Big jim's (now dismantled) 12 x 6 shed layout

[86902]

That's great Jim.

Does the router have to be connected to the Internet?

Also can you still use the Lenz handset aswell as the iPod?

Cheers

Bob

[big jim]

can you add a couple of pics of the display on your computer to show how the interface looks as I'm quite interested in one of these too!

 

Its not attached to a computer but this is the display on the ipad (using the Iphone app)

 

That's great Jim.

Does the router have to be connected to the Internet?

Also can you still use the Lenz handset aswell as the iPod?

No, the router isnt attached to the internet, its just using the wifi part of it for the layout, i think if it was on the home broadband network once its attached to a computer you can download updates via it

 

Yes you can still use the lenz throttle as well as the iphone at the same time

[Guest Digital]

There are some videos on you tube showing it's operation.

I use it myself and can echo Jim and 250 Bob's comments on how good it is.

The videos are a couple of years old but they give a good idea on what Touch cab can do.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/TouchCab

 

John

Edited February 6, 2015 by Digital

[250BOB]

That's great Jim.

Does the router have to be connected to the Internet?

Also can you still use the Lenz handset aswell as the iPod?

Cheers

Bob

 

When my pals come round for a play...there are two LH100 controllers in action, along with my iphone, my ipod and my wifes ipad ( but only if she's not candy crushing)....so they are all working together at the same time.

Important to remember that you still need the LH100 to alter or set up CV values....Touchcab doesnt do that bit.

 

You can as Jim says use the home router....but I found it difficult to get Touchcab to recognise it, and struggled for a few weeks getting set up, until I was told to buy a TPlink Router from Argos at £20.  As soon as I put that in place under the layout, and switched on, it was instantly recognised.

 

Wonderful system......it great to be wireless, no restrictions walking around the layout.  When Big Jim came over for a play with my Touchcab about a month ago, I could tell he was impressed.  And we all know that Jim doesnt let the grass grow under his feet....and a few weeks on he is now a fully fledged Touchcab user....and loving it.

 

I see he got a good price on the 23151 unit from Germany too..............well done Jim......you got set up for not too much money in the end.   The Touchcab app was only £5 last time I checked.

 

Dont forget....you are in big trouble if you get a phone call though.....!!!

 

Bob.

[kevpeo]

''Don't forget....you are in big trouble if you get a phone call though.....!!!''

 

 

Not at all Bob, there is a setting in Touchcab for that too! You can decide if you want the phone to ring while driving trains or not.

Welcome to the world of Touchcab Jim. You won't go back to pressing buttons! Kev.

[250BOB]

''Don't forget....you are in big trouble if you get a phone call though.....!!!''

 

 

Not at all Bob, there is a setting in Touchcab for that too! You can decide if you want the phone to ring while driving trains or not.

Welcome to the world of Touchcab Jim. You won't go back to pressing buttons! Kev.

 

I didnt know that Kev....................I'll check it out.

Thanks

Bob

[newbryford]

''Don't forget....you are in big trouble if you get a phone call though.....!!!''

 

 

Not at all Bob, there is a setting in Touchcab for that too! You can decide if you want the phone to ring while driving trains or not.

 

 

I didn't think it was legal to use a mobile whilst driving.........................  

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

[The Stationmaster]

I didn't think it was legal to use a mobile whilst driving.........................  

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

Many a true word spoken in jest Mick - as it happens (and I hope it won't on Jim's little railway) the use of mobile 'phones by Drivers (of the railway train type) has been increasingly noted as a causal factor in SPADs.

[big jim]

a quick half hour in the shed earlier, making room for the lenz adapter and router, was hoping for a bit longer in there but i've just had a call asking to go and man a train in oxford at 22:00!

 

lenz adapter on the wall

 

router on the controller shelf

 

this is the touchcab app on the iphone

 

one thing bob hasn't done on his layout is motorise the points so he hasn't had a play with the point function on the app, it is so simple to program the points, simply hold down a blank "accessory" space and it brings up a menu allowing you to customise individual points

 

you then add the details you want, type of point, direction, custom labels, you can even change the polarity from the iPhone if they are the wrong way round as well as being able to change pulse length etc

 

once programmed into the phone you get a list of points you simply change by accessing it from the list

 

you do still have to program the accessory decoder in the traditional manner via the handset though but all mine are already set up with base address'

 

back to the loco screen, this is the loco editing screen (colas 70)

 

you can add custom labels to the sounds, here i am adding the Horn symbol to the F4 function, simply click F4 in the previous screen, choose your label (green highlighted horn), you can also add momentary action

 

go back to the previous screen and there it is in the F4 slot

 

now curiosity got the better of me and i pushed the NEM608 button which renamed the functions in relation to NEM standards for diesel locos so i now need to go back and change the labels again!!

