remote control

[slam72]

Has anyone here had experiences with remote control of HO locos? Anyone ever used Aristocraft or Rail Lynx? Both are wireless constant track voltage systems one uses fm radio and the other uses infrared signals.

Thanks, Matt

[retsignalmtr]

Isn't that what DCC does?

[Hamltnblue]

Welcome to the forums Slam

"remote" control of loco's is pretty common these days. It can be done with both DC and DCC but the later is most common. The 2 brands you noted don't ring a bell.  I suspect they're from Europe, Australia, or New Zealand, etc.

[jrbernier]

Matt,

  I assume you are looking for a 'wireless' DC control solution.  Rail Lynx has been around for quite a while and is an IR solution.  The operating system I saw some time ago has IR receivers that had to be installed in the engines($40-80 each).  The operation was basically good, but at times you had to be close or point you throttle at the engine.

Aristocraft has or had two flavors of their system.  The first one is a wireless throttle that transmits to a receiver/power pack.  This is hooked up to the track like normal DC block control.  The second system uses receivers that get commands from the handheld throttle(constant voltage on the rails).  You will need to buy the receivers for your engines.  A friend has the first system for running his G scale track above his HO layout.  It works quite well.  You might want to talk with Sheldon who hangs around here on the forums.  He has a large HO railroad that used what I believe are the first variation.  There is no need for receivers,  Sheldon has an automated block control system that aligns the DC blocks ahead of the train.

   Now if you are not going to design/build the automated block control, you will be looking at a system that is wireless and has receives/decoders in each engine.  If you are looking at the DC solution, I would look at Aristocraft as you are not limited to line of sight signals.  The IR signal can 'bounce off' the walls/white ceiling, but has the same issues that your TV remote control has.

  DCC is another constant voltage/signal on the rail system, but is not compatible with either of the above systems.  DCC packets are sent from the throttle to the DCC command station and then over the rails to your engine.  You will need a DCC 'decoder' installed in you engine.  DCC decoders cost anywhere from about $15 to over $100 depending if you want sound or lots of features.  The advantage of DCC is that it is a common standard that any manufacturer can use as long as they comply by the basic rules,  I have a system made by one manufacturer, and decoders made by at least 5 or 6 other vendors.

Jim

 

[rrinker]

 We had Rail Lynx at the club I used to belogn to. ABsolutely worthless on hidden track, even though we installed the repeaters. If you put the sensors int he cab of the loco so as not to have to drill a hole int he roof, control was fairly poor. On open track with the sensor in the center of say a rooftop fan, it worked pretty good - until you went into a tunnel or entered hidden trackage. Or got too far from your loco. IR is just too picky about the environment - as a counterpoint a friend of mine has a single Digitrax UR90 IR receiver up high in the backdrop of his room-size N scale layout, and also has a farily low drop ceiline of bright white ceiling tiles. So long as you don't point the throttle straight down at the floor, it works anywhere in the room.

 The Aristo system is RF and so isn;t line of sight. There are systems for on-board control for large scale as well as fixed receivers for connecting to your preferred form of DC block control for smaller scales where the receivers cannot fit inside the locos. If you are committed to sticking with DC, the Aristo system is probbaly more practical, although supposedly the Raillynx can coexist with DCC - using the always on track power of DCC to power the receiver that is under the control of the Raillyx transmitter. But at lst check the Raillynx receivers cost more than a DCC decoder, and they do not yet have onboard synchronized sound. If you want to get into sound, DCC is currently the best way to go about it.

                            --Randy