Model Railroad System  2.2.2
Model RR signals with an Arduino
SignalDriverboardcables.h
1 // -!- c++ -!- //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
2 //
3 // System :
4 // Module :
5 // Object Name : $RCSfile$
6 // Revision : $Revision$
7 // Date : $Date$
8 // Author : $Author$
9 // Created By : Robert Heller
10 // Created : Sun Jul 26 21:18:28 2015
11 // Last Modified : <150727.2120>
12 //
13 // Description
14 //
15 // Notes
16 //
17 // History
18 //
19 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
20 //
21 // Copyright (C) 2015 Robert Heller D/B/A Deepwoods Software
22 // 51 Locke Hill Road
23 // Wendell, MA 01379-9728
24 //
25 // This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
26 // it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
27 // the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
28 // (at your option) any later version.
29 //
30 // This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
31 // but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
32 // MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
33 // GNU General Public License for more details.
34 //
35 // You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
36 // along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
37 // Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
38 //
39 //
40 //
41 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
42 
43 #ifndef __SIGNALDRIVERBOARDCABLES_H
44 #define __SIGNALDRIVERBOARDCABLES_H
45 /** @page SignalDriverboardcables Signal Driver board cables
46  *
47  * Nine conductor ribbon cables (<a href="http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?x=16&y=14&keywords=MC09G-25-ND" target="_blank">DigiKey part number MC09G-25-ND</a>)
48  * are used to connect between the Signal Driver Board and the signals. One
49  * end gets a 9-pin header plug and the other end gets a small circuit board
50  * with small screw terminals. The actual LEDs in the signals are connected
51  * to wire wrap wire, but wire wrap wire is too delicate to run long
52  * distances, but is needed to fit in the small brass tubes the signal targets
53  * are mounted on. Once under the layout bench-work, the wire wrap wire gets
54  * connected with screw terminals to the much more robust ribbon cable. The
55  * small circuit boards are again made from pieces of strip-board, with nine
56  * strips, eleven holes long. After cutting the boards, some of the copper is
57  * removed and four 1/8 inch (3.5mm) holes are drilled.
58  *
59  * @image latex SignalConnectorBoard_bare.jpg "Signal Connector Board, bare" height=2in
60  * @image html SignalConnectorBoard_bare-thumb.jpg "Signal Connector Board, bare"
61  * @image latex SignalConnectorBoard_copperremoved.jpg "Signal Connector Board, copper removed" height=2in
62  * @image html SignalConnectorBoard_copperremoved-thumb.jpg "Signal Connector Board, copper removed"
63  * @image latex SignalConnectorBoard_holesdrilled.jpg "Signal Connector Board, holes drilled" height=2in
64  * @image html SignalConnectorBoard_holesdrilled-thumb.jpg "Signal Connector Board, holes drilled"
65  *
66  * Next the screw terminal blocks are soldered to the board (this is actually
67  * a 4 position terminal block with a 5 position terminal block next to it --
68  * Mouser does not stock the 9 position version of these terminal blocks).
69  * Then the conductors at one end of the cable is zipped back about a 3/4 inch
70  * (18mm) and about 1/4 inch (6mm) of the ends are stripped and tinned. These
71  * tinned conductors are then fed into holes in the circuit board and
72  * soldered. Finally a wire tie is used to secure the cable and act as a
73  * strain relief.
74  *
75  * @image latex SignalConnectorBoard_terminalblocksinstalled.jpg "Signal Connector Board, terminal blocks installed" height=2in
76  * @image html SignalConnectorBoard_terminalblocksinstalled-thumb.jpg "Signal Connector Board, terminal blocks installed"
77  * @image latex SignalConnectorCable_wiresstripedandtinned.jpg "Signal Connector Cable, wires stripped and tinned" height=2in
78  * @image html SignalConnectorCable_wiresstripedandtinned-thumb.jpg "Signal Connector Cable, wires stripped and tinned"
79  * @image latex SignalConnectorBoard_cablesolderedon.jpg "Signal Connector Board, cable soldered on" height=2in
80  * @image html SignalConnectorBoard_cablesolderedon-thumb.jpg "Signal Connector Board, cable soldered on"
81  * @image latex SignalConnectorBoard_cablesecuredwithwiretie.jpg "Signal Connector Board, cable secured with wire tie" height=2in
82  * @image html SignalConnectorBoard_cablesecuredwithwiretie-thumb.jpg "Signal Connector Board, cable secured with wire tie"
83  *
84  * Finally, a 9 position header plug is installed on the other end of the
85  * cable.
86  *
87  * @image latex SignalConnectorCable_headerpluginstalled.jpg "Signal Connector Cable, header plug installed" height=2in
88  * @image html SignalConnectorCable_headerpluginstalled-thumb.jpg "Signal Connector Cable, header plug installed"
89  *
90  * About cable lengths: each cable should be long enough to reach from where
91  * the signal wire bundles emerge under the layout to where the Signal Driver
92  * Board is mounted. It is always better to cut the ribbon cables longer than
93  * needed since excess cable can be managed in various ways, but a short cable
94  * is not useable. The length of the wire wrap wires should be as short as you
95  * can get away with, which means the terminal block ends should be as close
96  * as possible to the place where the signal wire bundles emerge under the
97  * layout.
98  * @htmlonly
99  * <div class="contents"><a class="el" href="Assemblingsignaltargets.html">Continuing with the Assembling signal targets</a></div>
100  * @endhtmlonly
101  */
102 
103 #endif // __SIGNALDRIVERBOARDCABLES_H
104