# Remote Control from another State?



## Tom Burns (May 11, 2008)

Has there been a prior discussion on utilizing off the shelf components such as internet remote home security technology to control and provide video feed to operate a locomotive over the internet say from another state?

I would like the capability to run a locomotive on my layout located on my vacation property from home approximetly 1,200 miles away. At this point, all I am considering is capability to run a single battery powered locomotive with onboard video feed potentially by adapting a transmitter to an internet controlled home security system. Has anybody attempted this or anybody have a better idea?

Tom Burns


----------



## VictorSpear (Oct 19, 2011)

Now why restrict yourself to just another state ? How about another continent ? If we can control two rovers on Mars today, why restrict yourself to such bike-able distances ? 

http://marsrover.nasa.gov/mission/status.html#opportunity ...... Opportunity is still transmitting seven years after its initial three month mission. 

Cheers 
Victor


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Isn't one no longer controllable? (the other is). 

Greg


----------



## VictorSpear (Oct 19, 2011)

Yes. Spirit still lives on in spirit (2004 -2010). She ceased communicating in 2010... but both Rovers have now been selected for lifetime achievement awards by Popular Mechanics magazine on Oct 3, 2011.


----------



## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Greg do dey make an ethernet cord that long with no signal lost?????? Hah LOL Regal


----------



## NedsTJ (Apr 4, 2008)

Not sure about radio control, but if you're battery powered and using DCC then I can imagine a few ways. The simplest way might be to setup a dedicated PC that links to Digitrax Loconet for control. Then use remote desktop and connect into that PC thru the internet and you've got control as if you're sitting there.


----------



## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

I am sure you can get a connection via the internet and your cell phone, egoPad or whatever to make your train go forward, stop, go backward, and blow the whistle. but I don't know of any "app" that will pick it up and put it back on the rails when it and the squirrel have a cornfield meet.


----------



## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

"egoPad" .... I love it.


----------



## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Has there been a prior discussion on utilizing off the shelf components such as internet remote home security technology to control and provide video feed to operate a locomotive over the internet say from another state? 
Tom, 

I recall a railroad at a Belgium University (?) that was internet accessible. You could go to the site, turn on a train and watch it go round the layout. I think it was a remote-control exercise. 

As long as you have the vacation home's internet-attached computer permanently "on", I see no major problem. There's lots of industrial control gear for computers - and that home security stuff will turn things on and off.


----------



## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

I just purchased a "K8055 USB Experiment Interface Board" at Radio Shack (http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...=720014104, mfg website: www.velleman.eu or www.vellemanusa.com, search for "K8055") that is a USB interfaced I/O card with 5 digital inputs, 2 analog inputs, 8 digital outputs and 2 analog outputs (voltage and PWM each). It is a solder together kit on the supplied printed circuit card. (Very simple assembly with a small pencil type soldering iron and a pair of nippers to trim the component leads. You do need to supply the USB cable, and maybe a box to put it in.)

It has a power LED and 8 LEDs to show the state of the digital outputs and 2 more LEDs that show the state of the Analog outputs. The two Analog outputs can be set to provide from 0 to the USB supply voltage (Nominally 5V) in 256 steps and that output is also converted to PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) which is what varies the brightness of the LEDs showing the Analog outputs. There are 5 pushbuttons to test the Digital inputs and the Analog inputs can be tested with jumpers to 5 V and two variable resistors (Pots) that can also be used to attenuate the analog signals or to calibrate them to make the Digital result match a desired scale.

They supply test and example software on the Velleman websites (nothing is supplied with the card). They also supply example source code in several computer languages with the appropriate Library of routines for talking to the board via USB. The example programs that were written in C+ are not too bad, but the example in VB is downright crude... but I know VB quite well and it has been really easy to write a much more thorough program for it. There are also examples showing how to access the card from a VBA program in an Excel spreadsheet for datalogging and such.

I have not done much with it at this point except play with software to access it using the built-in selftest stuff (pushbuttons and LEDs) but it has worked very well (well... after I got the last chip installed right way round! I was so careful to install all the components the right way, but the last chip I got 180 out... thank you Velleman for supplying sockets for the chips!!!! It got warm but didn't burn anything out.)

Their website has a forum that appears to be actively monitored by knowledgable Velleman employees to answer questions and offer suggestions and help with connecting the board to external devices.

I think it would be very easy to use this card to control garden RR equipment.


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I have DCC. JMRI supports many command stations, so I can control all DCC functions from any device on my home network, or by remote access from any computer connected to my house by VPN, or by port forwarding. 

The JMRI software is free, I already have a DCC command station (since I run DCC), and I have a router (like everyone who has a home network), and I have a computer. 

Net outlay: zero. 

Greg


----------



## Tom Burns (May 11, 2008)

Thanks for the information on the K8055 USB Experiment Interface Board. That might just be exactly what I was searching for. The part that I was lacking was how to convert a remotely operated PC into an RC transmitter signal.


I had found an 8 servo PC controller at Servo City.


http://servocity.com/html/servo_controllers.html


Conceptually it is feasible to mount servos on top of a Spectrum transmitter and have the servo move the transmitter sticks but this just did not sound like an eloquent solution. From the description of the K8055, I think it would be possible to tie it directly into the transmitter electronics and avoid the mechanical linkages.
FYI – Since I primarily run Live Steam, I converted my Geese to Del’s RailBoss with Spectrum transmitters. If my Goose does collide with a squirrel or get kicked by a deer, I have a friendly neighbor I can call to get things back on track.

Thanks for all the good input.


Tom Burns


----------



## VictorSpear (Oct 19, 2011)

If I remember correctly, Velleman's K8055 PWM are a fixed frequency at 23.4 Khz and outputs (from Open collector NPN transistors) may switch only 100 mA so you may have to rig your own circuit for higher powered PWM outputs with pull-up resistors. Otherwise its PWM control offering is fine for some light duty experiments. You may want to look at something comparable to the K8000 instead with Gnu/Linux support (and optically isolated) ...but also something with a much smaller footprint with the USB support that the K8055 offers.


"Measure Thrice...cut just Once" 


Cheers
Victor


----------

