# Driving layout from iPad



## Andrew_au (Jul 27, 2021)

*Current layout:*

Old-style LGB power & controller, 2x DCC LGB locos, 2x LGB 4-outlet turnout controllers, LGB tipper car (controlled like an engine). Have 2x LGB controllers - one operates one train, one operates other train and turnouts. Other stuff might be added later.

*What I'd like to achieve:*

Drive entire network from iPad. Control all switches + trains from single app. Ability to display rough outline of layout and mark turnouts on this is bonus.

What I think I need:

Power supply (is the existing LGB supply sufficient?)
Control station (encodes DCC signal onto power supply and puts it on to track)
Interface to connect WiFi / Bluetooth from iPad into control station
iPad app
What's available to do this? Most of what I have been able to find is either more focused on HO/N scale or kit-bashing, which I'm not really ready for.

Follow up question - what are the additional considerations when it comes to programming this sort of setup?


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## Andrew_au (Jul 27, 2021)

I've found a few discussions of this sort of thing on the web, but most of them are from around 2010. I assume the state of the art has moved on at least a little.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Many of the newer systems do this. It is just how much $$ you want to spend.


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## Rob491 (Jul 27, 2021)

You can convert your old LGB power. If you can find room on your loco's for 3 x 18650 li-ion batteries an ESP32 developement board and L298N. 
You can control this with the ESP32 developement board and the L298N motor driver that will only cost you about £10. The ESP32 is bluetooth or wifi enabled so you can make your own app for an android phone or ipad there are some free ones available. You can also use the app to control switches . My loco can run for an hour before batteries need charging. See link


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Andrew_au said:


> focused on HO/N scale


The scale doesn't matter on an iPad. The interface to the DCC base is all that matters, as your DCC power supply will be considerably heavier duty than an HO version.
Dan, who commented above, should be able to enlighten us. Martin Sant, who posts on LSC, uses all kinds of interesting electronics. Take a look at
Large Scale Central - Forum View - DCC


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## Andrew_au (Jul 27, 2021)

Pete Thornton said:


> The scale doesn't matter on an iPad. The interface to the DCC base is all that matters, as your DCC power supply will be considerably heavier duty than an HO version.


Doesn't matter to the iPad, but the iPad interfaces to a control station, and that cares about the power supply. I'm trying to avoid kit-bashing here, so I'd rather not figure out how to take an iPad + control station combo designed for low power and refit it for G-scale power.

As an example, consider the Z-21 system. That's a "system in a box". iPad app, combined power supply & control station, plug in & go installation. But it doesn't support G scale power.

I'm wanting the same sort of thing for G-scale, plus any advice on "get this one, it's robust" or "don't get this one, it breaks often". I'm OK with buying stuff from different manufacturers, but it needs to be "just works", not "some assembly required".


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

If you are talking simply about output power, you can take virtually ANY DCC system, and add a booster to it for very little cost, 5 amps at whatever voltage you supply, easy to add, just connect to the normal DCC track outputs... (that's why it's call a booster )

There are many people who make this, if you were in the USA I would use the booster from Tam Valley like I did to take a 2 amp HO system to a 5 amp, 24v G scale DCC system:



Tam Valley Depot



I used it for a compact transportable system with wi-fi, JMRI and a small windows 10 computer
booster is in lower left


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## Andrew_au (Jul 27, 2021)

So, after looking around, I'm particularly interested in the Roco z21 XL. Has full power supply / control / iPad app without need for intermediate computer.

Currently running an LGB 72255 starter set + extra track and digital switches. 72255 comes with a 55005 MTS II central station without the parallel upgrade. Currently running 26m track in two loops, 4 turnouts off an LGB 55025 switch decoder.

Planning on adding 4+ more turnouts, and extending to 65m track in 3 loops. Also some extra locos.

Questions:

* Do the locos from the 72255 support parallel DCC? I know there used to be a firmware update to the 55005 to parallel mode, but I don't know how that affected to locos.

* Have an offer for a 2nd hand LGB 28002, which I've read good things about. Are there any restrictions on the decoder in the 28002 with respect to newer DCC controllers?

* Currently running one LGB 55025 for turnout control. Am I better to add another LGB / Massoth decoder (4 turnouts per decoder), or use a Roco z21 switch decoder (8 outputs) instead? If using the Roco, how do I wire the three decoder outputs (A/+/B) to the 2 input reverse polarity LGB switch motors?


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## Andrew_au (Jul 27, 2021)

According to this post about serial / parallel, I don't need to worry about the serial / parallel distinction, as the trains from the 70255 starter set only support a single F function.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

I have the yellow DCC engine from that set and it works just fine on myh Zimo system with address 3005 and 128 speed steps.


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## Andrew_au (Jul 27, 2021)

Dan Pierce said:


> I have the yellow DCC engine from that set and it works just fine on myh Zimo system with address 3005 and 128 speed steps.


Ah, DCC address based on the engine's displayed rego number. I like.


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