Blue Tooth Control Of Trains

GAP

GAP

G Scale Model Trains, 1:1 Sugar Cane Trains
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Not sure if this is the right spot for this but it does cover DCC, Battery and sound topics.

I was sent this by an On30 modeler who is considering it.
I noticed that it looks like they are going to have a large scale version.
Anybody have/experience with it?
If it works as advertised then it is fairly impressive from my point of view.


 
No direct experience of it myself. I can see why such readily available technology has attractions. Personally though I don't like the lack of tactile control using a touch screen phone or tablet, and of course the visibility issues out doors. Also, although I see it advertises 100ft+ range, my experience of Bluetooth devices such as headphones and printers is that the range rapidly degrades as soon as there's any obstruction to the signal eg. wall, window etc.

Will be interested to see if it catches on for large scale.
 
Could be interesting. Sounds like a good idea but what will the price be? Could be nice to use with a tablet rather than a phone. It would work well with battery power.
 
I have tested one of these in a Bachmann HO scale loco. It works very well. The smartphone software is very well done and is very intuitive. I was always sceptical about using a touchscreen phone to control a loco but found that I was easily able to drive the loco without looking at the screen. That included being able to do the Kadee uncoupling shuffle without having to look at the phone. Low speed running was excellent.
They are starting to ship in April their first module for installation in user's locos. The spec is at http://bluerailtrains.com/blue-horse/
This first module has only 2 amps output so it not suitable for all but the smallest garden railway loco. It costs US$75. Sound is US only and is not adjustable so cannot be matched to the loco.
I have find it hard using a smartphone screen outside and getting a call whist driving your loco can make life interesting.
Regards
Peter Lucas
MyLocoSound
 
I see the attraction. Certainly for the smaller scales, where a layout is in one room. then not a problem..
For larger scales, and outdoors, then distance *may* be a problem??

Biggest downer is the (present) lack of alternative sound options, and the same as a CS2 on a smart-phone.. What happens when a call comes in!?
 
PhilP said:
I see the attraction. Certainly for the smaller scales, where a layout is in one room. then not a problem..
For larger scales, and outdoors, then distance *may* be a problem??

Biggest downer is the (present) lack of alternative sound options, and the same as a CS2 on a smart-phone.. What happens when a call comes in!?
Click to expand...
I hope you can use a tablet rather than a phone which gets round the problem of phone calls - at least it would if calls didn't come to my ipad as well.
 
Not for me. I want to move the handle on my transformer and get instant results. I see guys with Lionel's Legacy equipment and there are just too many things to do to get a train to run. I like it simple, like me.....:rofl:
 
PhilP said:
I see the attraction. Certainly for the smaller scales, where a layout is in one room. then not a problem..
For larger scales, and outdoors, then distance *may* be a problem??

Biggest downer is the (present) lack of alternative sound options, and the same as a CS2 on a smart-phone.. What happens when a call comes in!?
Click to expand...

"then distance *may* be a problem??"
How many backyard garden railways have more than 100 Ft distance from Transmitter to Reciever ?
I am in Australia on an average 1/4 acre house block and my ordinary house wireless phone works down the backyard. My house is 16 metres long with a front yard of 3 metres and another 6 metres to my back fence a total of 82 feet, I certainly would not try to control my trains from the front yard.

As for sound I have sound built in that runs of the motor voltage (Mylocosound) so no issue for me.

I would run this from a dedicated tablet and as I do not use a mobile phone for my comms (connected to a wireless phone via a fibre network) then no issue there.

Plus who the hell wants to take their phone out when playing trains ??? :lipssealed: :lipssealed: :lipssealed:

As for using it outside, there are sun filters or just the old fashioned turn you back to the sun and use your own shadow, works for me.

Today I saw a demonstration by a "nerd" (read a person still learning to shave and has a lot more education than me) of a Lego EVA mindstorms brick that used Bluetooth to control a robot by a smart phone app.
He was controlling it across a shopping centre open space over 50 feet away.
I quizzed him about it and it is basically an ESC controlled by a app. As the "nerd" moved the control on the smart phone screen the robot moved, he told me that it works just as well on a tablet. It was exactly the same as my traditional 2.4GHz transmitter control.

Its a brave new world gentlemen and we are no longer in control.
 
<pedantic>
Your DECT house phone does NOT use Bluetooth. - Which is a low-power, short-range communications system..
</pedantic>

My back garden is only 22 feet wide, but 120 feet long.. It has a large shed and trees between the house and the far end.
Some of the gardens of those on here a quite large.. The owners are obviously a lot more effluent than me! ;):giggle::giggle:
 
effluent ?
 
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