I just got my delivery of an Xbee kit from Sparkfun. https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13197 I had bought it for another project, but I think I will use it for my DCC++ communication. I know it is a lot more expensive than the HC-12 modules, but the radio modules are a standard footprint, and there are other compatible modules that can be used, such as Bluetooth. the standard modules like what I have can communicate clear line-of-sight, for 300' (100' obstructed), or you can use the PRO version, that boosts up to 1 mile, line-of-sight, or 300' obstructed. ~Travis
Travis - I have worked with the Xbee and find it expensive and cumbersome to use - the HC-12 is virtually a wireless serial port that is extremely easy to use. I have tested it to hundreds of yards and find the range to be more than adequate. If you plan on having lots of throttles & lots of users the Xbee might be a better choice but for my purposes I couldn't ask for much more than the HC-12 gives dave
I wasn't trying to convert you. I just wanted the view of others as far as using it with DCC++. I fully agree that it is expensive. I opted for it over the HC-12 as I found more support for the Xbee modules online (perhaps I didn't look in the right place). Now that I have some Xbee modules, I can see where they could be cumbersome, due to the 3.3V level-shifting required. I don't yet have plans for more than one throttle, but I do like the idea of not being tethered to the base-station. ~Travis
Hi Travis, Ouch, they are expensive. However, no doubt if you're prepared to see it through, you'll come up with something that will work. After all, a throttle just needs to send a few "text" messages to the Base Station serial port. The concept is quite simple whether that is done with a wire or wireless technology. In fact I would say delivery of those messages is the easy part in any throttle design. So go for it. Don't expect a bunch of folks to jump on board to group solve any issues you might get into though. People are naturally cautious of any wireless technologies, as I know only too well from my own experiments with ordinary WiFi. Then there is the question of your throttle software. Now that can be a challenge, as what seems like some simple logic starts to test your programming skill. I'm several iterations in to various designs and it has consumed many hours chasing the next best thing. That said, I do like to tinker with the latest gadgets. The Nextion interface is keeping me busy right now. Just this evening I've got it to do some more wonderful things with a few lines of C code . Just have fun in whatever you do. Regards Steve.
Fun I think is the key. my last Arduino project was an elaborate security alarm system with RFID, and the works. the difference being I didn't really need a security alarm system. I made it for fun, and to explore my programming skills. I think it was about 1200 lines of code before I scraped the idea in favor of a DCC++ system. no biggie though, I can re-use most of the hardware. ~Travis
Well, it would seem that I possibly have a bad Xbee. All I get at the computer end is corrupted data. I verified configuration, and found it to be correct, but still no joy. not giving up on the idea, but I will have to do some testing tomorrow. in the end, I may have to try some HC-12 modules. in either case, right now I will enjoy a good cup of coffee , and do a little research. ~Travis
