Rail Racers RCX control system

L1	Light Sensor
L2	Light Sensor
L3	Light Sensor	
L4	Light Sensor
M1	Micro Motor
M2	Micro Motor
LT1	Light
LT2	Light
R1	Rotation Sensor
RCX1	1.5 RCX
RCX2	1.0 RCX
SW1	Custom two way switch using a Polarity Switch (1)
SW2	Custom two way switch using a Polarity Switch (1)

Basic Layout:
There are two RCXs in the middle of the track with IR ports facing each other. RCX1 controls the starting line, RCX2 controls the finish line. 

Race Starting:
At the starting of a race SW1 is set so that the track is powered from the (4548) Power Regulator, L1 and L2 watch to make sure that neither trains go before the green light. If either Track 1 or Track 2 starts early then LT1 or LT2 will light and SW1 will switch power away from the Power Regulators, thus stopping the race.

M1 will turn the gearing on the custom built "Starter tree" sequencing through 2 yellow lights then the green light, R1 will monitor the position of the "Starter tree" so to know if the lights are green or not.

Once the lights turn green both racers will drive their trains to the Finish Line, the track is separated just past the finish line so as to not receive power from the Power Regulators and causing the trains to come to a stop. L3 and L4 will be triggered at the finish line thus signaling the winner of the race. RCX2 will send a message to RCX1 telling it which lane was the winner, then RCX1 will flash either LT1 or LT2 to signal to the drivers who won the race.

Resetting the Race:
Now that the race has ended and both drivers have crossed the finish line, the RCX2 will be told via a Remote Control to switch SW1 and SW2 so that the RCX2 can now power both tracks. Once the switch is in place RCX2 will power both tracks and return the trains to the Starting Line, L1 and L2 will notify RCX1 that the trains have arrived at the finish line and RCX1 will send a message to RCX2 to stop powering the track of the train that has arrived.

These are the basic notes behind the current design, for more information please contact James at james@ngltc.org

(1) Custom two way power switch based on Hao-yang Wang's 2 way splitter http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=214