Bluetooth on/off switch on Legacy Engines

Originally there was no switch and the issue was if you were running witch TMCC or LEGACY at a show or at a club someone could "highjack" your engine via Bluetooth.  Bluetooth feeds serial data straight into the RCMC or the new boards and will you will have a battle between Bluetooth commands and LEGACY commands.

For at home in your case there's no need to unplug the LEGACY base just leave Bluetooth on and operate the locomotive that way when you want to.

Didn't know there was a switch.  Will have to go back and look at all my locomotives now.  But if they have them, they have been on the whole time and have had no issues.  BTW, I don't use my phone to run my trains so if I can turn that radio off, I will.

RE Zhubl ... "Originally there was no switch and the issue was if you were running with TMCC or LEGACY at a show or at a club someone could "highjack" your engine via Bluetooth.  Bluetooth feeds serial data straight into the RCMC or the new boards and will you will have a battle between Bluetooth commands and LEGACY commands.  "

I did not know that Bluetooth control could "highjack" an engine when the engine was under Legacy Control and the Bluetooth switch is "ON".

So, I just tried that.  With Bluetooth switch "ON" on the locomotive, I just fired up a Legacy engine in Legacy Command control and let it sit at idle.  Then I turned on my Lionel Universal Remote and pressed one of the three Engine Selection buttons and held the button in and, sure enough, the Universal Remote 'connected' to my Legacy engine even though the engine had been started up in Legacy.  I then was able to control the Legacy engine via the Universal Remote ... horn, bell, dialog, forward/reverse ... or the Legacy Remote Control.  So, now I know at least one reason to set the Bluetooth "on/off" switch to "off".  As Zhubl said, for my home use, there is no need to unplug the LEGACY base just leave Bluetooth on and operate the locomotive that way when I want to.

Regards,

Tom

Putting this here on this dead thread, since it seems in line with, though not the same with my question. What could I expect on start up and shut down when using Bluetooth and Legacy on a Legacy Camelback. That is to say, when I turn on track power, will it sit dark if it detects the legacy control system?

If I run it on Bluetooth app, once I disconnect will it go dark or stay on like it does on a track with just AC power?

Does it be programmed or not to the legacy remote affect the behavior with regards to the questions above?

Thanks in advance for any responses..

Bluetooth on legacy is like an extra layer and the main layer is the TMCC/LEGACY signal. The locomotive will stay silent with that signal present and without that signal it assumes conventional operation and will start sounds and sit idle in neutral until a power cycle or it receives a command.

with this in mind on a layout with no command control a LEGACY locomotive will start sounds and wait for a power cycle to move. Once you complete connect the locomotive to whatever Bluetooth device you’re using you’ll get one whistle blast and now the Bluetooth module injects commands into the board where the TMCC/LEGACY radio receiver would. When you disconnect you’ll get another whistle blast when you disconnect but sounds and smoke will stay on, currently there is no start up or shutdown commands available via Bluetooth from the app or the universal remote.

Hope that helped and made some sense.

So that answers patt of the question, and is what I was hoping to hear, so thank you.

So now assuming the legacy system is active, I power up the track and the loco sits dark, I then connect via bluetooth which would turn on the sounds and smoke if the switch is on and its on in the app. Now does anyone know what happens if I then disconnect via the app?

Keeping in mind the legacy control system is still active, what I am hoping is it will go dark.

@JiDi posted:

So now assuming the legacy system is active, I power up the track and the loco sits dark, I then connect via bluetooth which would turn on the sounds and smoke if the switch is on and its on in the app. Now does anyone know what happens if I then disconnect via the app?

Keeping in mind the legacy control system is still active, what I am hoping is it will go dark.

No, there is no shutdown command in Bluetooth. So if you wake up a sleeping engine from TMCC Legacy mode- merely connecting does that, again you have no shutdown command so it stays on unless track power is cycled and it boots back up silent because it sees a TMCC/Legacy signal.

The same thing was said earlier- edited to be concise.

@zhubl posted:

Once you complete connect the locomotive to whatever Bluetooth device you’re using you’ll get one whistle blast and now the Bluetooth module injects commands into the board. When you disconnect you’ll get another whistle blast when you disconnect but sounds and smoke will stay on, currently there is no start up or shutdown commands available via Bluetooth from the app or the universal remote.

Well Mr. "This was said earlier" and Im going to bold it. That statement  prefaced with the fact that it was a layout with no command and control. And I never asked if there was a shutdown for Bluetooth. I never used those words "shutting it down."