 

i think i'm going to have a lot of fun with this

 

i notice it said that loco configurations can be saved and backed up to the computer via iTunes when the phone is connected, something else i'll have to look into

 

heres a quick video of the phone moving a loco

 

Edited February 8, 2015 by big jim

[250BOB]

Hi Jim

I thought it wouldnt be long before you were our resident Touchcab expert............well done mate, all come together very nicely...very neat and tidy too. Brilliant.

Bob

[big jim]

On the menu this evening, chips, lots and lots of chips!!

 

 

Been buying up lots if chips over the last few months from the classifieds as well as the local model shop also had a couple of sound chips from old models i want to get reblown to fit into new items of rolling stock

 

I picked out the locos and units i wanted to chip up and began the task of doing just that.

 

 

however i discovered 3 of the above items i selected were already chipped up, one i must have done ages ago and forgotten about, the metronet 66, and 2 of them 2nd hand from model shops, the 153 and bardon livery 66, i had to rack my brains as to whether i'd chipped up the 66 myself and forgotten about it as i was convinced i bought it new from kernow but i eventually remembered i got it from an exhibition and i'd never got it out of the box until tonight

 

The 153 i only bought this week from c&m in carlisle along with the 170 so upon discovering the 153 was chipped i opened the 170 in the vain hope they were from the same collection and it was chipped too......no such luck! I will however use the sound chip that has previously been hard wired in my 165 and get it reblown as a turbostar and use the small cut off 8 pin decoder in the trailer car for the lights

 

So that left me with an extra 8 pin and 2 x 21 pin chips so i decided to chip up my royal 67, took the body off and found it already chipped, must have done it when it arrived and forgotten about it!!

 

The spare 21 pins found their way into a europorte GBRf 66 and my Bachmann royal 47

 

The 21 pin sound chip has gone in the Bachmann 150 as it is already blown with those sounds, a swine to do as it has the old style chassis block, chip no problem, getting the speaker in, not too bad, getting the chassis back together afterwards, an absolute swine, so hard to get the driveshafts back in to the motor!!

 

The new Hornby 8 pin has ended up in my wsmr DVT as i have nothing else 8 pin to chip up (although as i write this im thinking that my Bachmann GBRf/medite 66709 is currently unchipped and im sure thats an 8 pin!)

 

Next task is to program them all but my lenz handset has stopped working so i'll have to send that off to be repaired before i can do that, thankfully i can still use the layout with the touchcab app if i want to have a play!!

 

So in all a productive evening, looking through my stockbox i think the only thing not chipped now is a freightliner 70 and my unfinished london midland 172 project

[250BOB]

Hi Jim

Looks as if you may be in need of a new memory chip...!!!!!

Bob.

[yorkie_pudd]

Hi Jim

Looks as if you may be in need of a new memory chip...!!!!!

Bob.

 

I agree as seeing Jim get all them chips & loco`s out  - I`d have said sod this I aint working that lot  haha

[Andrew P]

Great selection Jim, so whens the NEXT VIDEO hahahha.?

[big jim]

Great selection Jim, so whens the NEXT VIDEO hahahha.?

 

just got to wire up a couple of rails to get power all the way round the layout again then i'll do a few vids with the new stock, might try and sneak in the shed later and do a bit

[class"66"]

Some very nice locos there Jim!!

[Catweasel]

Fascinating thread Jim. I've got a man coming in today to quote me for a 10 x 6 foot cave. Is your's standing up OK? It's a great layout as well. Mine won't be any where as comprehensive.

[big jim]

Had a bit of time in the shed earlier, first job was to program all the chips i fitted last week, once that was done i went on to soldering the track beyond the new points so i could have power all the way round again

 

Once that was done i decided to run the hachette rake round the layout behind 67018 to check the trackwork, it ran lovely round the back and middle platform but when i used the crossovers one of them caused the first coach to derail but the track is still 'floating' in the air at the mo which is what was causing it to derail, i managed to cure it but ive yet to pack the track

 

A quick vid....

 

[bluefredie]

Hi Jim

I think it is now time to go back to Pen and Paper and make a

list of all your locos and units with their respective decoders you never

know when something bad happens and you might lose electronics

when I did this with my fleet I surprised myself with what an extensive

collection I have  purchased over the past  30 years plus 

Fantastic layout keep it up

Regards David

[big jim]

Went in the shed earlier to chip up my model rail ltd ed 66709 only to find upon putting it on the track it already had a chip in it, oh well at least ive got a spare chip for the freightliner 70 (i think) is unchipped!

