DCS Wifi Interface

pdxtrains posted:

So, I've been reading posts where users are having difficulty communicating with the Wifi/TIU units.

I have a question for the DCS gurus: I have the Explorer/phone app, and have had no difficulty connecting through the MTH setting (not internet.) Does the Wifi unit also give me an MTH setting, or must I connect it to my own router? If the former, since I am experiencing good connection with the Explor, might one think I would have no trouble with the full Wifi / TIU hookup using the same app?

Both devices have the switch for MTH/Home.

The app has no effect on your connection or ability to stay connected - that's all on your controller(phone/tablet) side.

But since the Explorer and the WIU are different hardware - there might be some minor differences, technically - but not in performance...at least not that we know of!

Using a router is probably only for bigger setups - or when you might encounter range problems.

The DCS Explorer and the WIU/TIU combination have the same ability to connect either in MTH or Home mode. If the DCS Explorer in MTH mode works well for you, so should the WIU/TIU combination.

Barry,

Where is your latest schematic for using the TIU, WIU, and Lionel Legacy Base together?  I don't see it in Volume 3. BTW, thanks for all you do to allow us to successfully use these (very complicated) remote control systems.

Bruce

Bruce,

Where is your latest schematic for using the TIU, WIU, and Lionel Legacy Base together?  

To my great embarrassment, it was inadvertently left out of the 1st edition and will be included in the 2nd edition, later this year.

In the mean time, I've made it available as a free pdf download here.

Two points to make here.

First, the "router" portion of the WIU and Explorer are identical.  Literally, they are the same IC chip and firmware.  Performance between the two should be identical.  And, just to confirm, both have MTH and HOME network modes.  Also known as AP or Client/Station mode for you techies.

Second, with the addition of the Explorer app, changes were required in order for the app to identify the Explorer vs. WIU.  These changes, along with some other minor older issues conspired to create some finicky connection issues (errors reported that didn't really exist, etc.)  The latest version of the app cleans this up and I find it incredibly stable now. 

Every time I walk out to our test layout to mess with anything, it just works.  I think the overall connection issues, or appearance of them, is resolved with the latest release of the app(s) ver 3.0.2.

Barry,

I don't see the MTH WIU in that PDF document. (I do see the schematic with the Lionel WiFi module instead.)

Bruce

Bruce,

I don't see the MTH WIU in that PDF document. (I do see the schematic with the Lionel WiFi module instead.)

Just connect the WIU as descried in the book, either via the USB port on a Rev. L TIU or using a 9-pin serial Y cable (1 male port and  2 female ports) if using the TIU's serial port.

This Y cable, available at Amazon, works well.

Is the attached diagram correct?

Bruce,

Is the attached diagram correct?

Yes, as long as "Legacy" is the SER2 module.

Barry,

This is where i get a bit confused. I wasn't planning on using the Lionel WiFi or the LCS system. Why can't the 10-1032 cable be plugged directly into the Legacy Base data port? (All my switches and accessories are hardwired to central manually controlled switch panel.)

My goal is to just control the engines using only the MTH app without using the CAB-2 or Lionel's own Smartphone/ipad app. 

Bruce

Bruce,

Why can't the 1050-1032 cable be plugged directly into the Legacy Base data port?

You can do that, except that then your Legacy engines won't work properly if configured as Legacy engines. You won't be able to use their Legacy commands, including movement forward or reverse. Legacy speed control commands are different from TMCC speed commands. This is due to a limitation of the Legacy base, not something that MTH did or didn't do.

The issue is that the Legacy base was never intended to accept Legacy commands via its serial port. The only engine commands that the Legacy base's serial port can accept are TMCC commands. This was never a problem when using a DCS Remote because the DCS Remote configured Legacy engines as TMCC engines and could therefore control Legacy engines using only TMCC commands.

You could use the DCS App the same way if you configure your Legacy engines in the DCS App as TMCC engines. However, then you couldn't run them using their Legacy-only commands, including things like the quillable whistle or horn.

The solution is to use a Lionel SER2 to which to connect the TIU. Then, you can connect the SER2 directly to the Legacy base's serial port and everything works. You'll need only the SER2 module and the special cable, inanition to the MTH #50-1032 cable. You won't need the more expensive LCS module.

Barry,

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation. I would have never figured that out on my own!

Suggest you add that schematic drawing (WIU-TIU-SER2-Legacy) to one of your pubs for others who may be DCS-Legacy-challenged.

Bruce

Barry,

Wanted to let you know that I was 100% successful using the SER2 module. Operating Lionel using the MTH DCS App on my IPAD is such a huge improvement over using the CAB2. I can now seamlessly control my Lionel and MTH engines using the Ipad, especially being able to use the unique Legacy features.

Attached is my schematic. Again, thanks for your help and expertise.

Bruce