With the AR-1 you keep the direct connectivity to your throttle so you can also keep an eye on the functionality of the units. I still have yet to put together a layout and after some tours I am thinking about provisions for continuous running for a point-to-point operation. Right now my son is three (four in a couple weeks) and he likes seeing trains also So I need to get started.
Thanks guys,
Kevin
Kevin - I don't have a need for an auto-reverser on the current layout I have, but my Railpro power supply has one built in. I'm using the old PWR-75. The newer PWR-56 does not have an auto-reverser built in, so if you need that functionality you will need the AR-1. The PWR-56 is much less expensive, and with multiple units powering a larger layout they provide more power than an equivalent number of PWR-75's.
I'm not positive, but I believe Frog Juicers are DCC only. Railpro is filtered DC.
For powering frogs, I've used the distinctly low-tech solution of DPDT switches to control the polarity of the frog. Not ideal, and not something I will do for a future layout.
-Kevin
Sorry, Kevin, I don't have any auto-reversers. The Ring Engineering AR-1 is for DC, not DCC or AC. Ring says that it is designed for RailPro products only, but DC is DC (no pun intended), and I don't see why it wouldn't work with any well regulated DC power supply, 16V or less, with good over current protection.
DC
http://uphonation.com
DC, K-Pack, and others who are using RailPro. What are you using for auto-reverser's on your layouts? do you use the Ring Engineering units, Frog Juicers, or others?
thank you in advance,
Definitely HO scale. Sue Line is Dr Richard Kamm I believe. It's been in MR, and he's long been associated with Keith Gutierrez in being one of the test railroads fro his pre-DCC command control systems. Looks like his primary control system is Easy-DCC, with what appears to be a Loconet bus for signalling (since he is using RR-CirKits Tower Controllers).
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Very deceiving angle with those guys walking around on the left, but obviously it is HO. Here's what Tim Ring said about the video:
"That is the layout in Shreveport LA. It is a HO scale layout. And yes they really like the RailPro consisting. This is a good example of how well it works. The locos are not only different models but also different manufactures too. Basically this is as difficult as consisting gets for a model control systems and they told us it work very well when making the video. The layout is 50 ft x 50 ft (2500 square feet)!!!!! The owner has told us that he wants to convert it completely to RailPro. We do plan to make modules for larger scales."
It's HO scale unless I'm grossly wrong. I believe the Sue Line (a freelanced railroad) is all HO scale. It appears large scale due to the placement of the camera.
Thanks for sharing that video. Slowing, speeding up - impressive, but unless there's a magic camera/lens, or these old eyes deceive, that's a large scale train. I thought 700-800mA might be a little weak for O or G. Wonder if we got a Ring large scale beta test here.
Kevin - yes you can DPU with Railpro, but as Randy stated you better be sure that everything is clean and reliable. Railpro will still load share when doing DPU and from what I've seen it can work well. I haven't done it myself yet, as I currently don't have any layout large enough to warrant it. Here's video made by another Railpro user of DPU in action (hopefully the link works):
http://youtu.be/oB9L1JoAcpU
Randy - you can do battery with Railpro if you want. All Railpro needs is power, and it doesn't care where it comes from. The problem is finding a battery that is small enough to fit in a standard HO hood unit. If you're running steam then you have a bit more room to work with.
That's why you need CLEAN track and reliable feeders. Or the next step after the Ring system - direct radio with on-board batteries so the track doesn't matter.
We run MU and doubleheaded steam on the club layout all the time - but that's all power on the head end. If one stalls, the others justpush it past the dead spot. If it was a pusher on the back, or a mid-train helper, it would indeed be a disaster if the head end suddenly stopped but the rest kept going.
I have never tried that myself, Kevin. I have seen it done, once, at the club with DCC and a very long freight train (>100 cars), but the locos were the same manufacturer, same model. I don't think he made it all the way around the layout without some trouble. It seems like quite a challenge for any control system, even with clean track/wheels, and perfectly running locos. If a train like that bridged 2 adjacent power districts, and something or someone brought down one of those districts, I can imagine quite a mess.
