Control MTH Trains via WiFi from your Computer

Amazing stuff, pretty cool!

I have not looked at this program in a long time. There are some great things about it.

I found it useful when having problems. It would show the engine's address assigned to the board for example, if I remember right?

It would control the engines well when the MTH system had bugs creating headaches.

I have it on an old computer and never updated it or got a new computer in the train room to use it with.

I really should get back to using it. Thank you for this!

Ten years ago, RTC started controlling trains over a phone cord plugged into the Remote jack of the original TIU. Later, it moved to a 900 Mhz radio on a small board connected to the PC via a USB connection. Now it has moved to a WiFi connection that does not require any external hardware or cables.

Once you get the WTIU or WIU/TIU connected up on your WiFi network or you let your WTIU create a network on its own, RTC will find all of your TIU and create WiFi connections to them. Pressing the [Read] button on the main screen will locate all of the engines on all of the TIUs.

Let me tell you a little about how the RTC program (and the App for that matter) finds the TIUs. There is a special Ethernet protocol called mDNS. This protocol lets devices like computers, printers and WTIUs locate other devices on the router. The program transmits an mDNS request over the WiFi asking all of the WTIU to respond. RTC (and the App) waits for responses. Once all of the WTIU respond, the program asks each one to report on which TIU number is it and on how many AIU are connected.

But there is a catch. The mDNS communications over Ethernet (WiFi or wired) is not what is called a "reliable" connection. This means that not all WTIU are guaranteed to respond. Maybe they will or maybe they won't. Maybe they won't even get the original request.

RTC gets around this by requiring you to specify the active TIU on your layout. RTC then checks the responses to the mDNS request to make sure that all of the TIU have responded. If they haven't, RTC warns you about it and lets you send the mDNS request again.

More to follow...

I have been using RTC for a couple of years now and for me its AWESOME. Mark has simplified MTH system for commands to the TIU,s. Before we had to build a remote but now its WIFI. I have 3 TIU,s with 9 AIU,s.  With the 3 TIU,s I have 9 different zones, with RTC it will control my trains and switches on one screen. It takes a little bit to set up but that's only for the first time. I have not  use the app. for a long time. Mark has covered everything that I use and more. I do still use my remote on my programming track only. sorry for the hard to see photos.

Below are the screens that i use the most.

I am using a windows laptop with 2 15.6 screnes

Here we show engine list,lashup list and routes/scene list on one screen

Here I am running 2 engines, on the right is the engine rooster,routes,lashups

below shows you can run up to 10 engines with basic commands with the routes shown to the right also shown is the engine rooster with lashup engines.

Really cool, I fired it up and after some tinkering I got it running.  One question.  I couldn't figure out how to add an engine.  However, when I added one to one of my DCS remotes, it then showed up.  I'm obviously missing something, just not sure what.

Where is it getting all the engines it's showing up on the tracks, I just installed it?

The [Read] button should read up all engines on your powered tracks - except factory reset engines.

Use the dropdown menu on the [Read] button to select "Add Factory Reset Engine" to do that.

Or were you doing something else?

I think that's it Mark.  My confusion is it is busy scanning what seems to be a random assortment of addresses looking for engines.  Is it really reading all of them but the refresh rate just isn't showing some of them?  I guess the scan is how the application finds all the things that it can run?  What happens if in a running session you want to add a new engine to the mix?  Do you have to do the scan and wait for it to step through all the addresses again?

Hmm...  A new issue popped up.  Now when I connect, I get this error flashing up when I attempt to do a read.  It just pops up briefly and then goes away.

Everything looks fine, and I'm connected to the WIU & TIU as before.

I can also start up a different engine by clicking on Quick Controls and starting it.

However, when I try to start #22 which seems to think it's there, I get this.

John there is another way to add an engine to the engine list. If you know the address you can go to the engine list and then right click on the number, that will show info on that address then just add the name of the engine that you want. You have to do this on the main screen it will not do it on the popup list. Also I would put all of your MTH PS2/PS3 on the track and just do a read then its done.

Henry

One of the things that RTC can do after start up is ring the bell and blow the horn automatically when you start to move and when ever you stop

@c6usa posted:

John there is another way to add an engine to the rooster. If you know the address you can go to the rooster list and then right click on the number, that will show info on that address then just add the name of the engine that you want. You have to do this on the main screen it will not do it on the popup list. Also I would put all of your MTH PS2/PS3 on the track and just do a read then its done.

Well, I have probably 30 or so PS2/3 engines, so I don't think that's practical.  I did actually discover going to an engine number and firing it up by accident.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, I have probably 30 or so PS2/3 engines, so I don't think that's practical.  I did actually discover going to an engine number and firing it up by accident.

John

RTC can hold up to 97 or so engines. I have 72 engines programed in to 3 tiu's. When they are not powered up it will just show that they are inactive. If you right click any where in the engine list you can open up popout list that will show about 25 insted of 4. Its awesome. When I first started to use RTC it took me about 6 months to find all of the goodies within the program that I use and I know there a lot more within.

Henry

@c6usa posted:

When I first started to use RTC it took me about 6 months to find all of the goodies within the program that I use and I know there a lot more within.

On that point we can certainly agree.  This is an amazing effort, and I'm sure there's lots more to find.  The master stroke was to connect it directly to the WiFi, that opened it up so virtually anyone that has a WIU or the WTIU can try it!  I looked at it before, but not wanting to build the interface, I never really got to use it.

I think I've figured out some of the stuff already.  I do like that pop-out engine list, I hadn't found that yet.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I think I've figured out some of the stuff already.  I do like that pop-out engine list, I hadn't found that yet.

From the main screen move the cursor to the engine list. Select an engine then right click from there it should be at the top. I have found that Mark has alot of info just by right clicking on different screens.

Kudos to Mark.  Nice job.  Yesterday I fiddled around with RTC for the first time.  It's pretty cool!

Here is a screen shot of me controlling 2 engines on 1 screen with RTC. If I were using the app. on my tablet it would take 10 different screens to cover all that is shown with RTC. I have the E-stop hidden in set-up. If you click on image in the box at the bottom it will be clear.

@c6usa posted:

Here is a screen shot of me controlling 2 engines on 1 screen with RTC. If I were using the app. on my tablet it would take 10 different screens to cover all that is shown with RTC. I have the E-stop hidden in set-up. If you click on image in the box at the bottom it will be clear.

Using the quick display would pack even more onto the screen and you get most of the common operating controls.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Using the quick display would pack even more onto the screen and you get most of the common operating controls.

I have run 9 engines with quick controls and that was a handful. I can't  imagine doing that on the tablet and trying to control all of them. I posted that in a video a couple years ago.  I was in the app. today just to see how many different screens it would take. Its been along time since I have run any trains with my tablet or remote. I do use the remote on my programming track only.