I have two of the new Bachmann E-Z App locos, and so far, I am quite favorably impressed! The locos run smoothly, with good control, and look great with crisp graphics and excellent details. These are not like your father's Bachmann trains, they have set the bar to a much higher level! I have been running them with my iPad Air, and have purchased an iPhone 5s because it is easier to hold in one hand. I plan to run the E-Z App trains on my modular layout, which is set up to run either DC or DCC control (DC for public displays or DCC for club operations). I like 'Em! Thumbs up to both Bachmann and BlueRailTrains for developing these! Bill in FtL
Well it seems to me that the hobby is going the way that the auto industry went, but for no particular reason, except to use the technology available. The auto industry was compelled to go high tech in order to achieve emmission standards as set by the EPA and the state of California. I look at most of the computer technology as "Rocket Science". Man would not have made it to the moon as quickly, or as safely without the assistance of computers. So I guess model trains may, in the future, be referred to as, in my mind at least, "Rocket Science". It should be a BLAST! Jim
In spite of DCC, there are a lot of model railroads still with DC. They work just fine. You just need to throw the block switches for multiple trains. I bought a new DCC loco and it works fine on a DC layout. The new blue choo's will also run on DC track systems. So if I had an existing layout with DC controls, I would not feel a lot of pressure to change. It took DCC a long time to get to where it is today. Blue choo will take some time also. And they will also run on DCC systems so. again, no pressure to change. For the guy who belongs to a club and frequents multiple home layouts, the bluechoo might be a good option as his equipment will run on anybodies railroad. It is the sound decoders that brought me back in the hobby. I am currently searching and bookmarking video's of older atlas and kato rs-1-3's with sound cards installed. I want to listen before I buy. I am likely going with loksound for the rs-2 and 3's. For the rs-1 likely soundtraxx. Its a toss up and also considering QSI. A few of the sound cards, I wont name the mfg, really make a mess of the turbine sound. It sounds like burned out bearing on a sabersaw. Actually very annoying. So blue choo will have to do the same. Make quality sound available and or modifiable with programming. Maybe they already do? At that point, for someone buying a new loco, the operating system may not be a factor.
Bill, Maybe you could tell us what new Bachmann E-Z App locos do on a DCC-power-track when they are not paired to a Bluetooth iThing. Does the loco’s motor hum (or overheat if left for an hour or so)? Bob
Thanks for the update, Bill. My layout is all-DC and the DBTC is the perfect solution without having to buy the DCC power pack and controllers. I plan to make the switch when they have it out for a year and debugged.
I'm DCC now, but I'm holding out to upgrade anything for onboard wifi. They can fit an entire wifi transceiver in a USB dongle the size of a dime, add the motor drive components and you could have complete control from just about any wifi device.
Jason, There was a group in Canada that was trying to do open-source direct-WiFi-train-control, but I am not able to find them on the web now (but they may still be there). There are also some threads on forums discussing the relative merits of WiFi verses Bluetooth. I am bias toward smart-DBTC-locos, with smart-DBTC-accessory-controllers, and iThing controllers. I almost had open-source HO DBTC boards, but the manufacturer has apparently abandoned the project after failing to get the motor-control-circuit working. I will most likely complete the project with my own kludged hardware. (Non-open-source) DBTC is already on the market so WiFi had better get moving if it is not going to “miss-the-boat”. Bob
Jason, Link to open-source direct-WiFi-train-control?: http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/...iFi-Loco-Nodes-ready-for-fabrication-assembly Bob
Hi Bob, When I have tried the Bachmann E-Z App locos on a DCC layout, it has been either in a store on there demo layout, or at a trainshow on modules, since I don't have space for a home layout at the moment. Both of those environments are too noisy to accurately assess whether there is much motor hum or not, so I can't say for sure. I'm also a bit hesitant to just leave my loco sitting idle on the DCC powered tracks for several hours simply to see if it suffers any damage or overheating, but I will try to be aware of that possibility, and will report if any problems show up, thanks for the heads up. I did have an issue with my iPhone 4s display not showing the full screen and as a result cutting off my view of some of the controls, so I sent an email to BlueRailTrains letting them know of my problem. They responded very quickly, answering my eMail in just a few hours, and had an updated version of the app posted on the App Store in a week or so (in spite of the holidays). I am very pleased by the level of service I received, these guys are on the ball! So far, I really like the system, and am anxious for the release of the user-installed boards. Bill in FtL
Bill, Thanks for the information, so far, there appears to be very little user information on the systems in the forums. The ability to make fixes (both iThing, and controller-firmware) and to quickly release them to users will be one of the big selling points with DBTC. Bob
