Poll: How have you integrated your Idevices into the hobby?

[railnerd]

Dave, do you guys have these as open source repos somewhere? I had been playing with some things and was looking at nodejs and Arduiino's for some things,
Phil

Yep:

<geekspeek>

https://github.com/svl-rr/svl-panel-server

This isn't a general solution yet, but with some planned refactoring, it should be more useful. The code itself is a probably happened when I was in one of my drunken stupors, and still smells a bit of moldy cheese.

The panel-server is a hack which uses express to serve up the web app, socket.io for the communications, and http.request to talk to JMRI.

The purpose is to keep every client in synch with the state of the layout— our first try at this basically ended up falling over dead when multiple folks were surfed into the same yard panel ("I aligned the switch", "No, you didn't", "Yes, I did, look at my screen!",  ).

The jmri and general web socket server bits will be factored out into separate npm modules.

nodejs (and node-serialport) is really good digital superglue for hacking.

</geekspeek>

-Dave

[randgust]

Of course the irony here is that as closely as 'everyone' attempts to model the prototype, having a cell phone or I-device on an operating locomotive is a reason for instant rules violation:

http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=5108

Just imagining that UP would be running remote-control switchers, turnouts, or even getting orders over an i-device....LOL!  Yet the technology is certainly there to operate virtually anything 1:1 or 1:160 with enough investment and a decent signal.

I think we should be thankful that 1800's train crews didn't attempt to home-telegraph their wives with a portable handset.  We'd still be dispatching trains with smoke signals because the telegraph was banned for all train uses.

So if you want to be prototype; "The one sure fire way to stay out of trouble is to turn your phone off, store it in your grip, and don’t turn it on until your tour of duty is over," BLET National President Dennis Pierce said.

I have an iPhone 4s, myself, a very useful thing that is a relatively poor phone, and has proven itself very useful as a railfanning device tracking NKP765 on the Fort Wayne excursions, getting me out of all manner of blind alleys with the GPS, and being in my pocket at nearly all moments for the photos I would have otherwise lost. 

[rsn48]

My netbook is my Ipad and I use it for Songza to listen to music while I work on my layout.  I will use it for JRMI when I download it and hook up my PSX 3 thingie.  And I have discovered a three dollar camera designed for use on laptops etc for skyping I'm hoping I can use to monitor trains in the back of my nolix.

My smart phone offers the best wide angle view for train photography I have and the placement of the lens at one end of the phone allows me to get trackside views of rolling stock:

[Ike the BN Freak]

I've downloaded wiThrottle, yet never used it, yet.

Also have GoogleDrive, so as I update my rolling stock inventory on excel, I just upload it to Google, and I have access anywhere I have data signal.

[timwatson]

I'm a front end web developer designer. It's nice to see some geek speak here. I'm a big github fan but prefer bit bucket since it's free for git repos.

I'm a huge apple fan boy (I'll openly admit it) but by far the best device I have used for controlling trains is the Amazon Kindle fire HD.

I am the tech guy who sets up our Ttrak clubs withrottle server and router connected to a digitrax pr3. We have used all manner of devices. iPhone 3G 4, 4s iPad 1, 2, 3. The iDevices frequently do not recover well from losing the locomotive (whether it be from range or wifi interference or what have you). It's reproducible in all version of withrottle from like 2 versions ago.

Engine driver side loaded onto the Amazon Fire HD device has been rock solid (I think it's the MiMo). I love the combination and stability. Like I said it saddens me but iOS isn't the first choice here.

What I would love to see is a iOS port of EngineDriver. Let's make that happen

[dnhouston]

I download wiThrottle, but haven't gotten around to setting up the network in the train room.
I have used the Dual Level and Flashlight apps during construction though 

[conrail98]

What I would love to see is a iOS port of EngineDriver. Let's make that happen

Actually, EngineDriver was the Android port of wiiThrottle. Both devs have tried to keep their features in synch. We just started using Git at work so I'm going through the growing pains with it but it seems powerful, maybe too powerful at times,

Phil

[timwatson]

That's interesting I don't see any similarities between the 2. I thought they just used the same withrottle protocol (which I though Duncan McCree worked on). If they are indeed the same under the covers EngineDriver has surpassed WiThrottle in stability and they should collaborate some more.

Once you get your head around git it will save your bacon often.

Actually, EngineDriver was the Android port of wiiThrottle. Both devs have tried to keep their features in synch. We just started using Git at work so I'm going through the growing pains with it but it seems powerful, maybe too powerful at times,

Phil

[Baronjutter]

I've just got a NCE Power Cab so I'd have to buy a bunch of stuff to link up to my phone or computer.  The controller works fine enough for me.