Blog Archives

Tomytec bus system: Using an electromagnet to stop the bus

23/1/2019

I am studying how to automate the Tomytec bus system. There are many other blog posts describing how magnets are used to change the bus speed and temporarily stop the bus.
Here, I used an electromagnet placed under the track to stop the bus. As the electromagnet can be powered on or off, I will be able to remotely control the bus stop.

In this first test, I used a 13x27 12V 1W 10N (size 13x27mm, 12 volts, 1 watt, 10 newton force) electromagnet that can easily be purchased from AliExpress (look for solenoid, electromagnet, or follow this link). Its power consumption is about 100mA, which is reasonable, and the heat dissipation is not too high.