How do i make a boom gate that opens when the traffic light is red

[deleted-314686]

I need help making a boom gate that will close when the traffic light goes red.

[deleted-249560]

Can you be more specific? What sort of technologies are you familiar with or interested in learning about? I'll assume you mean a small model of a boom gate?

You could make one that simply uses weight (the weight of an oncoming model train) to make the arm drop. Are you detecting a red light and using that for a trigger? Or is one computer controlling both the light and the arm?

The easiest way of moving an arm on a *small* model is with a servo motor. If the model is bigger, some sort of linear actuator might be useful. That's why it's impossible to help you without some idea of what you're planning.

A class I worked with last fall was using Raspberry Pi computers to learn how to control motors and things. As an example of what they might do, I put together this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSiZ-JoMCeg out of some craft sticks, hot glue, two LEDs and a servo - attached to a Raspberry Pi. The computer isn't triggered by any event although it could have been. It simply controlled the LEDs, made the servo motor move the boom arm and then played random train crossing sounds in the background. With only a little bit of extra code that same example could have been triggered by a traffic light.

What about this idea seems like the most fun? Building the gate or designing a computer control to manage it?

Howard