Zmodell Digital Programmable PWM Speed Controller
Jul 23, 2020 7:34:53 GMT -5
Kez, tjdreams, and 4 more like this
Post by scanrail on Jul 23, 2020 7:34:53 GMT -5
Hi friends,
I would like to introduce one more development to model railroading – digital programmable PWM speed controller. It is a versatile device that can be used not only for Z scale, but also for all other scales, including 1 and G due to the high power capabilities, despite a very compact size.
Device is capable to control locomotives equipped with different types of motors – 3/5-pole models with brushes, as well as small coreless motors.
Here is a list of features:
What comes in the box:
Design of the housing is my own. The case is printed on Hewlett-Packard Multi Jet Fusion 3D printer using PA12 material – very strong and durable material that is suitable for use in functional parts. It has a grainy surface that suits very well for housings of various devices. The case then was painted in black and varnished.
Glossy front panel is milled out from 1 mm acrylic plastic on a CNC machine, and then printed from the bottom side on Mimaki UV-printer.
The controller itself:
Button functions:
Bottom side has vent grilles and silicone pads:
Here is what’s inside:
The output circuit is based on 6x powerful MOSFETs with ultra-low heat dissipation. However, I added aluminum heatsink for additional safety in emergency situations that may be caused by short circuit or overloading.
In the upper right corner there is a mechanical relay that switches the direction of travel. When the direction is switched during train run, it does not stops immediately (which may cause derailment) – the train first stops slowly, then reverses direction and starts slowly as well.
Additional safety is provided by thermal resettable fuses that protect both outputs – DC and PWM controlled. For Z scale, I installed 500 mA fuses. Models with higher current can be used in variants for bigger scales.
Functioning principle of this type of fuses is easy. In normal state, resistance of the fuse is about 0.5-0.6 Ohms. When the current exceeds rated value, the fuse starts to heat up and to increase its resistance quickly. As a result, the current also quickly drops down. After this, some time is needed for the fuse to recover (around 2-5 min, depending on the temperature of the fuse).
Rear panel:
From the left to the right: power switch, power input, DC output and PWM output. DC output is a pass-through that can be switched off by the power switch. This output is used to control accessories – turnouts, servos, relays, signals, lighting etc. PWM output is connected to the track.
5.5 x 2.5 mm connectors are used here. For connecting wires, the following adapters can be used (male type):
If the length of wires is insufficient, these extenders can be used with similar adapters (female type):
10V/3A power supply with 5.5 x 2.5 mm connector:
Here is how it looks when turned on. Manual control mode:
Programming/adjusting settings mode:
There are three screen modes – Manual, Auto and Programming. In manual mode, you will see a “MANU” sign and duty cycle value in the top section of the screen. Lower section shows current direction of travel (“FWD”/”REV”) and total running time.
Pressing “MENU” button enters settings and programming menu. Continuous pressing of this button scrolls the list of available settings and programmable functions. Here is a list of them:
Size comparison with Märklin Central Station 3 Plus:
Best regards,
Alex
I would like to introduce one more development to model railroading – digital programmable PWM speed controller. It is a versatile device that can be used not only for Z scale, but also for all other scales, including 1 and G due to the high power capabilities, despite a very compact size.
Device is capable to control locomotives equipped with different types of motors – 3/5-pole models with brushes, as well as small coreless motors.
Here is a list of features:
- Input voltage – 10-24 Volts (output voltage equals to input voltage)
- Two outputs – DC and PWM controlled
- Total output current – 5A (10A peak)
- PWM control frequency – 15 kHz
- Two control modes – manual and automatic
- Adjustable slow start and stop feature for both modes
- Programmable functions: forward time, stop time, reverse time
- Overcurrent/thermal protection
- LCD screen with backlight
- Size: 130 x 90 x 50 mm
What comes in the box:
- PWM Speed Controller
- Power supply (10V/3A for Z scale variant)
- 2x 1.5 m extender cables
- 2x male adapters
- 2x female adapters
- 4x 0.5 m flexible wires
Design of the housing is my own. The case is printed on Hewlett-Packard Multi Jet Fusion 3D printer using PA12 material – very strong and durable material that is suitable for use in functional parts. It has a grainy surface that suits very well for housings of various devices. The case then was painted in black and varnished.
