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05/02/08: Going Dotty
Having got all but two of the junctions on the scenic boards installed and wired I have had to get down to some serious playing, sorry - testing. As you will probably be aware I intend the road traffic to look after itself most of the time and to do this it is vital that the vehicles operate reliably and don't go wandering off as the whim takes them. So I am currently involved in testing and retesting all the roadways to ensure that the traffic will negotiate them consistently and accurately.
In order to keep this job under control I have adopted a system. When a vehicle misbehaves then the problem is either corrected immediately or the location is marked with a sticky label (the orange dots in the photo above) and the fault logged in a book. When the fault is rectified it is marked as complete in the book and the label removed.
So what faults have I encountered?
- Guide wire buried - Solution: file down plaster, gouge plaster out and re-fill groove, channel plaster out and install new length of wire
- Guide wire(s) not aligned correctly - Solution: gouge out plaster and realign or install new length of wire
- No guide wire - Solution - Give self a swift kick then gouge out plaster and install new length of wire
- Bump/hollow in roadway - Solution - fill/sand smooth
- Junction disk not level - Solution - adjust junction mechanism
- Junction disk not aligning correctly - Solution - adjust servo settings or, in extreme case, make new disk
Once I am happy with the roads I can start to add the top covering which can then be painted and construction work will start on the railway.
It may seem overkill to have such a large control panel for an automated system but, as I mentioned before, apart from the need to test things at times I also want to be able to over-ride the automatic system so that I can sort problems out before they turn into disasters. Using the control panel it will be possible to 'close' a road temporarily to sort out a straying vehicle without having to worry about something else giving it a rear-end shunt.