|
|
||||||
| Overview | ||||||
| Program Concept | There was a section in Lionel's Trainmaster Command
manual ©1995 that described
base-computer communications. With a Serial Port connection between
a pc and the Command Base, programs could be written to mimic the CAB-1.
This opened up a world of possibilities for programmers to create, store,
and playback command combinations, and perhaps someday control routes more
like real dispatchers. IC Controls products (now offered by Lionel) are
some of the
best for creating this kind of add-on excitement for our train hobby.
Quite a while back, I too experimented with a simple Visual Basic computer program which incorporated Microsoft's add-in MSComm Control for Serial Port communication to (and from) the Trainmaster Command Base. |
|||||
|
Lionel Legacy Serial Port compatibility
|
The Lionel Legacy system with a CAB-2 will
control TMCC (pre-Legacy) engines, and the original TMCC system with a CAB-1 will control
new Legacy engines
(though without access to the new Legacy features). As a result of this compatibility (thanks to Lionel), the old TMCC-based program is also essentially Legacy System compatible! Based on my limited* experimentation, the pc Serial Port connection to the Legacy Command Base will allow:
* I have only been able to test engine control, since I currently have no layout with which to test SW, RTE or ACC features - and the engine tests were limited to one Legacy diesel. However, the other commands should work as well... |
|||||
 |
Click here for a
brief walkthru of the simple program I used for the tests...
|
|||||
 |
I also tried an additional pc <-> Legacy
System experiment - simply to satisfy my own curiosity - not
an attempt to reverse engineer the Legacy System's commands.*
The challenge: When using the TMCC CAB-1 to operate a new Legacy diesel, it is not possible to toggle the strobe light on and off. So I wondered, "Could the pc...?" |
|||||
| References |
Serial Port Complete Programming and Circuits for RS-232 and RS-485 Links and Networks by Jan Axelson © 1998 Lakeview Research |
|||||
| History | My experimentation was originally inspired by a
three-part article written for the TTOS Bulletin by a member of the TTOS
New Mexico Division back in 2000.
After getting an initial prototype running for simple TMCC Engine Control (using Visual Basic 4 at that time) I dropped it for other mini-projects such as incorporating IC Controls accessories into my test layout (...ok, actually just a loop of sectional track on a small piece of plywood set up next to the computer in the den). At that time as well, there were very promising pc-based TMCC control products from companies like TrainCom and Train America Studios, which were way ahead of anything I could have produced then. A year or so ago, in anticipation of Lionel's Legacy system, I dug out the program code, upgraded it to Visual Basic 6, and built a slightly more robust program to experiment with. As the delays with getting Legacy to market grew, (though it was certainly worth the wait !) that second generation program also went on the shelf. Also, by using a small inexpensive USB-to-Serial cable adapter, I found that I could now control the test track using a laptop, allowing me to "show off" these tests at train meets. This year, with Lionel Legacy Control and a Legacy engine in hand, I finally had a chance to confirm that the past work is compatible with the Legacy system. ...What a kick! |
|||||
|
*Disclaimer: I work as a software consultant and not for Lionel or any other toy train manufacturer.... ...however, if Lionel wants to hire me, I could be there tomorrow :) |
||||||
|
||||||
| home | ||||||
|
|
||||||
