Lionel is demoing their new iPad app at York today. It is more focused on Yard control vs controlling the engine, although there will be some engine controls on the iPad interface
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Spent some time at the show watching today and I really love the app. Yes, it is more focused on yard control, but it has a really neat "jog" feature which allows you to quickly and smoothly change directions with a yard loco. This significantly cuts down on the key strokes and brake button work that usually goes with yard switching. The app can throw switches, you can customize the track layout on the screen, etc. This has the potential to be a fun app. Dr. ZW still wants to make some changes to the app, but it is in a very polished form. Would not be surprised to see this in 2013.
It's brilliant. I've wanted to control my trains via computer since I was a kid. This truly is a fantastic, and simple to use program based on what I saw today.
Could this be used as a dispatchers control panel when in a group operating session routing trains and throwing switches? How about playback/record mode? Program a set of train movements. Get Two or more trains running and sit back and watch it all happen. Would need new infra red detection tracks I assume.Great for the single operator.
I find this app from lionel to be disappointing. The fact that it only runs switches and not trains almost seems like a wasted effort. No need for a special tablet for that, could already be done with a laptop or net book. Especially since it uses a cradle. What makes the pad better for this purpose?
The direct wifi interface to legacy base through a wifi to serial adapter is interesting. I'm curious to know how they configured that. I searched for the wifi to serial adapter and all the ones I found were $150. Kind of expensive considering that I bought all the hardware necessary to connect my iPhone to laptop to base for less than $40 and all the software (JMRI) was free.
But then I can't control switches with my software.
Flash it runs trains as well (Basic TMCC), but it not the focus at this time. The cradle is not required it just was something to hold the iPad and is based on the original picture of the Legacy controller system
As it develops you will see more functionality added, but I do not thing it will ever be the complete controller replacement the MTH product is trying to be
My guess is they're still dealing with how to encrypt the Legacy commands so no one can decrypt them by disassembling the software. I would guess they have a Legacy working version already working as the inner workings of the software should be the same whether sending a Legacy or TMCC command.
Ron
But...
Originally Posted by RailfanRon:
My guess is they're still dealing with how to encrypt the Legacy commands so no one can decrypt them by disassembling the software. I would guess they have a Legacy working version already working as the inner workings of the software should be the same whether sending a Legacy or TMCC command.
Ron
The commands are not encrypted. The base is simply locked. To unlock the base you need a KEY. Our external add-ons to the Legacy system have the key. External add-ons include the IR sensor track, the iPad/iPhone apps, computer programs (LSU); etc.
We lock the base so that no unintentional "damage" occurs to the database inside the base. If the base records were accessible, and an errant command wrote to the database, then the locos would malfunction operating with a CAB-2.
I see. Thanks for the informative response. Can I go to the hardware and get a key?
Ron
Over on the 3 rail forum there is a thread with a photo of a cradle or ipad holder with lionel lit up at the bottom between to cab twos. Is this neat ipad holder going to be made by lionel? Looks great and would get one in a heartbeat! Just asking thanks.
the schematic is way to big for my layout, but it can be interesting to use the iPad as control panel for my yard operation as those switch are not control by my CTI anyway. But is this application take care of the route ?
I only look in on the forum periodically but couldn't find anything on this after a search. I'm curious why Lionel programmed an app for Apple products? Iphones only have around 17% of the market, dwarfed by the Android system, and the MAC OS has less than 7% of market share while Windows OS has more than 86%. It seems like an odd business decision.
1) The LCS app is Windows not Mac OS
2) They went with the Apple iPad (It is an iPhone app) app since it was a more common, less scattered OS to work with than the various flavors of Android out there. IOS is still about 46% of the Tablet market share. In the future they may look at an Android app.
