Abstract: A circuit board standoff for use with SMT placement machinery is provided comprising a hollow substantially cylindrical member, a flange extending from a bottom section of the cylindrical member and an opening positioned in the top section of the substantially cylindrical member operable to receive a fastener. The circuit board standoff operates to provide physical connection between two circuit boards while maintaining a minimum distance there between for inclusion of any required electronic components.

Abstract: New techniques are presented for detection methods employed in the control, automation and operation of scale Model railroad layouts that permit new types of capabilities to be incorporated into the railroad. The invention allows for the lowering of the cost of detection electronics by employing a redundant encoding of information in the transponder responses that are then used for detecting transponder location on the layout by using current sensors. The use of a complementary multiplex arrangement and algorithm allows a reduction in the detection electronics by virtue of the fact that most the conditioning electronics can be supplied in a single instance that is shared amongst the multiplexed current sensors.

Abstract: New techniques are presented for detection methods employed in the control, automation and operation of scale Model railroad layouts that permit new types of capabilities to be incorporated into the railroad. The invention allows for the lowering of the cost of detection electronics by employing a redundant encoding of information in the transponder responses that are then used for detecting transponder location on the layout by using current sensors. The use of a complementary multiplex arrangement and algorithm allows a reduction in the detection electronics by virtue of the fact that most the conditioning electronics can be supplied in a single instance that is shared amongst the multiplexed current sensors.

Abstract: Methods are provided for intelligent power management control of model railroad layouts that employ multiple boosters that can be added in a parallel arrangement to increase the power available to a section of track. Boosters paralleled in this method employ circuits and a logic function to detect the actual track voltages they are normally connected to for providing track current, as an alternate to an extra hardware synchronizing link. By detecting the track voltages in this way during the recovery period after a overload fault has cleared, all Matched boosters can accurately determine when the first restarting booster attempts to re-energize the tracks and hence immediately turn on their own power to argument the current available for restarting. This ensures that the boosters can act in synchronized concert to power a track section that they individually cannot drive because the current draw would exceed the individual booster current capacities.

Abstract: New techniques are presented for detection methods employed in the control, automation and operation of scale Model railroad layouts that permit new types of capabilities to be incorporated into the railroad. The invention allows for the creation of an automated alarm condition and device tracking capability using transponding technology improvements described herein that is capable of detecting when a device is removed, or derailed, and then reporting the device address, last known layout location and time this event occurred. Additionally improvements to transponder detection are shown that lower cost and improve reliability.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to allow compatible speed operations and physical coupling of decoder equipped locomotives to locomotives without decoders when operating on conventional track power. The improvements utilize mechanisms added to improve decoder fault protection, and that can also be usefully additionally employed to allow voltage accurate mode-conversion using a novel, cost reduced and simplified mode-switching arrangement. Additionally, a convenient automation of the mode switching arrangement is shown by using different relay switch configurations controlled by the decoder logic.

Abstract: New techniques are presented for occupancy detection methods employed in the control, automation and operation of scale Model railroad layouts that permit new types of capabilities to be incorporated into the railroad. The invention allows for a universal occupancy detector that can automatically configure itself to work on common rail or direct home wiring arrangements. This occupancy detector is able to work with large track feeder parasitic or stray capacitances and is also able to determine when any direct home track section is energized.

Abstract: A local area network based control system for model railroad layout control that may be readily modified, upgraded, dynamically reconfigured or expanded with minimum physical or functional interruption to the operation of the model railroad layout. This allows for the expansion and improvements to the layout control system to be effected with least effort, time and risk of failure.

Abstract: New techniques are presented for occupancy detection methods employed in the control, automation and operation of scale Model railroad layouts that permit new types of capabilities to be incorporated into the railroad. The invention allows for a universal occupancy detector that can automatically configure itself to work on common rail or direct home wiring arrangements. This occupancy detector is able to work with large track feeder parasitic or stray capacitances and is also able to determine when any direct home track section is energized.

Abstract: New techniques are presented for detection methods employed in the control, automation and operation of scale Model railroad layouts that permit new types of capabilities to be incorporated into the railroad. The invention allows reliable detection of transponder devices on a model railroad layout using conveniently low values of transponder current pulses. Processing of the detected current pulse timing and direction characteristics and then comparing these with the expected or reference current direction for the layout section allows us to reject echo pulses caused by common impedances in the layout wiring. This method overcomes the pulse echoes that have caused the failure of previous attempts to reduce this technology to practice. Allowing additional acknowledgment pulses synchronized to any transponder address sent can further enhance Transponding technology. This provides extra communication capabilities that are not limited by the rate or timing of addresses sent to any particular transponder device.

Abstract: A phenolic resin composition comprises an ester-curable phenol-aldehyde resin in alkaline aqueous solution wherein the phenol-aldehyde resin is a methylolated phenolic novolak resin. Preferably, during manufacture of the methylolated phenolic novolak resin, unreacted phenol is removed. The composition may be employed, for reaction with an organic ester hardener, as a binder in the production of foundry moulds and cores having high strength. The further incorporation of an aryloxy alcohol in the novolak resin binder additionally improves the final strength of products obtained by a gas curing technique using ester vapor, such as that of methyl formate.

Abstract: The invention relates to foundary moulding compositions useful for producing moulds for the manufacture of metal castings wherein the moulds are capable of giving castings with good surface finish without the need for conventional separate blacking applications. A foundary moulding composition of the invention comprises refractory material such as sand, alkali phenol-formaldehyde resole resin solution, carbonifiable material such as styrenated phenol, and an effective amount of an organic ester for hardening the composition. In another embodiment, the invention is a binder composition comprising alkali phenol-formaldehyde resole resin solution and carbonifiable material capable of being hardened by reaction with organic ester. In another embodiment, the invention is a curing additive for a foundry binder comprising carbonifiable material and liquid ester such as gamma-butyrolactone, and the like.

Abstract: The invention relates to foundry moulding compositions useful for producing moulds for the manufacture of metal castings wherein the moulds are capable of giving castings with good surface finish without the need for conventional separate blacking applications. A foundry moulding composition of the invention comprises refractory material such as sand, alkali phenol-formaldehyde resole resin solution, carbonifiable material such as styrenated phenol, and an effective amount of an organic ester for hardening the composition. In another embodiment, the invention is a binder composition comprising alkali phenol-formaldehyde resole resin solution and carbonifiable material capable of being hardened by reaction with organic ester. In another embodiment, the invention is a curing additive for a foundry binder comprising carbonifiable material and liquid ester such as gamma-butyrolactone, and the like.

Abstract: A sensor comprising: an inertial mass movable from a first position to a second position in response to a acceleration (deceleration) signal of predetermined amplitude and duration; electrical contacts and a conductor on the inertial mass for indicating that the inertial mass has moved to the second position; an electrical conductor, reactive with other elements of the sensor for generating an electro-magnetic force tending to dampen the motion of the inertial mass; and a magnetically attractive element or magnet for biasing the inertial mass towards the first position.