I've undertaken a very ambitious project for my show this year- I'm building a train to run around my yard, and I'm hoping (kinda of out of options) to be able to control it using Ver2 TX with EX/RX on board interfaced to a MR16.
So far I have everything built and have been testing wireless range- running a vixen test sequence and with the TX in my shop (installed in the coop case), laying horizontally flat on a table, I took the EX/RX-MR16 combo inside the house (a straight line distance of about 50' or so, but with walls and other obstructions in the way) and noticed that as long as the receiver module is oriented vertically, that the data stream is stable.
I know this isn't line of sight, but I wanted to simulate a worst case reception condition.
If I slowly move the RX module, changing it's orientation with respect to the TX, then the stream becomes unstable and choppy.
I looked up the data sheet on the RF module, and noticed that the radiation pattern is sort of a stacked double toroid, with a deep null pointing out the top and bottom (with the module oriented vertically). I can confirm that this is definitely the case as when I point the RX's vertical axis at the transmitter, the signal completely disappears.
My other observation was that simply walking into the area near the RX, sometimes but not always, can cause the data stream to become unstable. I thought this might be wi-fi interference from my iphone, so I turned wi-fi off in the phone, but this didn't seem to affect anything.
So, not having an extensive RF background, I'm finding and assuming that the TX and RX units should both be vertically oriented, so that they would then be radiating/receiving in the same plane. Movement of the RX module or motion around the module seems to affect the reception, at least with my current, less than desirable test setup.
I'm out of town this week, so i can't test the rf link with the actual train, running around the yard- yes I know I've waited till the last minute- but I had many more logistical hurdles to clear with the train project than I had ever imagined.
Now, my yard is about 125' long and about 80' deep, and is running parallel with the front of the house and the street. I can position the TX mounted up high inside a window at one end of the house, about 1/4 of the way in from one side of the yard.
I then plan on mounting the RX as high up inside the 'smoke stack' of the train, also mounted in a vertical orientation.
I have a few trees that will briefly block RF line of site of train as it circles the track...
My question, and fear, at this point is, how stable will the rf link be with the train physically moving around the track, as this will be changing the orientation of the receiver, and introducing possible multi-path issues... even with the clear line of site that my yard allows.
I'm totally married to this project at this point, as I have way too much time and $$ invested for it not to work.
If the window location doesn't prove acceptable, then my only other option is to locate the TX up high in my mega tree, which is inside the center of the train track...
If I can't get Ver2 wireless to work consistently, given the above issues, what other form of RF link could I consider? All I really need at a minimum is 3 contact closures of control- even if whatever RF system it is has to be hacked from something then connected to relays driven from and LE or SSR, instead of transmiting the dmx stream directly....
Anyone out there that has any ideas or has done something like this please let me know...
Thanks so much!
