4/15/2021

Soon app for FOUR players and/or independent tracks

4/6/2021

Soon site v.7

4/5/2021

Pictures for updated site

4/4/2021

Site renovation plans

Hello friends, over the past year, a significant number of changes have accumulated in the URB project. In addition, thanks to your posts, I found three critical points that hinder the user in project implementation.

Most do not like the idea of self-manufacturing URB units.
Many people have repeatedly burned ULN2003 chips when connecting point motors due to incorrect connection.
Programming, which is key to using all the features of a project, is still a problem as many modelers are reluctant to do it.

Therefore, the section with ready-made examples will be significantly expanded. A single device for connecting all types of motors for turnouts will be L298 or a similar module (with the exception of servo drives). This will also unify the arduino modules needed for the project. Programming methods and snippets will be transferred to the URB Club, as its members have much more skills and experience.

Thanks to this, I will be able to abandon the use of URB units in the main part of the site, allowing users to build circuits from electronic components in their usual way using ready-made modules and DuPont connecting wires. The Club will continue to recommend the use of URB units and wireless WRUs.

Dear members of the URB Club, I sincerely apologize for the irregular updates of the Club's website. I simply did not have time to publish a lot of solutions that I came up with this year. Now that I've overcome external issues and changed the way I promote the project from videos to local posts, these posts will be regular.

Steve Massikker

3/30/2021

Answer

3/29/2021

Any ideas?

3/28/2021

Curved crossing complete

3/24/2021

Special thanks Luobin for video from China

I am very pleased to receive videos and pictures from users who successfully use my URB system. These are the actions of the modelers give me the motivation to continue the project.

3/23/2021

Last part for custom crossing

3/22/2021

Soon new code and examples for begginres

Thanks to the Donors of the URB project. With donations received from you, I am starting a new series of publications for novice modelers. I really appreciate your contribution to reviving the model railway hobby for new fans.

3/18/2021

Replanning my test layout

3/10/2021

I am tired of this

Since the beginning of 2021, a lot of events have happened that are not directly related to the URB project. All these events were generated by the Google company and its services - YouTube, Google Play and the advertising service AdSense.

To begin with, I will explain my position as the author of the project. I receive money to continue the project only from donations through PayPal that users give me. I do not receive income from YouTube, and the sale of applications through GooglePlay and the ads that I placed on my site through the AdSense service were about $ 20 per month.

At the beginning of the year, the number of visitors to my site grew by 50 percent and I received an email from AdSense stating that I had "illegally increased traffic in order to increase ad revenue and therefore monetization will be suspended." Then the YouTube service once again tightened the rules for publishing videos and, more importantly, again changed the video rating system and the number of views fell three times. Google Play, in turn, since the beginning of the year, has sent 15 letters with mandatory conditions to continue selling my applications and messages about the increase in their fees and the introduction of sales taxes, and I had to recompile my applications three times and I comleted out about 30 forms with a bunch of stupid questions.

I understand the actions of a large monopolist who wants to get rid of small sites and is only interested in large clients, so I decided to help this monster - so in the near future I will close all my Google accounts.

If I disappointed someone with this message, then I'm sorry :).

2/15/2021

Indicate Panel

Perhaps discuss a bit of theory.

2/10/2021

Tomorrow on YouTube the Second episode

1/29/2021

Soon new videos about practical implement of URB system

1/27/2021

Small part of my layout is finished

1/26/2021

Making signal tower

1/20/2021

Arduino Railway Layout Control is released

1/17/2021

Soon new app

1/12/2021

Under construction

1/6/2021

Migration to WRU

Before

After

1/5/2021

Smart switching control

Hello Mr. Massikker,
I have seen your videos in YouTube and got really exited about the way your system works. I have already purchased some Arduino equipment from the web. I am not an expert electrician, but after watching your DIY guides I believe I will be able to hook it all up. However, I still have few questions that I am not 110% sure about. My layout is currently DCC and I am only interested in running DCC.
Is it possible to make an application for a tablet that will only control devices on the layout (turnouts, signals, mechanisms, lighting, etc.). For trains, it is more convenient for me to use my DCC remote control. I really really love the interface of your TABLET app.

Yes, I have such an application. I will publish it on GooglePlay at next week.

12/25/2020

My plans for 2021

I must admit that I was so bored with my project that I took apart the test track. Therefore, the video about the Big Station will only be available in 2021. The outgoing year was terrible for URB. None of the modelers could make their own layout under the control of the URB system. Modellers, to whom I gave detailed instructions, speedly made first steps for the created of their railway layouts and, after a month or two, they simply losed interst for their hobby. At the same time, at each stage of building their layouts, they made mistakes, and, at the same time, refused to admit them. As a result, they brought the situation to complete absurdity and… see above :)

At that moment, I was designing automated control, wireless modules, simplifying sketches and coming up with new features for the development of the URB project. And the comparison of my efforts, with the lack of desire among the modelers to implement even the simplest capabilities of the URB management system, led me to a deep internal crisis.

Therefore, next year I will be doing elementary examples for the main site. But I will publish all complex projects only for members of the URB Club.

Happy New Year (evil laugh)