RFID and Model Railroading

RFID is doing this the hard way. Try bar codes on the bottom of the cars instead.

Luhan

Ok,

Still have the same problem, how to get the interface/middleware to work.

Thanks for the input

Jim

(please bottom post)

Well, you better have some computer chip (microcontroller) in there for a start. Then you need to know how to program it.

A reflecting type of IR emitter/detector device under the track with barcodes taped to the bottom. Properly done barcodes can be read regardless of how fast you scan them.

There could be other approaches (including RFID) but you cant do any of them without a micro in there sorting things out.

I dont currently have a model RR, or I would probably already have done something like this....see website...

Luhan

Is this real railroad cars, or model trains? They tried barcodes on the sides of the cars decades ago, but the dust and dirt made it unreliable, plus vandals liked to spray paint over the barcodes.

Yea, the OP didn't say whether his setup included tiny little vandals with itsy bitsy cans of spray paint!

Luhan

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You never know these days, do you? ;-)

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Just to be safe, I did a Google search for "Hazballah Barbie" - no hits so far...

Luhan

No? Maybe she is too busy chasing Ken for wearing her favorite clothes? I saw it on the local TV news a while back where someone was repackaging Ken dolls in drag and they were being sued by Mattel over it.

No I do not intend to have any such little vandals although lionel has marketed some cars with grafitti already on them. Personally I do not like them.

Yes this is for a Model Railroad. Specifically O Scale 1:48

Then you won't have the problems of oil and dirt like on real railroad cars. I still see some railroad cars with barcodes. You might pick up a surplus barcode reader and modify it to read labels on your cars.

Only in America!!!

Luhan