I wanted to know if it would go dark once I disconnected Bluetooth assuming legacy was still connected to the track or on the system. I don't have a legacy system, so I'm not familiar with that system. And when it was said above before it was prefaced with "with this in mind on a layout with no command control ......."

So then, I disconnect the Bluetooth. It's making sounds sitting there running, I would then have to do a startup then a shut down with legacy remote to get it to go dark. Would that work or is a power cycle the only way?

Has someone actually tested this in their layout?

There's no shutdown using BT, that's one of the significant omissions.  Hopefully, the CAB3 app will correct that deficiency.

Yep, got that part thanks

@JiDi posted:

I never asked if there was a shutdown for Bluetooth. I never used those words shutting it down. I wanted to know if it would go dark once I disconnected Bluetooth assuming legacy was still connected to the track or on the system. I don't have a legacy system, so I'm not familiar with that system. And when it was said above before it was prefaced with "with this in mind on a layout with no command control ......."

So then, I disconnect the Bluetooth. It's making sounds sitting there running, I would then have to do a startup then a shut down with legacy remote to get it to go dark. Would that work or is a power cycle the only way?

Has someone actually tested this in their layout?

Gonna try and answer your question........

I have a Cab-1L system connected to my layout. When I turn on power with a Legacy/BT engine on the track, it's dark. The LC app will wake it up when connected, when I shutdown/ disconnect the engine from the app, it sits there still idling and running. I don't run smoke so I can't say what happens but I'd assume it will still run.

A power cycle shuts the engine down, when power is reapplied, it's still dark.

The Cab-1L system will wake and shutdown the engine without cycling power. As a practice, I don't leave engines on powered track when not running (all my sidings have power switches).
I didn't test to see what happens when connected with BT and then send a start up command from the Cab-1L. I believe the Legacy system will override the BT and take control though.

Coincidentally, I was testing some track yesterday with just a CW-80 for track power. The same engine started in conventional when power was applied and then switched to BT control when I connected it through the app. Didn't do the same shutdown test so I can't say what happens in a non-Legacy environment.

An added comment on the LC app- it will only run one engine at a time, the LC universal remote will run up to 3 simultaneously.

Here's the engine used for the test
http://www.lionel.com/products...sw1200-9020-2233240/

Bob

@JiDi posted:

…

So then, I disconnect the Bluetooth. It's making sounds sitting there running, I would then have to do a startup then a shut down with legacy remote to get it to go dark. Would that work or is a power cycle the only way?

Has someone actually tested this in their layout?

If in a command environment a simple shutdown command will make it go dark after the Bluetooth is disconnected. (As stated your unable to send that command via Bluetooth)

this is a older video really on UR but at 3:47 we are connecting two legacy locomotives in a non-command environment

@zhubl posted:

If in a command environment a simple shutdown command will make it go dark after the Bluetooth is disconnected. (As stated your unable to send that command via Bluetooth)

If you're in a command environment, why are you screwing around with BT anyway?

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

If you're in a command environment, why are you screwing around with BT anyway?

Cause it's there?????

It was convenient to be able to just open the app and run an engine without other hardware when I was doing my track testing yesterday.

On the layout I don't use it.

@RSJB18 posted:

Gonna try and answer your question........

I have a Cab-1L system connected to my layout. When I turn on power with a Legacy/BT engine on the track, it's dark. The LC app will wake it up when connected, when I shutdown/ disconnect the engine from the app, it sits there still idling and running. I don't run smoke so I can't say what happens but I'd assume it will still run.

A power cycle shuts the engine down, when power is reapplied, it's still dark.

The Cab-1L system will wake and shutdown the engine without cycling power. As a practice, I don't leave engines on powered track when not running (all my sidings have power switches).
I didn't test to see what happens when connected with BT and then send a start up command from the Cab-1L. I believe the Legacy system will override the BT and take control though.

Coincidentally, I was testing some track yesterday with just a CW-80 for track power. The same engine started in conventional when power was applied and then switched to BT control when I connected it through the app. Didn't do the same shutdown test so I can't say what happens in a non-Legacy environment.

An added comment on the LC app- it will only run one engine at a time, the LC universal remote will run up to 3 simultaneously.

Here's the engine used for the test
http://www.lionel.com/products...sw1200-9020-2233240/

Bob

Thank you Bob, I appreciate you!

@zhubl posted:

If in a command environment a simple shutdown command will make it go dark after the Bluetooth is disconnected. (As stated your unable to send that command via Bluetooth)

this is a older video really on UR but at 3:47 we are connecting two legacy locomotives in a non-command environment

Thank you very for the info, I appreciate you!

Thanks to all for your contributions.