 

I then decided to go onto fitting the point motors to the removable section, again using the peco low power motors so they can co-act

 

First up was to mark out the holes on the bridge, one side is quite simple and is on the bridge deck, the other side is over the 'land' as it were

 

The bridge deck one was simple enough, got to cut it out a bit more yet, i thought i had 2 point motors in stock but only had one so this will have to wait until later in the week now

 

At the other end the motor is above the poly risers so i had to drill through and 'mine' out the polystyrene to get the motor to fit

 

 

I tidied up the wires and run them below the bridge deck to the opposite side of the riverbed and dropped them below baseboard level

 

Where they arrived in the vicinity of this load of wiring (top right)

 

When i wired up the removable section i actually did a bit if forward planning (for once) and wired it with an 8 pin din plug using burgler alarm wire, 2 wires for track power, 3 for what was originally the only set of points on the bridge and 3 spare which were going to be for lights etc but have now been taken up by the wires to the co-acting points

 

I connected the 3 point wires via a chocolate block connector and an a 2nd set of wires back up through the base board to where the other point motor will be

 

 

At the other end of the cable when i originally wired up the track i'd separated the cable so the 6 spare wires went off towards the accessory decoder

 

I then temporarily attached that wire to extension pieces running to the accessory decoder (once its all up and running correctly i'll solder the joints, shorten the cables etc)

 

Plugged in and ready to test

 

Programmed the decoder to the desired address and gave it a go, first up the single point, click, worked fine, fantastic!!

 

Then onto the new point(s) tried it and nothing, did a bit of fault finding and discovered that the wire that is acting as the common for that particular point had become unsoldered at the din plug, a quick dab of solder and it was cured, so i thought!!

 

Tried it again hoping that would have cured the problem only to find it still didnt work, went back to the single point (which i knew worked) but nothing, then tried other points on the layout, nothing again, in fact when i tried the points via touchcab the symbol on the screen that shows you which was they are facing went blank, as if there was no response from the decoders, the lenz handset wouldnt even let me throw the point from + to - on the screen, just went back to loco selection, locos were able to be moved so its definatly an accessory decoder problem rather than a short

 

With that i decided to call it a night and go back at it with a fresh head tomorrow, the last time i had a problem like this was when i wired up the point motors wrong, i think i may have done it again as admittedly i did have a moment and completly forgot how to wire them earlier

 

i went back through what i had done this evening and up until i resoldered the co-acting point 'negative' wire in the din plug things were working fine (ie all other points and decoders working) so i'll start there tomorrow with my fault finding

[The Stationmaster]

Jim - get your wiring out of that expanded polystyrene before it melts (the wiring that is).  If you want to 'bury' it like that wrap it in something which doesn't react in that way - ordinary masking tape seems to be ok for that in my experience.

Edited March 8, 2015 by The Stationmaster

[big jim]

Jim - get your wiring out of that expanded polystyrene before it melts (the wiring that is).  If you want to 'bury' it like that wrap it in something which doesn't react in that way - ordinary masking tape seems to be ok for that in my experience.

eh?

 

what causes the wiring to melt?

[raymw]

ot - when house wiring began to be installed with pvc covered cables (instead of the fabric covered rubber insulated type) about the same time they began using nylon? cable clips. After a while, a few fires started. The plasticisers in the flexible pvc cable insulation migrated into the harder plastic clips. The insulation went hard and brittle, and the clips went soft. All resolved now, but you still get problems if you mix your plastics.

[big jim]

just thinking about whats possibly causing problems

 

on the peco point motor i bent the unused central mounting tabs over as required, IF the right hand tab is touching the left hand one (and vice versa) will that cause a short?

 

you can see what i mean in the instructions below, i have done as in the first pic but im sure the tab is touching the opposite side

 

also, looking at the wiring i've 99.9% sure done it as the diagram

 

http://www.peco-uk.com/imageselector/Files/Instruction%20sheets/PL-10%20Series%20Instructions.pdf

Edited March 9, 2015 by big jim

[The Stationmaster]

eh?

 

what causes the wiring to melt?

Additional to what is posted already.  The pvc insulation on electrical wiring reacts chemically with the expanded polystyrene and that gradually melts the pvc.  Not sure if that happens with all types of expanded polystyrene but some years back I did some shed wiring with the problem in mind but purposely ignored it and left it a few months to see what happened - even in that short time when I dismantled it the pvc wire covering was already going soft and sticky - rather frightening that it happened so quickly.

 

When we built the house I talked to the builders and electricians about it and there had been some sort of warning advice given to the building trade to avoid doing it.  I believe - but am open to correction - that Kingspan type stuff doesn't have the same effect, the really nasty one is the white expanded polystyrene and some of the expanding foam gap fillers can have a  similar effect apparently (according to the builders).