passenger cars with opening doors

[master_train]

Hi all

i have a question, hope you could help me here
Here's my project: i have some walthers passenger cars which i cut the doors, i want (digitally) to open and close the doors

i thought it would be easy to find micro rotary solenoids for this project but after days of searchings over the internet still no result

so my question to you (and don't say it impossible) how it possible to open the doors and then, close the doors, automatically (the hard part, how it possible to make the door close?)


please, please, any idea, advise will be appreciated!

thank you!!

 

[CP9302]

I probably don't know what I'm talking about, but could you use a small RC solenoid attached to an arm that was attached to the door? Move the solenoid forward to close the door and backward to open it? You could even rig it to do both sides together, so only one is needed.

My question is, how do you get the steps to fold down?

 

[master_train]

i try to use small solenoids- they appear to be too weak to open and close the doors, so other solution must be found

 

[jbaakko]

Could you gear the solenoid to do the work? A small gear onto a larger should give it more power.

 

[master_train]

mm.. what do you mean? I didn't get your thought..

 

[jbaakko]

Use a small gear on the end of the servo, that will transfer power to the larger gear, thus inducing more torque to open the doors...

 

[jbaakko]

A rotary servo will work for this, much better then a linear, however a linear servo might also work, if levered correctly.

 

[Rico]

What's the matter, did your porters join a union or something?
You might look into something like a tortoise switch machine with cable linkage. Or maybe an older Lionel boxcar that had solenoid activated doors?
Cool project either way!

 

[UP2CSX]

Do your doors have to actually open, as in turn inward? That's an awful lot of mechanical force and friction to evercome. Can you kitbash the doors to slide open on a styrene track? A solenoid connected to two wire linkages should be able to slide the doors open and shut with a lot less mechanical effort than trying to open the door. Once a Pullman door is open, you dont really see it anyway unless you are looking directly through the door opening.

If you are modeling heavyweight cars, having the steps drop wouldn't be a problem but steamlined cars with open doors and the steps not down won't do you much good.

 

[master_train]

jbaakko: i like the gear idea, i think it might work

UP2CSX: the car doors are some actually open, some slide and some turn inward (as the prototype)

the problem with solenoids is simple: the solenoids have not enough movement to operate the door all the way.