Glossy front panel is milled out from 1 mm acrylic plastic on a CNC machine, and then printed from the bottom side on Mimaki UV-printer.
The controller itself:
Button functions:
- “MENU” (black button) – enters settings and programming menu. Continuous pressing of this button scrolls the list of available settings and programmable functions
- “LEFT/RIGHT” (blue button) – switches direction of travel in manual mode
- “UP” (gray button) – increases speed (or current value in settings adjustment or programming mode)
- “DOWN” (gray button) – decreases speed (or current value in settings adjustment or programming mode)
- “START/STOP” (red button) – starts/stops the train in manual mode or starts/stops the pre-programmed sequence in automatic mode. In manual mode, last used direction of travel is remembered.
Bottom side has vent grilles and silicone pads:
Here is what’s inside:
The output circuit is based on 6x powerful MOSFETs with ultra-low heat dissipation. However, I added aluminum heatsink for additional safety in emergency situations that may be caused by short circuit or overloading.
In the upper right corner there is a mechanical relay that switches the direction of travel. When the direction is switched during train run, it does not stops immediately (which may cause derailment) – the train first stops slowly, then reverses direction and starts slowly as well.
Additional safety is provided by thermal resettable fuses that protect both outputs – DC and PWM controlled. For Z scale, I installed 500 mA fuses. Models with higher current can be used in variants for bigger scales.
Functioning principle of this type of fuses is easy. In normal state, resistance of the fuse is about 0.5-0.6 Ohms. When the current exceeds rated value, the fuse starts to heat up and to increase its resistance quickly. As a result, the current also quickly drops down. After this, some time is needed for the fuse to recover (around 2-5 min, depending on the temperature of the fuse).
Rear panel:
From the left to the right: power switch, power input, DC output and PWM output. DC output is a pass-through that can be switched off by the power switch. This output is used to control accessories – turnouts, servos, relays, signals, lighting etc. PWM output is connected to the track.
5.5 x 2.5 mm connectors are used here. For connecting wires, the following adapters can be used (male type):
If the length of wires is insufficient, these extenders can be used with similar adapters (female type):
10V/3A power supply with 5.5 x 2.5 mm connector:
Here is how it looks when turned on. Manual control mode:
Programming/adjusting settings mode:
There are three screen modes – Manual, Auto and Programming. In manual mode, you will see a “MANU” sign and duty cycle value in the top section of the screen. Lower section shows current direction of travel (“FWD”/”REV”) and total running time.
Pressing “MENU” button enters settings and programming menu. Continuous pressing of this button scrolls the list of available settings and programmable functions. Here is a list of them:
- Function 0: 1 is manual mode, 2 is automatic mode. The default is 1 manual mode.
- Function 1: Slow start time setting. Range: 000-100 (pitch is 0.1 second) Slow start speed time is adjustable between 0-10 seconds The default is 1 second (value 10).
- Function 2: Slow stop time setting. Range: 000-100 (pitch is 0.1 second) Slow stop speed time is adjustable between 0-10 seconds The default is 1 second (value 10).
- Function 3: Lower speed limit setting. Range: 000-080. The minimum speed is adjustable between 0-80% and less than the maximum speed setting. The default is 0.
- Function 4: Upper speed limit setting. Range: 000-100. The maximum speed is adjustable between 0-100% and is higher than the minimum speed setting. The default is 100.
- Function 5: Acceleration and deceleration key speed step setting. Values: 001, 002, 005, 010, 015, 020, 025. Each press of the “UP” and “DOWN” key changes by 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%.
- Function 6: Total running time setting. Range: 1 second – 99 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds. The default is 99 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds.
- Function 7: Forward running time (for automatic mode). Range: 1 second – 99 hours. Default is 10 seconds.
- Function 8: Stop time (for automatic mode). Range: 1 second – 99 hours. Default is 10 seconds.
- Function 9: Reverse running time (for automatic mode). Range: 1 second – 99 hours. Default is 10 seconds.
Size comparison with Märklin Central Station 3 Plus:
Best regards,
Alex