Lesson 2 - Simple Signal Control (Click on thumbnails to expand)
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In Lesson 1 we learnt how to add basic routes to our panel - and how to draw a panel, we will now expand on this basic building block and add some signals.
The layout to be signalled is a simple up and down line, with a distant / home / starting on each line (all colour light), a crossover between the lines and a shunt signal at each end of the crossover - this is easily drawn from the toolbar but we find our first "gotcha" - there is no two-aspect Yellow/Green signal, so instead we use a three aspect one.
After selecting the signals the images may not appear as below, simply go to the general tab of the signals properties and select the correct image from the "Select Image" combo box - the posts are simply a length of track.
It is useful to label the key elements, I have provided arbitrary numbers and my signals are labelled - in their respective properties - s1, s2, s3 etc. The points are labelled pt5 and pt6.
Remember we are not concerning ourselves with the actual physical layout so do not worry about the DCC setup in the properties - but do not be tempted to change it as it will confuse things if you set the same DCC number for two signals !!
You should have a panel like this, clicking on the signals will change their aspects (we have not provided any conditions yet) (Fig 1)
Fig 1
Download a zip file containing the working files for this basic plan.
Time to add the routes, what I do is think of the signal routes and use them (sometimes things may need a little tweak but often they are good enough).
So for this plan we need 6 routes in total, from the home to the starter for each line (2), from the starter, i.e. from our signals to the "rest of the world" for each line (2) and the shunt moves (2)
Lets add them (Fig 2)
Fig 2
I have used the WFRM standard colours where green indicates a departure from the controlled area and white is a signalled route - you can obviously choose any colour and come up with some "interesting" panels :shock:
For information - an approach to the controlled area - which we are not providing at the moment, i.e a route up to the home signal, from the "rest of the world" [b]to[/b] our signals - would be yellow.
The shunts are in red, this is purely for clarity, we use white for all our signalled moves.
Notice how I have used the route properties to make them unidirectional (single arrow head) and used the rotate to make the shunt move "point" in the general direction, again not mandatory but for clarity.
I name my routes using r as a prefix and then the signal from and to - e.g. rs2tos3, to the rest of the world I use just r and the signal number, e.g. s3
Now we get to the first signal control - as I've said previously there are many ways to achieve the same goal in RR, this is just one of them
Double click the one of the STARTER routes, s3 or s8 - and select the operations tag, on the operating state for the highlighted state, double-click the appropriate signal to move it to the operation area and then ensure its aspect is green (leave the lock as it is - checked), then change the operating state to the non-highlighted state and select the same appropriate signal and set it to red, no lock should be present this time.
The padlock prevents the user or the software from changing the state of the signal with a simple click.
Try these ...
Do a similar exercise for the shunts, remembering to select the appropriate signals each time.
Test them ! - you should have 4 working routes, two which set the green routes and clear the starters (and replace them) when clicked and two which set and clear the shunt moves (Fig 3)
Fig 3
Now add the signal clearing and replacing to the home signals, but this time on the highlighted operating state ensure the signal is set to yellow and the "lock" is removed (Fig 4)
Fig 4
You should now have all 6 routes working, the shunts and starters correctly but the home signals only ever showing red or yellow - even if the starter is showing green when they should be showing green, and at present the distant signals stay firmly at yellow (Fig 5)
Fig 5
Download a zip file containing the working files for this stage.
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Last updated : December 10, 2007 22:42