# Will iPad be given an app for DCC?



## jjb727 (Apr 13, 2012)

I've seen that Digitrax was making an iPad app for DCC, but I think that more than Digitrax would be convenient. I feel like Digitrax is aimed towards a more experienced hobbyist because there are way too many buttons on their dcc systems. It should also work like O-scale Lionel vision line products because then you can just load the chip that the loco comes with, providing a quick load if you just want to have some fun with the trains for a little while (especially if you're too lazy to move around with the DCC controller). 

The iPad can do so many things, its ridiculous!


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Digitrax has exactly enough buttons to make it work properly, if it were missing any of the right buttons it wouldn't work very well!:laugh::laugh::laugh:
I let you have the conversation with the kids (mine was 7 when he learned to use the digitrax system) That it's too complicated for them to use.
No it's not a Bachmann EZ DCC system, it's a real DCC system.
How is and ipad going to make the DCC system easier to use????
You can already use a PR3, JMRI and a PC to interact with the DCC system, and the software to do this, JMRI, is free.


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## jjb727 (Apr 13, 2012)

NIMT said:


> Digitrax has exactly enough buttons to make it work properly, if it were missing any of the right buttons it wouldn't work very well!:laugh::laugh::laugh:
> I let you have the conversation with the kids (mine was 7 when he learned to use the digitrax system) That it's too complicated for them to use.
> No it's not a Bachmann EZ DCC system, it's a real DCC system.
> How is and ipad going to make the DCC system easier to use????
> You can already use a PR3, JMRI and a PC to interact with the DCC system, and the software to do this, JMRI, is free.


Well, the keys would say more than just "F1, F2" and so on. Like the Lionel Legacy system, it would either have easy to understand icons or buttons with full description w/out having to memorize the entire instruction manual.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Awww The F keys...or function keys.
The reason they are called "F" keys instead of "head light, marker light, number board" is because they are programmable to each decoder differently.
It's really simple if you don't over complicate it.
JMRI will let you name the function keys in it so you know what they are.


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## jjb727 (Apr 13, 2012)

With O-scale, you'll always know what the keys are (or at least most of the time) because they are in icons as opposed to F keys. I want to play with the trains, not memorize a list of functions.


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## [email protected] (Jan 30, 2012)

I have the small Digitraxx throttle. I need four buttons and the directional swith. I have no idea what the other buttons do. 

More proof that is was designed by children: "There's no POWER switch!"

You have to pull the battery to turn the thing off. CLEARLY, no technicians were involved in its engineering...


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## xrunner (Jul 29, 2011)

NIMT said:


> It's really simple if you don't over complicate it.


I just want to speak into a microphone and have the system do what I command.


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## jjb727 (Apr 13, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> I have the small Digitraxx throttle. I need four buttons and the directional swith. I have no idea what the other buttons do.
> 
> More proof that is was designed by children: "There's no POWER switch!"
> 
> You have to pull the battery to turn the thing off. CLEARLY, no technicians were involved in its engineering...


more reason to stay away from it. Who the hell builds a dcc system and not implement the MOST BASIC button on a controller: THE POWER BUTTON!?


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## jjb727 (Apr 13, 2012)

xrunner said:


> I just want to speak into a microphone and have the system do what I command.


this guy gets my vote!


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

jjb727 said:


> more reason to stay away from it. Who the hell builds a dcc system and not implement the MOST BASIC button on a controller: THE POWER BUTTON!?


At least in the case of my Lionel TMCC system, the remote "goes to sleep" after a certain period of time and doesn't turn on until you push a button to wake it up. I've had the same batteries in it for over a year now and they still test good.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

If you turn off the system power the controller turns off!


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## [email protected] (Jan 30, 2012)

Mine is a radio control unit thing.


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## manchesterjim (Dec 30, 2011)

jjb727 said:


> I've seen that Digitrax was making an iPad app for DCC, but I think that more than Digitrax would be convenient. I feel like Digitrax is aimed towards a more experienced hobbyist because there are way too many buttons on their dcc systems. It should also work like O-scale Lionel vision line products because then you can just load the chip that the loco comes with, providing a quick load if you just want to have some fun with the trains for a little while (especially if you're too lazy to move around with the DCC controller).
> 
> The iPad can do so many things, its ridiculous!


hwell: Well first of all....why iPAD? Use a Droid man!!....none the less, there are already apps for both Android and the supremely inferior iPAD that work under JMRI. With those apps, you can select the number of function keys you want to appear on the throttles. 



jjb727 said:


> more reason to stay away from it. Who the hell builds a dcc system and not implement the MOST BASIC button on a controller: THE POWER BUTTON!?


There IS a power button(s) on the Digitrax hand held controllers - hit the following sequence: Power (then) -(minus key) (then) Enter. TADDAAA...power is removed from the track. you can kill the entire system from the switch on the booster OR....like some of us geeks, put a switched power strip ahead of everything on the layout and just switch that off at the end of your sessions!  

.....Just my two cents!
Jim


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## jjb727 (Apr 13, 2012)

manchesterjim said:


> There IS a power button(s) on the Digitrax hand held controllers - hit the following sequence: Power (then) -(minus key) (then) Enter. TADDAAA...power is removed from the track. you can kill the entire system from the switch on the booster OR....like some of us geeks, put a switched power strip ahead of everything on the layout and just switch that off at the end of your sessions!
> 
> .....Just my two cents!
> Jim



lol? Who wants to press more than one button just to turn off the system?


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## jjb727 (Apr 13, 2012)

And I said iPad because sometimes I want to use that since i'm already on it when I come home to relax.


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

It's not like the more advanced systems make you use all those extra buttons, most systems are designed the same as the entry levels.

Power on, select engine address (or program), turn on functions which dictate lighting and sound (1 and 2 are standard for bell and horn for sound systems, and front and rear lights for non if no rule 17 lighting is used), turn up steps or throttle, watch train go. It's that simple and no need to mess with the other functions if all you want to do is run trains.

I can understand the need for an off switch on a DCC controller for either the track or the handheld depending on situation but to install a power switch for the handheld thats not hard at all.

So with that I can both say it would be nice to have a good solid app like described but not really needed. It would be nice if it was all touch and crisp and responsive to a higher degree but for me that's because I use a Dynamis handheld which since I need to upgrade looking at Digitrax or NCE makes me not like the controllers, not because they are worse per say just no real digital screen that can show you things like if you are in consist, type of engine, which functions are on, and a load of other things. I would much rather see a DCC system from either Digitrax or NCE come out with a nicer version of the Dynamis/ESU that featured things like color and tough but actually worked well with the system unlike some apps.


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## jjb727 (Apr 13, 2012)

gc53dfgc said:


> It's not like the more advanced systems make you use all those extra buttons, most systems are designed the same as the entry levels.
> 
> Power on, select engine address (or program), turn on functions which dictate lighting and sound (1 and 2 are standard for bell and horn for sound systems, and front and rear lights for non if no rule 17 lighting is used), turn up steps or throttle, watch train go. It's that simple and no need to mess with the other functions if all you want to do is run trains.
> 
> ...


Well that I do agree with. Other things they could do is to make decoders that allow for downloadable content so you can add more features later on as opposed to having to buy a whole new separate decoder.


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

They make sound decoders that way, you can't really do that with a DCC only one though. For the sound ones you get things like a PR3 or the NCE version of Digitrax's to hook up to a PC and download sound schemes that can be written over and over again. This is available for some of the lower end decoders and the higher end like QSI, I believe Soundtraxx makes there decoders for prototype only without the option of sound files or at least the last time I checked.


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