Introduzione:
L’obiettivo dell’autore è stato quello di mettere alla prova le proprie competenze professionali riproducendo un apparato centrale elettrico a pulsanti di itinerario (modello similare alla versione dell’ACEI 015 delle FS) applicato ad un plastico dimostrativo in scala 1:87. La grande passione per il mondo ferroviario unita ad una grande forza di volontà hanno reso possibile la concretizzazione di un complesso progetto e la realizzazione di un sogno.
Q uando è il treno a partire con l
a valigia La grande passione per le ferrovie e per l’elettronica mi ha portato a realizzare, nell’agosto del 1999, un impianto ACEI che mi permettesse di controllare la circolazione dei treni di un plastico in HO scale, a dream I had in my drawer when I went to the ITIS, specializing in industrial electronics. This first plant was placed inside a suitcase Tool, but the space was inadequate to accommodate all the electronic cards (after all, in real life, each station is the RELAY ROOM which are all located electrical equipment ACEA), so I decided to use the suitcase just for food, for reasons of space, and above all a matter of safety, as submitted to the voltage of 220 volts. Within a new suitcase, one taken from those used for the storage of tools music, suitably reinforced and amended to add the sockets of the connectors for power and Cannon, I stayed under a light (QL), the keyboard with buttons and levers, and all the boards to operate the equipment subject to the tensions of 5, 12, 15 and 24 volts, to work in complete safety.
How
My ACEI system allows it, as actually happens in an office of a moving train, train routes for the path of trains arriving or departing, to control There is a binary, the appearance of signals from the station forecourt and security, the position where trade and control of any level crossing of jurisdiction of the station. It is now thought to be the representation of a static bench ACEI or simulated using a PC. Well! Everything becomes more interesting when you discover that the play equipment is connected by cable 8 Cannon 25-pin plastic with a small demonstration of the size of 240x120 cm (removable for transport in four panels 60x120 cm, initially were only 3 !).
The inside of the cards are for the employment of track revelation, as many as track circuits (CDB) on the QL. Each card has a connector is mounted 18-pin to which they are connected: 4 feeds, 2 power for traction, 2 connections to the yellow and red LEDs of the CDB, 2 controls for the network of conditions for the formation of the routes, a command to turn on the yellow stripe, the two rails and two orders from the "CPU" to set, according to the recorded route, the polarity of the voltage of traction. When a stock on a staging or CBD, between the two rails running a small current, the comparator energizes a relay which reveals and gives current to the LED remains red and yellow ones (spring release), doing so is no longer can create a route on that track, now occupied. That stretch of track where the train is in motion shall be subjected to one of two traction power. When the last axle of the free stock CDB, the relay is de-energized by removing the current red LEDs, so they are no longer fulfilled and there will be more supply of traction on that CDB, if not reforming a new route. wagons and carriages were modified, mounted between the axles a resistance that allows passage between the two rails of a small enough current to drive the circuits mentioned above. An electronic circuit, (acting as mortgage employment of automatic block sections, as the limited space available!) check the safety conditions, announces the train from either party 01 or 02 (points of origin itineraries) and illumination of the light rail announcement (TA) and triggering the "nice" buzzer that draws attention to the station master and ask him to form the route of entry for the incoming train, so as not to slow its course. At this point, formed the route of one of four tracks of the station PATIENCE silences the buzzer, lights the path that will run the train, and finally opens the protection signal to the station (the appearance depends on the type of route !). The station di Pazienza, il cui piazzale è composto da quattro binari su linea a binario unico e 5 binari di scalo merci, è una recente stazione ferroviaria sorta in un locale caldaie , di una parrocchia di Roma. La signorina annuncia il treno in arrivo: «allontanarsi dal 3° binario, treno Intercity in transito, prestare attenzione sul 3° binario». Ma... eccolo: l’Intercity con in testa la E444R esce dalla galleria a gran velocità, avendo il segnale di partenza del 3° binario (che è quello di corretto tracciato) disposto a via libera; si tratta infatti di un itinerario di transito, unione dell’itinerario di arrivo e dell’itinerario di partenza.
What makes us see the picture brighter?
The QL is inserted inside the lid of the suitcase, where are located 4 cards each containing about 500 led, including red, yellow and bicolor . Each CDB light is obtained by a row of alternating red and yellow LEDs, protected by its strengths, one for each LED (high brightness led to get a continuous strip). For the signals I have used the classic two-color LEDs, but making a change in appearance was more like red to orange, railway appearance of a red signal, a CBD or a badge of a point source is a color of danger ... not as the red traffic lights for motorists! QL is now on notice that: - the route is destroyed the employment of various CBD - Tl-Tm lights go out as soon as details were released CDB acts to block the path, - the signals back to danger, not just the first axle of the train occupies the CDB of the signal, I note this because there are sensors that restore the signals to red, but it works only with the occupation of the CBD as it is really the signals to the portal, located on plastic, were made by me using each 3-4 hours of work, - badges of origin and end points back to light bianca non appena si liberano determinati CDB atti al bloccamento del percorso. Tutto questo è possibile per tutti gli itinerari che può formare il capostazione, e tutto liberamente perché questo impianto “non è” un simulatore pre-programmato, ma un vero e proprio impianto ACEI in miniatura . Cosa c’è sotto?
