|
|
Post by severn on Aug 2, 2022 10:21:08 GMT -8
In a vid I didn't watch most of, it looks like the soundtrack folks are adding a blue tooth interface to some of the sound decoders. They mention wireless control, and then I turned it off for viewing later. But I also hope it includes cv programming Just thought you'd be interested. m.facebook.com/SoundTraxxDCC/posts/?ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0 |
|
|
|
Post by jonklein611 on Aug 2, 2022 10:28:30 GMT -8
In a vid I didn't watch most of, it looks like the soundtrack folks are adding a blue tooth interface to some of the sound decoders. They mention wireless control, and then I turned it off for viewing later. But I also hope it includes cv programming Just thought you'd be interested. m.facebook.com/SoundTraxxDCC/posts/?ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0They had an ad in the new MR as well. The ad states "No Need for CVs when using the App". Also notes "Blunami App currently only available for iOS devices (iOS version 8 or later)." Placeholder website: soundtraxx.com/blunami/ |
|
|
|
Post by severn on Aug 2, 2022 12:11:00 GMT -8
Only for iOS? Why... if they did a "lionel" and had a developer group you could join (with the idea they'd get the android space) -- that might be ok. Although I think in the end lionel just ended up doing both.
|
|
|
|
Post by jonklein611 on Aug 2, 2022 12:56:00 GMT -8
Only for iOS? Why... if they did a "lionel" and had a developer group you could join (with the idea they'd get the android space) -- that might be ok. Although I think in the end lionel just ended up doing both. Key word: "currently". Most mobile app development starts on the iOS side of things as there's a bit more of standardization and you know the app will work with a large swath of current hardware without major coding efforts. Android has a bit more fragmentation and nuances to getting apps to run well across a larger library of devices. One would hope that they'll develop android support eventually. |
|
|
|
Post by severn on Aug 2, 2022 14:12:00 GMT -8
I mean is that really true? I just think about market size. But perhaps it's more pragmatic. Bluerail supported iOS so... That's what they ported to the new hardware.
|
|
|
|
Post by jonklein611 on Aug 2, 2022 15:32:50 GMT -8
|
|
|
|
Post by severn on Aug 2, 2022 15:54:58 GMT -8
Ok but if I had an iOS device I might try this product. But otherwise, I wouldn't go out and buy one for it.
|
|
|
|
Post by crblue on Aug 2, 2022 16:22:36 GMT -8
The bigger issue facing android is that it’s seen as the cheap option. This was a few years ago, but the stat was iOS had 1/2 the user base and 2x the in app purchase rate. In other words, twice as profitable with 1/2 the support costs.
Having personally developed for Android, I can tell you that my company spends a few thousand dollars every so often buying random android phones so that we can test on them. And it’s weird things, too, like the volume buttons behaving differently.
Back on topic, since it sounds like it’s based off of blue rail, I wonder if the blunamis will support that auto-speed-match-consisting that blue rail does.
|
|
|
|
Post by Donnell Wells on Aug 2, 2022 17:03:52 GMT -8
I think this is awesome! After watching the live broadcast, it is my understanding that all you need is a power source (DC or DCC), the “Blunami” app, and a “Blunami” decoder, and your are set! This simplifies DCC exponentially.
|
|
|
|
Post by glenng6 on Aug 2, 2022 21:05:24 GMT -8
Ok but if I had an iOS device I might try this product. But otherwise, I wouldn't go out and buy one for it. Severn, You would still have to buy an iPhone or an iPad but the price of admission doesn't have to be expensive. Plus, you don't have to activate the iPhone with a carrier. Apple iPhone 6s Plus 64GB(T- Mobile) Clean IMEIApple iPhone 6s Plus 64GB(T- Mobile) Clean IMEIOpens in a new window or tab Pre-Owned · Apple iPhone 6s Plus · 64 GB · Unlocked $49.99or Best OfferFree 2 day shipping Sponsored Apple iPhone 6s Plus - 64GB - Silver (Unlocked) A1634 (CDMA + GSM) NEW LISTINGApple iPhone 6s Plus - 64GB - Silver (Unlocked) A1634 (CDMA + GSM)Opens in a new window or tab Pre-Owned · Apple iPhone 6s Plus · 64 GB · Unlocked 4.5 out of 5 stars. 83 product ratings - Apple iPhone 6s Plus - 64GB - Silver (Unlocked) A1634 (CDMA + GSM) $45.002 bids · Time left6d 2h left (Tue, 03:06 AM)+$9.85 shipping Glenn |
|
|
|
Post by trainboyy on Aug 3, 2022 4:08:40 GMT -8
Unrelated but this is apparently the 10,000th thread. Congratulations!
|
|
|
|
Post by severn on Aug 3, 2022 5:09:56 GMT -8
Who knows what their biz plan is but perhaps they'd be so kind as to publish the interface spec or maybe you have to sign up for it. Then maybe someone will do the whatever os implementation. And to me that sells more of these devices. Maybe bluerail doesn't get a cut though.
|
|
cp9002
Junior Member
Posts: 85 
|
Post by cp9002 on Aug 3, 2022 9:27:28 GMT -8
I wish they would have upgraded their sounds to go along with these new decoders.
|
|
|
|
Post by severn on Aug 3, 2022 15:00:56 GMT -8
One of the things noticed in the Lionel LCS effort which was along the lines I described above is they did iOS first and left the android or "other" OS market to their development partners -- that is the folks like me that signed up just to give it a whirl. So there did appear from there a few items on the market from people interested in trying to sell a product. And while I don't know the details it never really seemed to take hold that well. Eventually Lionel offered the android version. All I got out of it was that folks didn't really want to pay for this stuff or they wanted it Lionel branded. Even so if soundtraxx did publish the interface spec in some form, I think in the end it'd be for the better. Having seen the Lionel interface I could never quite figure out why they didn't just stick it out on github, because there didn't really seem to be anything special about it -- I guess I should add that this was the interface through the LCS device essentially, not the actual serial line spec the cmds flowed over.