DC I appreciate the input you have provided. Sounds like a Digitraxx where you steal a locomotive. Have you tried running a train with 'Distributed Power Units' or anyone else tried this as a modern day prototypicl practice? I think a video I watched eluded to this and in theory it sounds like it should work as long as the lead locomotives don't have some kind of issue and the following units don't over compensate and shove the cars off the track between the two locomotives. To do it with DCC would require a matched set of locomotives that are speed matched but yet I think the best operation would require multiple operators following their own locomotive around a layout and really watching to make sure they aren't pushing from the rear too fast or not keeping pace which with DCC I think there would be more issues. As I said earlier I have really only had exposure to DCC at the club I am involved with and I believe the two consists we run on the layout have both locomotives in each consist set up to the same address. The one consist ran really rough and the whole train would lurch as they were not speed matched and it was dependent on which locomotive was getting better traction at a given moment.
You are welcome, Kevin. Sorry, it took so long for me to reply.
Any number of HC's can find and control any product. All the HCs can have a picture of the loco, or other Railpro product on them. However, only one HC can control a locomotive/consist or product at one time. If HC A is controlling a loco or consist of locos and HC B touches the picture of the loco or a loco in consist that HC A is controlling then HC A displays "Control Taken Away" and HC B runs the train (picks it up from current speed direction, number of consisted locos etc).
If you put a password in any product and do not share it with any other user, than only you can control the product.
Very good review with lots of details. Helps keep down the opinions from those who do not have the system.
Hope you sent this off to Ring.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Thanks for the update on the RailPro. Glad to hear that the system is still working well for you. One question I haven't seen asked or covered. How does this system work when there are multiple controllers working the same layout at the same time? If one controller is in control of a locomotive(s) can another controller access/steal the locomotive(s) or does the operator in control have to end the session before another operator/controller can access them? I don't plan on a second controller yet for a few years but it would be soon as my three year old isn't going to stay the same age and he likes trains too! Thank you,
No problem, Randy.
I have had so much frustration-free fun, and have been nothing but pleased since I bought into Railpro. I have 8 loco modules installed, and the sytem has been flawless for me. In the five times that I have ran at the SDMRR museum with Railpro, there has been no interference or operational problems, and I can cover the entire layout from anywhere in the layout area. I can still run circles around the DCC guys. Not only due to the mobility I have, but when they are waiting for a total restart to finish (and their re-configuring), I'm up and gone as soon as the DCC basic 15V signal comes back up on the track. I'm getting about 6 hours from a full charge on the battery. So, I usually just recharge the controller, for a little while, during my lunch break at the museum. Then I have no problem getting through a 10-12 hour day there.
I did discover a crack in my screen one day that mysteriously appeared, causing a black spot on the screen. The touch screen still worked, but the spot covered a couple of buttons. I'm not 100% sure if it was my fault and I just wasn't aware, or it was a delayed failure from a manufacture/assembly defect, but I sent it back to Ring. It was returned to me in less than 2 weeks, repaired at no cost to me, except for the shipping to Ring.
The smaller LM2 module is available with or without sound in the same size package. There are additional aux outputs as well. I had no problem installing the LM2 into an old Athearn blue box GP50 and a Bachman S7 switcher - both pretty small locos with little space in them. The small size, load capability and functions contained in such a lightweight radio transceiver still blows my mind.
I have had no problems with Ring's online downloading services. There's new sound and light effects being regularly developed by Ring. Their loco photo/coding procedure just hasn't bothered me at all. Ring has always made my photo available within a couple of days. No big deal.
I've gotten pretty good at operating the controller with one hand. While I was recording video at the museum, there were times when I had Railpro in one hand and camcorder in the other - controlling, moving around and recording at the same time.
I have gathered from communication with Tim Ring that business is good. They still haven't seen the need to spend on advertising much. There seems to be no problem getting new customers from word-of-mouth. Combining that with "made and serviced in the USA", is still all I need to be confident.
