TrainController Gold and Silver - Freiwald Software

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4 Contact Indicators
If your digital system is able to report the state of track contacts, reed contacts, optical
sensors, track occupancy sensors or other feedback sensors to the computer, then you
can indicate the status of these contacts and sensors with contact indicator symbols.
With these indicators, you are able to monitor the state of the feedback sensors on the
computer screen.
Contact indicator are used in TrainController for the following purposes:
• Occupancy indication of blocks for tracking and control of trains (see chapter 5,
“The Visual Dispatcher I”)
• Occupancy indication of routes (see page 288)
• Execution of actions by passing trains (see section 14.4, “Operations”)
• Individual highlighting of track sections in the switchboard (see section 2.8,
“Highlighting occupied track sections”)
If your digital system is not able to report the state of feedback sensors to the computer,
then TrainController makes it possible to connect a second or more digital systems
to your computer. For this purpose, it is not necessary to purchase another complete
digital system that is also able to operate trains and turnouts. TrainController supports
special low cost digital systems that are dedicated to the monitoring of feedback
sensors. More details about running several digital systems, simultaneously, are outlined
in section 18.2, “Operating Several Digital Systems Simultaneously”.
Feedback sensors are divided into momentary track contacts and occupancy sensors. In
TrainController the same symbol is used for both types of contacts. The difference
between both types of contacts does not play an important role as long as trains are not
operated under control of the Visual Dispatcher (see section 5, “The Visual Dispatcher”).
Momentary Track Contacts vs. Occupancy Sensors
Momentary track contacts are turned on for a short period, when a train passes a certain
point on the model railroad. They stay turned on only for a short period and are turned
off as soon as the train moves any further. In Diagram 82 to Diagram 84 you can see a
momentary contact triggered by a passing train. Momentary track contacts indicate that
a train is about to pass a certain point. Occupancy sensors are turned on when a train
enters a certain section on the model railroad. They stay turned on until the train leaves
that section completely. Occupancy sensors indicate that a train is located inside a cer-
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