Corrupted database tables

Half of my database tables got corrupted and there was no way to save them. I lost the tables containing the users and comments, so to comment you'll have to reregister. All the comments are missing as well.

It was right... something else was wrong

I was running power to a spur track, and carefully made sure the color code was followed, track power pickups worked, and then hooked up the bus wire.

Nothing.

Checked the connections at the panel, the bus and feeder connections, and then grabbed my meter. Power is getting to the track, but nothing is happening still. Clean the track and the locomotive's light illuminates.

Just because something's new doesn't mean that's where the problem is.

Upgrade to version 0.9!

Verision 0.9
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1. Dates on the goals entry page are checked for correct form.
2. Future dates are prevented on goals entry page, as well as dates from more than one month ago.
3. Count of comments is shown on edit/delete posts/comments page.
4. Default timezone is set and the admin can change it by typing in a new name.
5. HTML in comments status is displayed on comments page.
6. Comments can be disabled (per post) by the administrator.
7. Edit/Delete post code has been merged.
8. No link is displayed to admin page on admin page. (A page should not link to itself.)
9. When posts are deleted, the comments on the post are deleted as well.
10. The last admin cannot unregister himself.
11. NULL color values are not allowed in the database.
12. Admin options and color change pages are now separate.
13. New Feature! Users can edit their comments.
14. Deleted debugging code that could be a security hole.
15. Added database update page.
16. Page descriptions are given in the page title
17. Admin find comments by user now remembers the username entered.
18. The rules are no longer displayed again upon successful registration.
19. Admins can change the name of the user posting the comment.
20. New Feature! Commenting on posts can be disabled X amount of days after the post is made.

More wires than I thought

The club layout is undergoing a huge renovation project. We're almost done with the main wiring phase. One of my tasks was to design the electrical system for signals and power distribution. Where the old section of layout had 1, maybe 2, power blocks, the new has six.

The main lines wound up having 3 sets of wires feeding the various points around the layout. The first 2 sets would be 1 were it not for the booster being located right in the middle of the block. The 3rd set is to run power from around the duck-under bridge, so there's no need to run power across (underneath) the bridge.

Because of splits like this, it turns out that my panel was completely underdesigned to handle all the connections that were required. The panel was designed to handle 6 sets of bus wires but will probably wind up supporting 14.

Fortunately, the mounting board was quite large and will be able to support the extra bus connections. There was even an autoreverser added for a reversing loop that I missed in my plans.

The installation of the panel in the middle of the bus rather than at the end created twice the connections as normally needed. Special wiring considerations added yet more connections, so the power distribution panel unintentionally became more complex and much fuller. A seemingly larger than necessary mounting board is handling the changes well.

A new Trainline GP9M

I picked up a Trainline GP9M at a show a few weekends ago. This makes #6 of this model. The model never was in production, so it represents a rebuilt version.

This model is Union Pacific 289. I had noted a broken handrail at the show, but it wasn't a big deal. I did not notice the handrail on the other side was missing and the front one was broken. Replacements would be needed, as this would keep even the most power-desperate railroad from using the locomotive.

The first step in converting any locomotive to DCC is to test the locomotive on DC. There was an unusual squealing from the trucks as the wheels turned. As the locomotive progressed around the test loop, it would derail at several points. These problems turned out to be caused by out of gauge wheels. I was really surprised the squeal was fixed by regauging the wheels.

To complete the DC tune up, I removed the wheels and cleaned them with a brass brush in a Dremel tool. This took just a few minutes, much less time than my first attempts at wheel cleaning.

Now that the locomotive runs well on DC, it's time to work on installing a DCC decoder.

Accurail Boxcars

I just completed a build of 6 Accurail boxcars. Overall, the process was not difficult and resulted in a nice looking box car when I was finished. There were a few steps along the way, however, that caused considerable difficulty. This post will cover the details of the build, both good and bad.

Building the cars is a process of installing the underframe parts and couplers, gluing the weight to the top of the underframe (to reduce warping), installing the trucks, and stuffing everything in to the shell.

Accurail uses a system of "half-moon" slots to indicate where the details are supposed to go. It's a simple process of cutting the part free from the sprue, installing the part, and adding a drop of CA from above to hold everything in place. Very nice.

The couplers are a different story. The included couplers were some form of dummy coupler, but the car easily accepted Kadee #5s with no modifications. However, Accurail uses a friction fit pin on the coupler box that makes it difficult to install the cover. If everything is not line up just so, the pin breaks and has to be replaced with a screw.

The trucks install with a similar friction pin. After promptly breaking the first two pins, I put the cars aside for a while until I could get screws to replace them. Fortunately a 2-56 is a direct replacement for those pins, and no drilling or tapping is necessary. (Unfortunately, the ones I got were flat head so the screwdriver kept on slipping. Next time it's Phillips or nothing.)

Before installing the wheelsets in the trucks, they were reamed out with a truck reaming tool. The tool only cost $10, but works wonders on trucks. The wheels roll much easier after a few seconds using the tool.

Once the undercarriage was assembled, it was time to install the shell. I had good success placing the undercarriage as high as possible against the most curved side of the shell and sliding a prybar^H^H^H^H^H^H^H screwdriver along so the shell covered the undercarriage. After a few seconds, everything would snap in to place and be solid.

