While this isn't related to telephone wiring it does reflect how I like to see a finished job and it does involve extra low voltage electrical/electronics work - well within my field of expertise. Our workplace was donated a piece of redundant railway signalling equipment which had basically been thrown on the junk pile decades ago. It was dirty and dusty and didn't really do anything anymore, yet it was to become a display item in our workplace. I took the initiative to clean up the item and add some electronics so that it is now an interactive working display. The other side of the panel (see bottom photo) has some lights that used to shows various indications the operator would need to know when working at that station. I added an Arduino/screw terminal board (top right) and a relay board (bottom right) and connected it via the existing resistor board (centre left) to the existing LED's (light emitting diodes). The white wires (including LED's and resistors) were existing and have been neatened up, basically everything else has been added. With a suitable program added to the Arduino the interactive display item now sits in the office where visitors can watch the red, yellow and green lights change in a semi-realistic manner as if a (simulated) train was passing through the station, and also operate the switches in front of the panel to manually control the signals to stop a train or let it proceed. This has proved to be much better that just hanging the panel on the wall as it was, and has generated interest and discussion amongst office regulars and visitors. Above: The fully refurbished interactive display item ready to return to the office.
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AuthorAfter spending 22 years in the Telecommunications Industry, I've decided to keep those skills alive and offer my services to people needing assistance with small phone cabling jobs in the home or office. Archives
January 2024
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