Adding Command / Legacy Control

I would recommend getting a Cab-1L/Base-1L set. This would allow you to control your switches (assuming from your description they are the TMCC/Legacy equipped FasTrack switches)

If you would also like to control the train via the remote then I would also recommend a Legacy PowerMaster this will receive commands and control the track voltage to allow you to run conventional equipment with the remote

So I'd be looking at $250 for the Cab 1L and about $175 for a 360w powermaster?  Sound about right?

I'll start researching those parts...

I think a 360W Legacy PowerMaster is overkill for most users. The 180W Legacy PowerMaster is probably more cost effective - in fact, you can almost get two for the price of the 360W doubling the channels/trains you can control.

Ditto with @bmoran4.
the standard 180W Legacy PowerMaster will do just fine. If you don’t have a Lionel PowerHouse brick you can use whatever current transformer your using but you’ll need to make up the Molex connector to send power into the PowerMaster

@zhubl posted:

... you can use whatever current transformer your using but you’ll need to make up the Molex connector to send power into the PowerMaster

Or just buy an adapter cable made for this purpose, Lionel 6-12893:

Mike

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

Or just buy an adapter cable made for this purpose, Lionel 6-12893

Mike

That’s true but I wouldn’t spend $20 on that when you only need $2 worth of connector and pins.
granted I’d probably spend $20 worth of other electrical stuff to make shipping worth it but not $20 on the one cord

I have a similar situation in that I have expensive switches that have Legacy hardware built in and I want to control them remotely yet I do not need all that extra hardware to control my engines. In addition to a base such as the $300 Cab 1L, I believe that I will need the $180 6-81325 LCS WIFI MODULE in order to be able to use the tablet remote control of switches. I cannot imagine any circumstance where I will leave my LionChief engines behind and move to the super complex Legacy control. I am 74 years old and I do not want to make my life more complex. My grandchildren are very young and the 2 year old can operate the LionChief. I don't know if she could handle the Legacy controls! Also, we have many guests over and people who have no familiarity with model trains can have a blast with the LionChief controls. So, $480 is just too much for me to justify.
My hope is that there will be an alternate way developed to connect my switches to my tablet. Is there anyone who knows what the "data" terminal in the switch base does? Can that be connected to Wi-Fi?

@zhubl posted:

That’s true but I wouldn’t spend $20 on that when you only need $2 worth of connector and pins.
granted I’d probably spend $20 worth of other electrical stuff to make shipping worth it but not $20 on the one cord

Zachariah,

That's you, and I have no problem with you doing it that way.  I would too.

However, many newbies aren't yet ready to construct cables or harnesses from pieces.  If we make it harder than they can handle they'll surely fail.  We see it here every day.

I'm just proposing another option; in case it's needed.

Mike

@John in California posted:

I have a similar situation in that I have expensive switches that have Legacy hardware built in and I want to control them remotely yet I do not need all that extra hardware to control my engines. In addition to a base such as the $300 Cab 1L, I believe that I will need the $180 6-81325 LCS WIFI MODULE in order to be able to use the tablet remote control of switches. I cannot imagine any circumstance where I will leave my LionChief engines behind and move to the super complex Legacy control. I am 74 years old and I do not want to make my life more complex. My grandchildren are very young and the 2 year old can operate the LionChief. I don't know if she could handle the Legacy controls! Also, we have many guests over and people who have no familiarity with model trains can have a blast with the LionChief controls. So, $480 is just too much for me to justify.
My hope is that there will be an alternate way developed to connect my switches to my tablet. Is there anyone who knows what the "data" terminal in the switch base does? Can that be connected to Wi-Fi?

If you want to control your TMCC switches using a tablet, you're looking at the LCS system, so that does indeed require a TMCC/Legacy command base and the WiFi module.  There is no other way I'm aware of to use the TMCC switches, they require a a TMCC or Legacy command base.  Without a command base, you will not be controlling the TMCC switches.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

If you want to control your TMCC switches using a tablet, you're looking at the LCS system, so that does indeed require a TMCC/Legacy command base and the WiFi module.  There is no other way I'm aware of to use the TMCC switches, they require a a TMCC or Legacy command base.  Without a command base, you will not be controlling the TMCC switches.

Not a tablet or phone, but if you had just 4 command switches on your layout, could you use one of your 4-channel universal remote receivers and connect all 4 switches to it and then remotely control each switch with a wireless key fob ? 

You could do something with RF remotes, that's true.  The 4-channel Relay model has SPST/NO contacts, so you'd have to use two channels for one switch, so you only get two on one remote pair.