Traintrackr – Live LED Maps

I've been designing PCBs for years, and designed over 250 at last count.

We have a couple of products in the pipeline to come out this year, but I'd love to hear what you think we should build next.

If you are less into trains (heresy) but still want to look at unusual maps https://raildar.co.uk/map/KGX is your place to go. its a live junction schematic of any train junction in the UK.

I found an in-box rated USB-C hardwired power adapter, and ran an additional outlet above an existing one. Then used a couple screwed together brass motherboard standoffs I drilled holes into the drywall for. To my surprise just some standard superglue in the holes have held these far more securely than needed.

Looks like a great piece of “90s retro art” and gets a lot comments from guest!

What I find interesting is how these physical displays handle the inevitable "ghost trains" in the feed - cancelled services that still show as running, or trains that briefly appear in the wrong location. The software problem is messier than the hardware.

Obviously some compromises must be made for routing the traces but I’d consider the shape of the Loop to be the most essential element of the whole system.

Definitely very cool though!

I want to find more art like this that updates in real-time, then I feel like I actually appreciate it in the long term. With regular static pictures on the wall I tune them out after they've been there a few months.