Nella parte sottostante alla tastiera sono alloggiate:- 36 schede per la rivelazione dell’occupazione di binario;- 3 schede contenenti ciascuna 8 relè con contatti a 10Amp ed una Eprom da 64KB per il movimento degli scambi;- 3 schede composte da Flip-Flop e memorie Eprom da 64Kb per il controllo dei segnali a vela e di quelli bassi;- in un angolo sono montati dei led spia per il controllo della presenza delle 9 alimentazioni;- 1 scheda contenente relè per l’accensione del ramo del CDB di uno scambio in corretto o deviato tracciato;- 5 banchi di memorie Eprom in cui sono scritti dei programmi per l’accensione degli itinerari, la polarità che deve avere la tensione di trazione a secondo dell’itinerario richiesto, la cancellazione dell’itinerario;- 1 scheda per la codifica dei pulsanti dei 14 itinerari e degli 8 istradamenti e per l’accensione delle luci dei pulsanti e le luci dei tasti Tl-Tm;- 1 scheda “Unità Logica”, receiving a code 5bit from each button. 
When you press a button, a network of safe make sure there are no obstacles in the formation of the route requested, if there is an incompatibility, the command given by the button is not taken into account by the "UL". If you can run the route, the gem glows white button down and lights up the strip, at which point you release the button, the code of that button is recorded by two statements which set out the badges of origin to the point red after a shutdown of the path, open the green light signals and finally the CDB are fed to the route concerned with one of the traction supply. 
As in reality, there are, once formed a route, the conditions do not permit other train routes, so you can not see two simultaneous signals of departure, they place on the same rail station exit, open green - 3 cards for circuit simulation train announcement, employment and employment of the automatic block of the CBD is not physically present on the plastic ... given the small size - a tab "mother" at the bottom of the suitcase, are mounted several connectors to accommodate the tabs above. Hard work, patience ... but a great satisfaction!
All the cards were designed by me, designed and built, solely on the basis of information received on the operation of ACEA. The hard work, as well as to learn the techniques for etching on copper circuits Printed cards, was to translate all electronic circuits notes taken during the many hours spent in the office of a moving train in Rome before a bench ACEI, and "Homework" by an instructor impartitemi stationmasters compartment Rome . My "teachers" were surprised to see, after about a year work, how their lessons will be processed in a facility comparable to ACEI 90% reale.E a 'natural to think that being a prototype, does not respond fully to the functions and safety of a plant's true! ... Confirmation I had all the realism of the 'Model Hobby Expo ( Novegro Parc des Expositions, Linate, 28-30 September 2001 ) by stationmasters, Officers Operating Centers, FS staff and many model railroad enthusiasts. In particular, I was pleased to receive compliments from various ACEI designers of systems for the State Railways, who are surprised when they learned that the equipment has been achieved without knowledge of real projects, not surprisingly I have pointed out some details that are known only to designers and builders of plants ... that's why I decided in April 2003, starting a new plastic, whose subject is this time a station with 10 tracks, 4 of which goods yard, on a double track for a more fun, for those who one day will be able to see it when it is exhibited in the show!
In conclusion
Only the construction of the plant material took about twelve hundred hours of labor . I have not calculated the time taken in the design because when you realize a dream everything else disappears and the effort leaves room for fun. Now it remains for me to wait in front of my desk ACEI, the announcement of an oncoming train or carry out operations between the station and the park goods ... given the intense movement of trains in the station of PATIENCE! Tomorrow will be another exciting day at work. A new challenge awaits me ...
Several have been published in various magazines of this project:
- prepared by the Professional Technical College of the Italian Railway Engineers in May 2002
- Tutto Treno aprile 2003 n°163
- Il bollettino del FIMF del settembre 2002 n°247
Inoltre, l'11 febbraio 2004 , sono stato insignito del titolo di DIRIGENTE MOVIMENTO ad honorem , dopo aver sostenuto una prova di "abilitazione" sia su un banco ACEI che ACS di due stazione importanti di ROMA !..in entrambe i casi, ho gestito personalmente per ben 2 ore, la circolazione dei treni di queste stazioni, con la supervisione dei capistazione titolari e di un funzionario RFI!
