s164.com - focused on 3/16" (1:64) scale modeling

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Using iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android devices as Wireless Cabs on DCC

Over the last few months I've received a number of inquiries regarding the use of the almost ubiquitous Apple iPhone's, Apple iPod Touch's, Android phones and Android MP3 players as wireless cabs on a NMRA DCC system. Some model railroaders are interested in supporting these in addition to a DCC manufacturer-produced wireless cab system they already have installed to provide support for additional cabs and/or supporting visiting cabs. Other model railroaders do not yet have wireless cabs for their DCC system, and are considering this approach as an alternative to DCC  manufacturer-produced wireless cabs.

So to assist others with understanding this option, we're developing a white paper on this area. As we prepare the white paper we'll be posting pieces of it here as blog entries, and invite readers to share questions, comments, and experiences in this area. Wherever possible we'll try to incorporate the reader input into forthcoming white paper wherever it will strengthen the white paper.

Right now the basic structure of the white paper will be:
  • Overview of Need and Solution options
  • Solution components  - what are the components needed, what role does each component perform in the solution, why is it required, how it connects to other components
  • Pros & cons of this solution
  • General solution configuration information
  • Solution elements - products, models, where to obtain, and general pricing
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
After the core of the white paper, we'll include a number of appendices specific to a number of major manufacturers' systems. At the moment, we are only planning to include appendices on systems where we have access to the actual manufacturer system and are able to actually configure and test the solution. Right now we have these appendices in our plans:
  • Appendix A: Solutions for Lenz DCC
  • Appendix B: Solutions for Digitrax DCC
  • Appendix C: Solutions for NCE DCC
  • Appendix D: Solutions for ESU DCC
Just as it is important to specify what will be covered, it is also important to be clear about what will NOT be covered in the white paper. This white paper (and related blog entries) will NOT cover any of these topics:
  • DCC manufacturer-produced wireless cab systems/solutions/products
  • Interoperability of DCC manufacturer-provided wireless cab systems
as they are already and/or better covered in existing materials from the manufacturers, various book authors, and/or numerous Internet forums.  Readers who are interested in detailed information on the DCC manufacturer provided wireless cab systems should consult the various sources of information already available.

If you have specific questions, comments, etc., please don't hesitate to let us know.

Our plan is to complete Version 1 of the white paper by July 2013.

Regards.

PS To modelers reading this that model in scales other than S -- the solutions here should work equally as well in any scale where NMRA DCC compatible systems are in use.


Share:

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Featured Post

MotorMax 1:64 Dioramas

These came out a while ago, but over the last week, I have run across two variations of this products that I had not seen before -- Bustling...

About

An active modeler in 1:64 scale (S scale) since 1998 and a relatively new On30 modeler, Michael's primary interests are in model railroading, structure modeling and control systems for model railroading. Michael is a life member of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA), a member of the National Association of S Gaugers (NASG) and the Bristol S Gauge Railroaders.

Michael and his wife Deane Louise co-own Pine Canyon Scale Models, a manufacturer of S Scale and O scale structures.

Michael is a past chair of the NMRA's Digital Command Control (DCC) Working Group and was a contributor to the NMRA's DCC Standards activities. Michael continues to play an active role in the use of NMRA DCC in S Scale model railroading.

Michael previously served as the NASG National Secretary and Librarian for the NASG's Russell M. Mobley Memorial Library.

Followers

Recent Posts

Unordered List

Pages

Theme Support