My current little project

[voldemort]

So I have one of these, and intend to add a few more.



Project started easy (while waiting for glue to dry).  I'll replace the bulb with an led.  Much fussing, drilling out, soldering etc.  I think I've got that one nailed. 

THEN

I get the idea that I should have them rotate.  Not a huge problem- I can work out some servo mechanism attached to an arduino.  The searchlight is mounted on a brass tube that rotates that goes down to the base

THEN

I gets me to thinking- wouldn't it be great if I could have them look up and down.  I'm thinking a coordinated light show- they're all turned towards the arriving train.  Then they rotate to illuminate the Hollywood sign on the hills. 

Yup, thats what I need.  So now I'm thinking again.

The light and the top of the tower is very small (n scale).  There is no way of mounting any known servo at the top without it becoming something like this





I think what I need is some kind of a rotating tube around the center tube that connects to the bottom front of the light- moving the tube up will point the light up, down will point it down.  So now I'm thinking about how I might do that.   The elevation of the outside tube being controlled by another servo. 

Any ideas on how to do this?

I have played with arduinos.  I have an excellent imitation fire.  I build a motion detector to take camping to warn my wife of bears (utter, complete failure- it goes off all the time ?chipmunks?- nobody sleeps when it goes off)  I haven't used servos in any of it.  I was thinking of how do I supply power to the rotating light, and I see there are slip rings- if I could find one tiny enough.  But then I realized it didn't really need to turn round and round, just point it in the directions.

I think it would be cool.  Especially when mini-Adelle comes to play

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Working on guard towers?

[voldemort]

Yard towers.  But otherwise, no comment

[Ed Kapuscinski]

You gonna 3d print the piles of shoes and other belongings?

[wazzou]

You gonna 3d print the piles of shoes and other belongings?

Why?  Seriously.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Why?  Seriously.

Because that's part of what he's doing with all this, and I think it's a particularly tasteless endeavor.

[delamaize]

Because that's part of what he's doing with all this, and I think it's a particularly tasteless endeavor.

Agreed.

[wazzou]

Because that's part of what he's doing with all this, and I think it's a particularly tasteless endeavor.

..."part of what he's doing with this"
Maybe that's true?
However nothing in this post cast any light on that subject matter until you felt it was necessary to bait him and bring it all back up again.

... "and I think it's a particularly tasteless endeavor"
As do I, but again, you're the one that stirred this pot.

[bbunge]

Just an FYI, with the 394 Lionel rotating beacon the beacon cover had a center pin with sharp point that sat in a bearing cup that was molded into the top of the light bulb.  Warm air from the bulb would rise up through louvers/vanes on the roof of the beacon causing rotation.  Sometimes they need a nudge to get going, but I personally prefer this to the follow on beacon that uses noisy vibration to achieve the rotation.

Would not work with a LED but there are other ways to make hot air.

Bob

[Ed Kapuscinski]

..."part of what he's doing with this"
Maybe that's true?
However nothing in this post cast any light on that subject matter until you felt it was necessary to bait him and bring it all back up again.

... "and I think it's a particularly tasteless endeavor"
As do I, but again, you're the one that stirred this pot.

Maybe, but I'm hoping to make the point to not encourage the project.

[voldemort]

Thank you all so much for all the help and inspiration you've provided.

I'm unwelcome here, so I'll leave

Thanks again

[tehachapifan]

I think we need to get the NTSB in here to figure out where this thread went off the rails, because I sure can't. What the heck happened here?

Edit: NVM, I see now.

[Chris333]

Guess it is all over my head. 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Guess it is all over my head. 

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=51095.msg691736#msg691736 gives you the answer you are seeking:

I am modelling Auschwitz

[dem34]

Guess it is all over my head. 

To not beat around the bush like the last thread. With the available context available to us hes making an N scale model of Aushwitz and wanted a set of beacons that focused on the trains as they arrived.