With the build complete, it was time to make sure everything was up to standards. This involves weighing the car and adjusting coupler height.

It was wonderful to see that the cars weighed in at the NMRA RP weight. I usually wind up either trying to find something to add to the car or just dealing with the car being too light, so this was a welcome change.

Most of the cars required a washer to adjust one side or the other to fit the coupler height gauge. This requires removing the truck and installing the washer on the mounting screw. The pins included with the kit would have all broken by now if I hadn't used screws.

The Accurail boxcars produce good models, but beware the friction fit pins. Chances are good your car will need adjustment later and the pins will break (if they haven't already.) I was extremely pleased to see something meeting the NMRA weight RP, and am ready to see them running around the layout.

Update to version 0.8.1

Bug fixes:

Version 0.8.1
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1. Removed ability to read goals and assists information from file.
2. Updated edit post code to include date of post.

Upgrade to version 0.8!

Change log

Version 0.8
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1. "First" is now "previous" in the message navigation page.
2. "Return to Main Page" is displayed when in single-post (Direct Link) mode.
3. Temporary login update page directs the user to the login page if the log in fails.
4. An error message is presented when no posts are found.
5. New Feature! HTML in comments can be allowed.
6. New Feature! Anonymous Comments can be disabled.
7. New Feature! HTML on Main page can be disabled.
8. Option change page has been refactored.
9. Index page directs to install page if config file cannot be found.
10. Fixed error where a newly created database wouldn't be properly used by the software.
11. On successful install, the user is directed to log in and then taken to the admin page.
12. If the install fails, the install good message is not displayed.
13. If the config file is lost, running the install will create it again.
14. Fixed bug on initial post page where new category name wasn't detected.
15. Fixed case sensitive bug. ID was capitalized in the database, but not the code. (Honestly, what is it with these case-sensitive languages?)
16. Modified appearance of the main page so the post title is prominently displayed.
17. Refactored post comment page. Users shouldn't notice a thing. ;-)
18. The "View next 10 entries" message now indicates how many messages are left and does not display if on the last page.
19. Goals module displays list of goals with most recent first. (Admin only.)
20. Registration page displays error messages above form.
21. Comments display page now includes post comment form on page.
22. Subject field has been eliminated from comments. (They still exist in database, but that will be removed for version 1.0.)
23. Fixed error on post comment form where post text would be escaped, then when submitted properly escaped again.
24. New Feature! Admins can view comments posted by specific posters.
25. Post order on index page is based upon time rather than post ID.
26. Categories on post page are now displayed as a drop-down box, and now sorted by popularity. (Most common first, with single most common selected.)
27. New Feature! Future Posting!!!
28. Log in with disabled anonymous comments takes you back to the comment page.
29. Clarified that comments can still be edited or deleted by an administrator on the unregister page.
30. Fixed bug where < BR / > was displayed on blank registration form.
31. New Feature! Admins can now unregister users (given a specific username).

This post has been edited at 2010-07-02 04:35:00

Comment your test track

The test track is where new cars on the layout go first. They are upgraded to metal wheels, couplers checked for height and reliability, and weighed. Cars that don't meet the standards are left on the test track until repaired.

While this produces a fleet of good running cars for the layout, there's often several days or even a month or two between diagnosis of a problem and time to repair it. If only I had some way to remember what the problem was...

A time machine would certainly solve the problem, but I'd have to meet myself to ask what the original problem was. After meeting myself and asking me what the problem was, the past me might just fix the problem to avoid forgetting what it was in the first place. (Maybe I'll get lucky and need a part.) Fine, right? But if I fix the problem I won't need to travel back in time in the first place, so I won't fix the problem.

An index card with a description of the trouble (and maybe the results of a few common checks, like replacing Proto2000 gear axles) might just resolve the above paradox and solve the original problem of not knowing what was wrong. If the index card was stored with the car or placed nearby, the information I need would be there when I needed it.

Just like in programming, leaving yourself a note close to where you'll be working later can save you lots of time and aggravation. Plus, you won't have to mess with speeds above Warp 10, flux capacitors, or repair paradoxes.

American Flyer 303

I was given an old American Flyer set with old rusted track and the cars beat up quite a bit. The locomotive was an Atlantic type, number 303. It wouldn't run with the American Flyer transformer, and I thought something was wrong with the motor.

The motor was fine, but the reversing unit in the tender failed. It's a very common problem. There's a little tab which advances a drum to switch between the three modes: Forward, Neutral, and Reverse. The tab often gets stuck in the up position, and if the locomotive is in neutral mode the motor won't turn.

Once the reversing tab was moved back down, and the contacts on the reverser drum cleaned, the motor began to run. It had years of old and dried lubrication to defeat, but eventually did so. After a few minutes of running, it loosened up and started to run faster.

With a running motor, the next thing to do was check out the model. There's a smoke unit, and a chuff piston. The chuff piston pushes the smoke out of the smoke unit, synchronizing the exhaust to the motor speed. Cool!

An electromagnet is used in place of the traditional permanent magnet. This takes up a good amount of space, but in S scale they can afford it. The lack of a permanent magnet means that screws and screw drivers aren't attracted to the model when not running, so it's easier to work on.

The next step in restoring this locomotive would be to disassemble it again, clean all the old lube and apply new. It's probably going to be a shelf model, so I'll put that off for another day.