Make It! Camp Report
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A View from the Tower
The Fab Lab Three Lakes and Demmer Library host a Maker Camp each August. Campers design a custom key fob in Adobe Illustrator and cut it with the Epilog laser. They also program an Arduino microprocessor to control tri-color signal lights on a model railroad, recreating the signals an engineer would see from the cab. Day 3 features Arduino robotics programming. Paul, Jack, and Bob of the Three Lakes Model Railroad Club devoted tremendous effort to preparing the layout for camp—and proved it could be done! They also shared many items they created in the Fab Lab for their own model railroad layouts. We look forward to challenging campers to create, experiment, and become makers themselves. Check out the photos of the layout, the detailed buildings and railroad-car interiors, and the Arduino microprocessor that keeps everything running with 1,000 updates per second.
Fab Lab Three Lakes, Demmer Library, and the Three Lakes Model Railroad Club hosted their first Maker Camp, welcoming 13 participants from as far away as Illinois. They came ready to create—and create they did!
Students study automatic block signals, then develop a truth table and translate it into Arduino code to control the signals.
On the first day, students learned Adobe Illustrator and used the Epilog laser to create a key fob.
On the second day, students programmed an Arduino microprocessor to tackle a real-world engineering challenge: keeping trains safely separated on a single track.
After determining the correct signal for each track-occupancy condition in a truth table, students translated that logic into code that automatically sets the appropriate signal color.
The program was uploaded to the model railroad’s Arduino, which receives four block inputs and controls 12 signal outputs.
An unexpected problem appeared when students transferred their breadboard-tested program to the Arduino controlling the signals: with no trains on the track, the signals turned orange???
Following the engineering process posted in the lab, students knew they needed to troubleshoot the system. They discovered that the orange signals appeared because the red and yellow LEDs were on when only the green LED should have been, pointing to a problem with the output.
Paul offered a clue: the breadboard LEDs used a common cathode, while the model signals used a common anode. The students corrected the mismatch by inverting the output values, turning the signals green. During testing, a locomotive entering Block 1 changed Signal 1 to red. When it entered Block 2, Signal 2 turned red and Signal 1 changed to yellow. This sequence continued as the locomotive moved down the track.
Campers were introduced to the NMRA BSA Cars program and learned how we 3D-printed custom frames for 50-foot boxcars.
At the opposite end of the layout, the Three Lakes Model Railroad Club displayed additional projects created in the Fab Lab.
NBC 12 sent a reporter to cover the camp and aired three segments: Wednesday at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m., and Thursday at 6:45 a.m. One camper said the best part was using the trains to create code they could see working in real time.
Demmer Library Director Brewster fulfilled her wish to stage a train collision after we intentionally introduced faulty code! Everyone had a great time, and in response to camper feedback, we are exploring ways to add 3D printing to next summer’s camp. Special thanks to the Demmer Library for organizing the event and to the Three Lakes Model Railroad Club for bringing its layout to the lab. Perhaps someday we will build a layout of our own!
The railroad modules also operated during Tuesday and Thursday evening Open Fab Lab sessions, where visitors saw demonstrations of laser-cut and 3D-printed items made for model railroading.
Text by Dr. Yahr and Paul Wussow, photos by Paul Wussow and Demmer Director Brewster
Check out other Three Lakes Model Railroad Club activities at the Fab Lab.
Update 10/20/26