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Internet-Controlled Train Set
Eric Barch writes "Using a servo connected to a Mini SSC II and wired into a dedicated server through the serial port, the Control Our Junk team has created a working train set controlled from any computer on the Internet with a few ports open and Java installed. The trains speed can be modified on the control page, which uses a PHP script to send commands to a .NET application sitting on the server. When the .NET application recieves the PHP command it sends the data to a serial port, and in turn, changes the speed of the train. The train set is running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is quite fun to operate from the dual webcams mounted on a top down and side view of the train set. If you would like more information, or to control the train set visit controlourjunk.com/ and take the train for a spin."
Crashing a server and a train!
I must admit, the site contained far fewer camwhores than I expected.
DriveMeInsane.com was featured here a few years ago now. I believe the guy who started it is a Slashdotter himself. He basically hooked up all his lights to the Web, as well as a number of webcams, his sprinkler system, Christmas tree lights, etc. It was pretty hardcore back in the day. He's kept it going too, although it's up and down, but pretty much was "the" great example of this genre. Only seems to have two lights now though :-(
I admittedly did a doubletake when I saw the name.
Couldn't that domain name apply to a company that allows surfers to add Viagra or muscle relaxants to a patient's IV drip to cause differing reactions?
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
10 motor 1 20 motor 0 30 goto 10
(Sorry, I just couldn't resist mentioning one of the most famous 4chan memes. It's what instantly came to mind.)
Please help metamoderate.
I assumed everyone with a train set did this. My own train set (a Märklin Digital HO set of C track that I take out and build into various layouts when I get the inclination) is run by a TCP/IP server speaking a custom line-based protocol, and I've written a Web interface and an IRC bot interface to speak to it, as well as a couple of perl scripts that just run the trains around on specific schedules (using sensors in the track to detect when the train gets to a particular station).
So when I have my layout out people can just come to visit with their wireless laptops and immediately can control everything on the layout (trains, points, decouplers, etc).
I'm in Norway. I once had someone try to play a simplified Timesaver layout from Sweden, over IRC. That was not a pretty sight.
Admittedly I don't have a Web cam, which I assume is the attraction here.
(It's actually really hard to run any train set remotely, simply due to latency issues. Two seconds can easily be the difference between a neat arrival in a station and overshooting and hitting a freight train doing operations in a nearby yard.)
If they don't have 100,000 trains then there's going to be some really f*cked up action on those tracks. What the hell where they thinking? Three russian hacker groups are already fighting for control of the B & O Switch engine 5006 Diesel, and half of Berkley is trying to ram the American Flyer # 613 GN Box Car off the table.
Bastards.