# Wi Throttle, Anyone Using?



## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

Just finished reading the July issue of Model Railroader. There was an article about using your smartphone or tablet and JMRI to control your DCC powered trains. So, I was naturally curious to try this.

I downloaded the Wi Throttle Lite app on my iPhone and iPad. Using the JMRI program, a Digitrax PR3, and a Chief booster I was able to control my train through the Wi Throttle app. Was pretty cool, touch screen was nice. I like how easy the expanded functions were to use compared to using expanded functions on my DT402D throttle. 

Curious, is anyone else using Wi Throttle? 

Thoughts on it?

Worth the $9.99 upgrade to the full program?


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

Like you, I've used the free version.

The issue for me is that a touchscreen interface provides no tactile feedback. Generally when I'm adjusting speed, creeping up to couple, or slowing down for a station stop, I'm watching the train and adjusting without looking at the cab. I don't think that my NCE cab is the be-all end-all of train control, but when I'm trying to stop a passenger car at the station platform, I prefer the thumbwheel to my iPhone screen because I have to look at the phone to tell if my finger's in the right place.

I think that for allowing others to run trains on my layout, or for my kids to use, or just to run trains around and around, Wi Throttle is a reasonable solution. But for the things I mentioned above, I prefer an old-fashioned cab.


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

That was my initial thought to, figured there would be a learning curve. But even with a knob on the Digitrax throttle there was a learning curve at first. Like how fast turn it to get the train to slow down at nice rate, getting use to momentum settings, etc. 

I read some threads on the Model Railroad Hobbyist forum that you can make or buy a knob for your touch screen devices. Some of them clipped onto the device while others were just held in place. 

Wonder if the WiThrottle designer could make it so the volume up and down buttons could control speed?


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

The volume buttons is an interesting idea--but I _think_ I remember the Apple dev kit docs saying that using those buttons for other uses isn't supported. I have seen those "knobs" advertised various places.

Another option would be some sort of "haptic" feedback using the phone's built-in vibration mechanism. Where each time there's a decrease in speed step the phone gives a tiny 0.1 second vibration to let you know without having to guess how much finger movement equates to how much throttle change. Or having to watch the screen.

I definitely see possibilities, but for the moment I'm sticking with my "real" cab (which is also wireless)


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

ewarhol said:


> Just finished reading the July issue of Model Railroader. There was an article about using your smartphone or tablet and JMRI to control your DCC powered trains. So, I was naturally curious to try this.
> 
> I downloaded the Wi Throttle Lite app on my iPhone and iPad. Using the JMRI program, a Digitrax PR3, and a Chief booster I was able to control my train through the Wi Throttle app. Was pretty cool, touch screen was nice. I like how easy the expanded functions were to use compared to using expanded functions on my DT402D throttle.
> 
> ...


I bought the $9.99 full version of WiThrottle when I switched to iPhone last fall, but I much prefer Engine Driver for Android. One of the advantages of the paid version of WiThrottle is consisting, but I think it's buggy. Every time I use it something weird happens, like I can't get one of the locomotives to go the correct direction, or one just stops responding altogether. I've never had any trouble with Engine Driver. And Engine Driver does support using the volume buttons for speed, so that's a nice way to control trains although mostly I just use the touchscreen slider. As long as you keep your finger on the slider you don't have to keep looking at the screen, and you'll stay "locked" onto the speed slider. Actually I think this is the case with WiThrottle too. With Engine Driver you can also turn off your screen or multitask while continuing to run trains. I like that I could answer a phone call and then switch back to Engine Driver without the trains stopping. I've done this during open houses.

Engine Driver also supports turnouts and routes, which WiThrottle does not.

That said, for simple uses there's nothing wrong with using WiThrottle. I'm sure I'll continue to use it because it's so convenient (I always have my phone with me). But I did just buy a Kindle Fire HDX 7" for serious ops sessions. The screen resolution is enough that I can see three sets of controls at once, any or all of which can be consists.


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

Ben-

I thought WiThrottle supports turnouts and routes. Thinking it's through Panel Pro and the web server portion of JMRI. I played with the JMRI throttle through the web server on my iPad.


