Train Simulator Controller: CAN-Connected Air Gauge

December 28, 2023 in Blog

In my ongoing quest to build a physical cab dashboard to control Train Simulator, an important set of components are the gauges that tell me what’s going on with the train. I already showed off the internals of an AWS sunflower and early experiments with a speedometer. In this post, I show how I turned a real, air-driven air pressure gauge into an electronic, CAN-bus-connected version for Train Simulator.

Train Simulator Controller: CAN Controller, Part 1

June 22, 2023 in Blog

I’m building a physical cab dashboard to control Train Simulator, from master controller to an AWS sunflower to a speedometer, and everything in between. The engineer or hobbyist interested in getting this project ready expediently would probably find their favorite microcontroller, figure out how to interface enough GPIO pins to it (maybe an Arduino Mega?), and connect all their hardware to that microcontroller. Not me. Ever dedicated to over diligently engineering my projects, I decided to build each component of my Train Simulator setup with a controller capable of speaking connecting to a CAN bus.

Train Simulator Controller: First Master Controller Prototype

May 25, 2023 in Blog

Train Simulator has for many years given me an easy, accessible outlet for my love of trains, including operating trains. Its realism leaves something to be desired, and I’m now building my own physical controller for Train Simulator, resembling the dashboard of a Class 80x passenger EMU from the UK. The preceding sections of this blog introduced experimenting with a speedometer and AWS acknowledgment pluinger, experimenting with the starwheel at the heart of a DIY master controller, and delving into what makes a real AWS “sunflower” tick.

Train Simulator Controller: Inside an AWS Sunflower

May 20, 2023 in Blog

In my first post about the Train Simulator Controller project, I introduced the Automated Warning System (AWS) on most of the UK trains that I drive in Train Simulator. This safety system is designed to warn drivers of restricting (non-green) signals, often because there’s a train ahead, a switch that is aligned against the train, or a speed restriction. The system includes magnets between the rails, coils underneath each train, and in the cab, a warning buzzer/horn (and sometimes a bell), a button to acknowledge AWS warnings, and a visual indicator colloquially called a “sunflower”.

Train Simulator Controller: Master Controllers and Starwheels

April 18, 2023 in Blog

I have long played Train Simulator, and have wanted something a bit more realistic to control the game. The first part of this log discussed my plans and motivations, and detailed the first steps along the journey: experimenting with connecting a speedometer and AWS acknowledgement plunger to the game. The core of controlling any train is making it go and stop, so naturally that was the next component to which I turned my attention.

PartyMode

February 1, 2023 in Projects

PartyMode is a series of three projects, from 2007 up to the present, to create audio systems with sound-driven visualizations that integrate unobstrusively into an otherwise non-party space. The first of its three iterations was created in a shared lab space, while the latter two were built in residential spaces.

Train Simulator Controller: Stepper Speedometer Begins

January 27, 2023 in Blog

For quite a few years now, I have been an avid Train Simulator player, operating virtual trains from the United States, the UK, and beyond. I’ve played Dovetail Games’ Train Simulator 2015 to 2022 and now “Train Simulator Classic”, FIFA-style annual upgrades that have incrementally improved the core game - and I’ve spent a decent amount of money on the much-memed Train Simulator DLC. The game is pretty immersive, but since part of my life also includes running real-life rail vehicles, I naturally want to make it feel even more real.

Multichord

May 7, 2009 in Projects

The Multichord musical instrument is an electromechanical acoustic stringed instrument with a single string, the culmination of a project to build an acoustic instrument capable of playing multiple notes without fretting or manual, time-consuming retuning.

Clove Wireless Typing Glove

July 8, 2008 in Projects

Table of Contents Clove 2 Overview Photos, Videos, Details Construction and Instructions Introduction Skills, Parts, and Tools Constructing the Bluetooth Module Constructing the Glove Constructing the Charger Software More Information Clove 3 Clove 2 Clove 2 is a bluetooth dataglove used for one-handed typing. It uses a 31-combination finger chording design with three modes to allow every key on a standard keyboard to be typed with minimal effort. The bluetooth functionality removes the need to tether it to a computer, and since it profiles as a standard HID Keyboard, a simple translation layer to perform key remapping, sticky modifiers, and mode switching is the only software required.

Christopher Mitchell, Ph.D.