Since we opened another old thread from over a year ago - perhaps an update from the OP if he's still around, on how he feels about the system now after having lived with it fro more than a year?
The only thing that is bad about the system is it is proprietary! Train Engineer is what I run now which has the same problem but mine is for DC (no problems though). I have one of their plug and play to DCC plug set ups but have yet to try it as I am still building layout and it can be converted to dead rail which I hope to do.
I had read about RailPro but I only glanced at it. After looking at some reviews and videos I think I am going to give this system some serious thought. The club I am at uses Digitraxx and I really haven't had exposure to Lenz or NCE. I am basically starting and current motive power is running DC so from what I am reading this system is probably easier to set up and get up and running out of the box. I would need the HC-2, some decoders and a power supply but it appears cost wise I will end up spending about the same amount of money either way. The technology just seems so intuitive that I can spend more time enjoying the trains.
SpaceMouse The tender comes with DCC plug. I've been able to get decoders in them. I think I could even set-up a LOK sound decoder with speaker in there. But 2 inches is about all I have in there. And only along the top.
The tender comes with DCC plug. I've been able to get decoders in them. I think I could even set-up a LOK sound decoder with speaker in there. But 2 inches is about all I have in there. And only along the top.
2 inches is enough, even for the sound module (LM-1). The height clearance needs to be 5/16 in, though. 9 pin JST or 8 pin NMRA? The LM-1 has a DCC 9 pin standard socket, but Digitrax has a 9-pin JST to 8-pin NMRA adapter harness that I have used in my P2Ks. One issue is the common (+blue wire) of the 9 pin JST (pin 7 of the 8 pin NMRA) when using this adapter harness. The LM-1 will not drive the old P2K 100mA headlight. Nothing happened to the receiver, cause it has overload protection, but I got an "output 1 short circuit/overload" fault from the receiver when I first hooked it up and tried the light. I had to cut the blue wire in the harness so that it didn't feed pin 7 of the 8 pin DCC socket of the P2K, install a FW rectifier for the rail power, feed that to the P2K board for the Mars light, and install a transistor circuit for the headlight using the rectified rail power. The Mars light is on all the time, and I will address controlling that with the LM-1 sometime. Right now, I'm OK with it being on all the time (having too much fun with the layout right now).
If your locos have LEDs, no problem - piece of cake. It's just those old large, power hungry Tungstens that may require some mods.
I really like all the protections and warnings that RailPro has. Pretty hard to screw one of those LM receivers up...so far.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
Spacemouse: Very sweet babies, Man. Maybe the smaller, non-sound LM-2 will be easier to fit somewhere. Could you tether back to the tender? What about the boiler section? Difficult to get access to?
Being a gadget freak I think these look really cool and it seems I can run it right on top of my Zephyr (or hell maybe even hooked up to a 300W PS from an old computer.) But I run old timey-wimey stuff and that receiver chip would be hard to fit in my babies.
The direction button is located close enough to the upper right hand corner, and there are no other usable objects up there, that I can change direction without looking by locating the corner and pushing down on the screen with the flat top part of my finger - not the tip. It is a little too much of a reach, and I think the upper left corner would be better and faster, though.
dcfixer Here's some email excerpts I received from Tim Ring that might be of interest: *************************************** {snip} As for reversing we admit you need to look at the screen with the current software. It literally only takes half a second to find and press the reverse button. We do believe that in a future software update we will move the reverse button to the upper left corner of the screen. Then you will be able to use the upper left corner to locate the reverse button without looking down. Then you will be able to control speed, direction, and horn with one hand and without looking down. {snip}
Here's some email excerpts I received from Tim Ring that might be of interest:
***************************************
{snip}
As for reversing we admit you need to look at the screen with the current software. It literally only takes half a second to find and press the reverse button. We do believe that in a future software update we will move the reverse button to the upper left corner of the screen. Then you will be able to use the upper left corner to locate the reverse button without looking down. Then you will be able to control speed, direction, and horn with one hand and without looking down.
Now that would address my biggest usability concern. Once I can use the throttle without having to repeatedly look at it to find the buttons I most commonly use, I'd be willing to try it out.
