LoCoMoGoToy train
LoCoMoGo is a toy train that teaches coding through play.
Customer
LoCoMoGo is a start-up company located in Amsterdam. They are developing a toy train that teaches children to code in a playful way. They want to introduce coding at an early age, but the fun comes first! This development prepares children at a young age for the job market of tomorrow.
Case
LoCoMoGo is developing a toy train with a locomotive and different types of wagons behind it. The development of the electronics was done by METICS. The difficulty in these electronics was the LoCoMoGo train following a tape track on the floor and having different functionalities based on the different colors of tape.
Our solution
The LoCoMoGo can track a tape using sensors and can also detect a color of the tape. METICS has developed the electronics that make this possible. In addition, the locomotive contains a battery for which METICS has developed a charging circuit. The locomotive contains the main processor of the entire train. This processor can communicate with any wagon that is attached to the train. There is hardware in the locomotive that can detect which wagons are attached to the train. These wagons communicate with each other via canbus and are connected to each other by means of a magnetic connector, which also contains the electrical connection internally.
The locomotive contains 3 PCBs that are interconnected. 1 is a main PCB with the main electronics on it. The other 2 PCBs are mainly for the interface. These give information back to the user, in this case the child. We developed a basic PCB for the various wagons to which additional functions can be added. At the moment, METICS has provided 2 wagons with functionality. So METICS designed the various PCBs and made embedded hardware. Prototypes have been made of the designs and METICS has also tested these.
Results
The LoCoMoGo train including the wagons is a working prototype. METICS has developed the main processor for the locomotive as compact and functional as possible, so that it fits into the housing of the train. A basic PCB has been made for the wagons, which ensures that when new types of wagons are devised, their functionalities can be easily implemented. LoCoMoGo therefore has a solid foundation for further developing the train and putting it on the market.
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