adapter for Lego Mindstorms.
I bought a 1ft by 1ft, 1/8th inch thick steel plate then built a box around it that is approximately 5 inches tall. The box has hinges attached to the plate to allow easy access.
Create a grid on top of the plate then drill holes in the grid locations where you want the buttons. Make sure that the holes are not too large for the buttons to slide through with the guards on.
To install the buttons unscrew the guard then slide the button into the hole and screw the guard back on. The guard should lock the button in place. Once all buttons are in place wire the buttons up. 6 pins on the Arduino UNO should control your lights and 5 should control the input from the buttons (the two green buttons should be on one circuit). Leave pins 0 and 1 open as we will use them later.
Following with the theme of keeping things as close to the real thing as possible I use IR proximity switches. These operate just like inductive proximity switches. The only difference is that they can detect any material whereas inductive sensors only detect metal. Two Inductive proximity switches on the Diamondback roller coaster at Kings Island can be seen in the first image above. The IR proximity switches are how the system knows where the trains are on the track at all times. They should be placed at the beginning and end of each block. (grey lines in the diagram shown above separate the blocks).
Sensors should be triggered when the trains are stopped on the final brake and station brake. A sensor should also be placed at the bottom of the lift to make sure that the train has successfully engaged the lift. Another should be placed just before the lift begins to crest so that the lift can successfully stop the train before it goes over. Also there should be a sensor after the train has cleared the lift. This will tell the system that a train no longer occupies the lift.
The images above show how I mounted all 5. I suggest testing each sensor placement by powering each sensor up and pushing a car in front. One green light indicates power and two indicate that the sensor has been triggered. Coast uno goes on unotrain mega goes on megaarduino connect is a robotc file for the nxt.How it works.Every time the mega detects a change in the status of any of the sensors it sends a letter. The UNO handles all of the ride control logic.
It processes the letter that it received and decides what the ride should do. The UNO then sends an output through the I2c connection in the form of another letter. You can change what that letter is by manipulating the mtrPwr variable. Based on that letter the NXT either sets a new power on the lift, releases a brake, or engages a brake. The system works as close to the real ride as I could make it. The two green lights flash when you can dispatch a train.
Push both at the same time to dispatch. The amber lights correspond to the station and brakes blocks. When flashing they are not occupied when not flashing they are occupied. The emergency stop can be pressed to stop everything on the track. You will notice that the left and right amber lights are on. You now have manual control of the station and main brake.
Push down to disengage brake. Release and the brake should engage. During operation if a train reaches the top of the lift before a train has made it back to the station the train will stop. This is what the system is programmed to do as there is a train in the block ahead of it. Once the train reaches the final brake the final brake will automatically disengage and advance the car into the station.
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Once the brake is clear the lift will automatically start again. There is one last step in trying to make this control system as realistic as possible. Real roller coaster control panels have a display which shows a graphical representation of the block system.
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To make this for our system we will use a Raspberry Pi and a relay board. The way it works is that each relay corresponds to one of the proximity switches. The mega switches them on and off as the sensors are triggered. The relays are wired up to the GPIO pins on the Pi.
The user interface that I created in python shows a basic layout of the block system for the control system we created. When a section of track is red this means that it is occupied.
The UI only uses four sensors and the current status of them appear below the diagram. Red is triggered green is not triggered. Model roller coasters have been my hobby since before i can remember. I have spent years adding and modifying features.
I started with just a Lego Mindstorms many years ago but it was never very realistic. Last summer I hatched the idea to use Arduinos in tandem with the Mindstorms. Over the past year I have built three model roller coasters. With each build I have learned something and applied it to the next. Now I finally have a product that I am very happy with and I'm super excited to share it With the Instructables community!