-Fritz Milhaupt, Publications Editor, Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc.http://www.pmhistsoc.org
Another Railpro user here and very satisfied. I've had it for nearly a year now and am thoroughly enjoying it.
Regarding sound installs and 'sound-ready locos', there are a few options that can make things relatively easy. As stated earlier, some Atlas Silver Series locos have the speaker enclosures already installed. Putting sound in them is as simple as measuring the size for the speakers, buying them, and installing. I have to add that out of all the sound installs I've done (which isn't that many) the Atlas sounds the best. The way they designed the shell allows for a very good baffle and can bring a lot of the deeper sounds out.
For hood units (geeps and such) I've found that using Railmaster speakers is pretty straightforward. Their smallest speaker with enclosure has pretty good sound for its size and fits easily, along with th LM-1, in smaller hood units like a GP35. Larger units can fit one of Railmaster's bass reflex speakers, which sound much better due to the larger speaker size and enclosure. On some installs (non-sound ready Atlas) I had to remove some of the weight to allow a reasonable size speaker to fit.
I'm looking forward to when they release PC software to allow us covert our own pics and sounds into Railpro format. Their sound library is good, but releasing that to the community to use would open the door to a huge number of custom sound files. Exciting prospects!
The HC-1 control knob and touchscreen are designed to last a lifetime. Push buttons and click pots that are used on typical DCC throttles are much more likely to fail.
The horn can easily be played without looking down to the screen if the horn button is located in the lower left corner because you can feel the screen edge and operate the button without looking down.
Also, with RailPro button setup, you can make any button in any potion easily with the on board software.
The reason why we change all files to RailPro format before they are loaded to the HC-1 is because existing formats (bmp, jpg, etc.) are not the best for model train control system like RailPro. Further, when the RailPro system uses all RailPro formatted files, you end up with a stable system that does not have compatibility issues and crashes like PCs often do. We currently do not have software that can easily be used by customers to convert files to RailPro format. However, we do plan to make PC software that will allow customers to use and convert their picture and sound files to RailPro format.
*******************************************
So far, Tim as shown that he really listens to customers. Soooooo important these days.
DC,
Thanks for the offer, but I have had no install issue with the 4-8-2, but with finding out who, if anyone, makes an HO diesel model with the RailPro LM-1 already installed, or who can say which locomotives can be so equipped without needing to have the frame milled.
Thanks for the education on "sound Ready", guys. I haven't bought a new loco for many years, and not a DCC user, so I plead ignorance.
Ring Engineering and RC? Well, they have been in business for 8 years. They have had the EOT device for most of that time - selling well, from what I heard. I bought a couple. Very nice. They have quite a large list of authorized dealers, too. I'm not worried about them going belly-up. They are quite excited with the way things are going, and Tim Ring sounds VERY confident about the future of model train control. He's even talking WiFi. I agree...after all, why not? The model airplane/boat/car RC guys have been laughing at us about DCC for years, and having a blast with radio. The RailPro and Ring Engineering potentially have applications in that field, too. Large scale RC is very successful, and Ring Engineering is developing for that. Look at Aristo Craft, G wire, etc. Aristo Craft was even developing their Revolution for HO a few years ago. I was slated to Alpha test at the museum for them. They did drop development, though, about the time RailPro came out. Daahhh! RC, and eventually battery power for HO, just seems like the natural way to go. RC does have WAY less component count than DCC, thus, inherently less problematic by design. Some other testers for Aristo Craft, and couple of dealers I know have told me that there are parallel developments to RailPro going on with RC right now.
If one is really worried about it, wait.
cacole, sorry you are having difficulty with installation issues. I'm a little surprised that no one has offered to do it for you, yet. It is pretty straight forward. QSI has a nice varity of speaker sizes/shapes. I don't have the physical stamina or time anymore to do it, or I would offer to. My layout and pass car modeling is taking all I got for this hobby...and very long. I don't think you would be happy with how long it would take me to turn it around, but I would be more than willing to help you via mail/phone if you like.