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Ben, is the Kindle Android based? I thought it was proprietary?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I agree with riderdan's and Ben's observations.

At shows, where trains run around the loop continuously, the smart phone touchscreen is ok, and the phone can be slipped into the shirt pocket.

I have about 4 old iPhones, and 2 android phone/tablets for this, using JMRI's wireless support.

I do prefer the Android app, we often run consists, seems to be much easier with EngineDriver.

But the feedback and tactile feel of my NCE thumbwheel, and the nice incremental speed up down buttons allow me to run without staring at the throttle.

Also, the horn and bell can be done without looking.

Using a smartphone makes the kids get excited, and gets new users interested, but I have not found anyone doing any serious running with the phone, and definitely not switching operations.

Greg


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

Been playing with WiThrottle and I like it. BUT I am only simply running a train, turn on and go at this time, no switching. 

The only thing I wish the developer would change is that when answering the phone or you switch to a different app all trains stop. Kind of a pain having to restart them often. My understanding is Engine Driver will leave the trains running when on the phone or in a different app. Is this correct?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Dunno, but my trains are a bit too costly to suspend control if the phone rings ha ha!

You can find cast off phones cheap or free.

Greg


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## Tom Lapointe (Jan 2, 2008)

*Just started using WiThrottle myself!*

This is a *VERY* timely topic for me as I just recently started using JMRI & WiThrottle myself!  In fact, I'm out in the yard running a couple of Bachmann Shays (a 3-truck & a 2 truck) *right at this moment using it as I type this!*  i'm using an old Dell laptop (running Windows XP) I picked for $50 at a ham radio flea market to run JMRI & use as the WiThrottle server; wanted to see if I could access the 'net while running JMRI. I did have a couple issues getting things up & running; initially, couldn't get the laptop to communicate with my NCE PowerHouse Pro command station via the RS-232 port; turned out the RS-232 cable I had, from along-retired UPS, was *NOT a standard RS-232 cable;* it only had a *single wire* in it!  (Found that out via resistance check with a DVM - & DB-9 RS-232 cables are getting hard to find these days! ). Another ham flea market (at MIT ) sourced a pair of good RS-232 cales at $1 each  - now JMRI communicates with the NCE system as soon as I bring it up. Getting the WiThrottle app to connect to the server has also been a bit of "fun"  as well, although I got it connected to my iPhone 6 without much trouble tonight. Just installed the app on my old iPhone 4, having trouble getting it to connect to the server at the moment. Suggestions? Tom Lapointe


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

ewarhol said:


> Ben-
> 
> I thought WiThrottle supports turnouts and routes. Thinking it's through Panel Pro and the web server portion of JMRI. I played with the JMRI throttle through the web server on my iPad.


Perhaps it does... I guess I'm not sure. In any case the web app isn't nearly as nice as the native apps.



Gary Woolard said:


> Ben, is the Kindle Android based? I thought it was proprietary?


Yes and yes. It's a very hacked up version of Android. Honestly I may eventually root it and install pure Android, but it's not necessary for Engine Driver. You can change a setting to install problems from any source, and then go directly to the website for Engine Driver to download and install it.



Greg Elmassian said:


> I have not found anyone doing any serious running with the phone, and definitely not switching operations.


Greg, you can't say no one. I only use a smartphone throttle and have no regrets. I've had two open houses and a few ops sessions since getting this setup and everything has run perfectly. Remember, once you're 'locked' onto the throttle you don't have to look at the screen to adjust speed. And on Android you can also use the volume up/down buttons.



ewarhol said:


> The only thing I wish the developer would change is that when answering the phone or you switch to a different app all trains stop. Kind of a pain having to restart them often. My understanding is Engine Driver will leave the trains running when on the phone or in a different app. Is this correct?


Yes, there's a setting for this in Engine Driver. I prefer to leave the trains running, as I'm really good at multitasking. I would answer the phone and put it on speakerphone and then switch back to Engine Driver. However now that my regular phone is an iPhone, but I'm using Android for running the trains then I guess I won't need to do this anymore.


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