Traffic Light
 

I'm working on teaching myself Arduino, and decided to make an attempt at a simple traffic light pattern that I may turn into a scale model later. Here's the first test.

Green light turn to Yellow warning indicator. The Yellow waits a few seconds, then turns to Red. Both lanes are Red for a few seconds, then the second lane turns to Green, and the pattern repeats on the other side.

Next, I'm going to see if I can add a left-turn indicator into the pattern.

Video of test:
https://youtu.be/QRPPKG9d1II

-Elroy

Re: Traffic Light
 

Pretty cool! I can't wait to see how it works, and what other functionallity you can add into yours.

A while back i had picked up a premade Stoplight circuit for train layouts. It ran the normal sequence right, but if you used the other set of outputs for cross-traffic it wouldn't run them correctly for actually stopping traffic.

Re: Traffic Light
 

Sweet!

I'm a big fan of the 'dweeno, use them in most of my projects to drive lighting or extra controls (not least as they're really easy to interface to my RX of choice, Flysky using iBus.)

Anyway, to your project, a thought would be that you could add switches (or magnetic sensors or whatever) for the streets, or crossing if you're doing rail, whatever. Most any dry sensor is easily added with pinMode(x, INPUT_PULLUP), and then you just digitalRead(x) to check it (okay, fine, you should debounce, but you get the idea, and there's tons of tutorials for that in detail.)

Then you can say "this busier street stays green until there's somebody stopped at the less busy side of the intersection" and go through the yellow-red for the main street, and then open up the side street, like thoroughfares work in the real world. We did this in an electronics tech class I took a bazillion years ago, before Arduinos were a thing. Fun thing was we had a guy there that worked for the state DOT, so he told us about how they cut into the tarmac to install the magnet sensors, etc, made it more real world and less just blinky lights.

Anyway, a thought. If you've already considered and/or know all this already, apologies, don't mean to talk down to anybody, I just tend to blather on some any time the word "microcontroller" appears =))

-- A

Re: Traffic Light
 

Scamazon has these, but they need a LOT of help! It may be a good starting platform to modify. https://www.amazon.com/STOBOK-Traffi...82YTM5Q5&psc=1

Re: Traffic Light
 

Skeeter, great find on those light housings. Based on your PM, i feel these might be worth a look for driver circuits if you're not needing as amazing as the full-function customized micro controller setup like TaltosVT is building.
http://galakelectronics.com/timers.htm

Specifically i really like the looks of this one, which i saw on several other sites (ebay, etsy... heh, glad the designers url is silkscreen on the pcb) with diagrams of the timing sequences it can run.
http://galakelectronics.com/VG-303.htm

How likely do you think RC guys at a worksite or meet are actually going to be obeying your traffic controls VS the lights across road being more of a trip hazard?

I think you're just looking to give your rc Police car something to do...

Re: Traffic Light
 

:cop: We gotta have something for the PNW police car to enforce!

I wasn't planning an overhead style light. I was hoping for a moblie traffic lamp, like the ones we employ at road construction sites that are long term. Like when the highway had a slide that took out part of it. They set up these mobile traffic lights to alternate the traffic flows through the area, rather then employ 24/7 flagger.

I was thinking of taking the Goodson's Hobbies reader board trailer, & mounting a light atop it. The to would need to communicate together, OR be timed in such a manner that there would never be green when traffic didn't allow it. I've seen the one offered from Merbold Electronics, but refuse to pay their 400.00 pricetag for one!