So in this case you'd want to be able to connect any bluetooth device to it and be able to read/write whatever "packets" in whatever order to make it work... etc... so put that out on github soundtraxx!
|
|
|
|
Post by edwardsutorik on Aug 3, 2022 19:40:45 GMT -8
So Soundtraxx is coming in sideways to make a wireless "throttle".
I guess you won't need a command station.
I wonder how it interacts with all the stuff we already have that is not "blue tooth enabled". And how that stuff interacts with this stuff.
Lotsa stuff, fer sure.
Ed
|
|
|
|
Post by severn on Aug 4, 2022 5:00:49 GMT -8
So Lionel has this. There's two maybe three versions. I'm a little out of date on it but here it goes. The first to second version is what they call "flyer chief". These are little hand held control devices with a twist nob for speed and direction and a few buttons for sounds and I think ultimately couplers. We have an early version but eventually they released a couple of iterations with more stuff it can do. So it's 1 to 1 controller to engine. Then they added a Bluetooth side to their original "legacy" control system. There's a software interface to that and .. that's all I really know cause I don't got it and my interest has dropped off there.
Meanwhile MTH put a wifi option on their base station box and then you had a software controller for that which from 100 ft of me reading headlines could be the tcs route.
|
|
|
|
Post by jonklein611 on Aug 4, 2022 6:01:17 GMT -8
|
|
|
|
Post by stevef45 on Aug 10, 2022 14:16:51 GMT -8
Got an email from tony's trains for blunami decoders, $170!!!! oucccccchhhhhh
|
|
|
|
Post by riogrande on Aug 10, 2022 14:43:46 GMT -8
Eeeyep! No thanks.
|
|
|
|
Post by middledivision on Aug 11, 2022 8:06:58 GMT -8
Got an email from tony's trains for blunami decoders, $170!!!! oucccccchhhhhh That's list. Yankee Dabbler has them for $140. Still not interested in Tsunami, though. |
|
|
|
Post by middledivision on Aug 11, 2022 8:08:42 GMT -8
I wish they would have upgraded their sounds to go along with these new decoders. ^^^ This. They do have some decent EMD files but that's it. |
|
|
|
Post by canrailfan on Aug 11, 2022 8:11:20 GMT -8
Street prices will be lower.
Yankee Dabbler has the Blunami BLU-2200 series decoders listed at $135.95. Their price for the TSU-2200 decoders is $106.95 for comparison.
Has Soundtraxx said whether they will continue to sell the non-Bluetooth Tsunamis or make the Blunami the new standard?
|
|
|
|
Post by ncrc5315 on Aug 11, 2022 15:44:14 GMT -8
This sounds like a great deal for dead rail, or someone who's only going to have a few locomotives. Having said that, with a $40.00 difference in price, you wouldn't have to buy very many decoders, to make up the difference in price for a decent command station.
|
|
|
|
Post by edwardsutorik on Aug 11, 2022 16:31:07 GMT -8
There's also the part where most people, around here anyway, are fully committed to straight DCC. There's no way I'm going to replace my zillions of existing decoders just so I can use my non-existent smart phone to run trains. Nor do I have a yearning to run dead rail.
I do suspect that Blunami is an answer to a question nobody (well, hardly anybody) asked.
Ed
|
|
|
|
Post by riogrande on Aug 12, 2022 3:48:25 GMT -8
Having said that, with a $40.00 difference in price, you wouldn't have to buy very many decoders, to make up the difference in price for a decent command station. I've thought of that too. Say you have a modest fleet of 15 engines. The cost difference to outfit them with Blunami vs. Tsu2 sound decoders would be enough to buy a DCC system, or nearly enough. I think the new TCS wifi wireless system will be around $700 or so (Command Station and wifi throttle). |
|
|
|
Post by severn on Aug 13, 2022 19:10:49 GMT -8
Im probably going to try it despite my previous protestations. But I'm really not for a fracturing of the dcc standards world into a bunch of different proprietary yet fully advanced control systems with a runt dcc fallback... Had that, well the first half with Lionel's legacy, MTH dcs and then the Lionel Bluetooth based variants.
|
|
|
|
Post by edwardsutorik on Aug 13, 2022 19:44:53 GMT -8
Im probably going to try it despite my previous protestations. But I'm really not for a fracturing of the dcc standards world into a bunch of different proprietary yet fully advanced control systems with a runt dcc fallback... Had that, well the first half with Lionel's legacy, MTH dcs and then the Lionel Bluetooth based variants. What are the benefits you foresee? Ed |
|
|
|
Post by severn on Aug 14, 2022 4:39:30 GMT -8
Set up and convenience initially. If popular I could see other kinds of controllers. For those that want battery, maybe it'll pave that path. But basically it's a proprietary interface from your hand to engine. So maybe soundtraxx will have their thing, esu theirs.. etc .. . That being successful would be odd in a dcc standards toured market. Maybe it's just a sign the standards body has simply moved to slowly.
|
|
