What's Neat This Week #156 Featuring TCS

TCS' Dan Mycio and Bachmann Trains' Doug Blaine guest-star on the What's Neat This Week in Model Railroading show with Ken Patterson! This week the podcast crew discusses new upcoming models from Bachmann's Thomas and Friends line, and Dan talks about TCS' Keep Alive® and Kapton Tape. Join Dan, Doug, Ken, Campbell Rice, James Regier, and Bruce Rogers for episode 156.

Check out what's new and exciting in the hobby with Ken Patterson and the What's Neat This Week podcast on YouTube.

Here are some helpful links where you can learn more:

TCS Keep Alive®: https://tcsdcc.com/accessories/keep-alive
TCS Kapton Tape: https://tcsdcc.com/tools-supplies/kapton-tape
TCS UWT-50 "mini" WiFi Throttle: https://tcsdcc.com/mini-throttle
TCS UWT-100 WiFi Throttle: https://tcsdcc.com/throttle
TCS WiFi Command Station: https://tcsdcc.com/commandstation

What's Neat This Week #150 Featuring TCS

TCS' Dan Mycio appears once again on the What's Neat This Week in Model Railroading show with Ken Patterson! Dan announces New Wire Gauges available from TCS starting this week, and shows off a Bluetooth speaker project he has been working on using TCS WOWSound and an off-the-shelf Bluetooth transmitter.

This week also features Denny Jelsma, Mike Budde, Daniel Coombs, and Campbell Rice. The crew discusses foam usage for scenery along with foam shrinkage, Mike shares his latest well car load with crushed automobile cubes, Ken shares the N-scale buildings from Walthers and Woodland Scenics, and more about laying track. Watch Austin Allard build his new Micro Engineering girder bridges for his river scene. Daniel Coombs shares the progress on his 7-inch gauge switcher locomotive. The crew checks out the Rapido Horizon Amtrak passenger cars as well as some of Denny Jelsma's brass passenger cars and his amazing stitched jackets. A long show at almost 50 minutes this week!

Check out what's new and exciting in the hobby with Ken Patterson and the What's Neat This Week podcast on YouTube.

Here are some helpful links where you can learn more about the latest TCS products:

Specialty Wire Available from TCS: https://tcsdcc.com/accessories/wire
TCS WiFi Command System Overview: https://tcsdcc.com/wificommandsystem
TCS UWT-50 "mini" WiFi Throttle: https://tcsdcc.com/mini-throttle
TCS UWT-100 WiFi Throttle: https://tcsdcc.com/throttle
TCS WiFi Command Station: https://tcsdcc.com/commandstation

What's Neat This Week #147 Featuring TCS

TCS' Dan Mycio appears once again on the What's Neat This Week in Model Railroading show with Ken Patterson! This week the podcast crew celebrates Ken's 56th Birthday, Dan talks about the UWT-100 Update 2.2, Mike Budde talks about decal-ing trailers, and more! Michele Patterson, Lionel Strang, Dan, and James Regier Talk model trains with "Sugar fire" Joshua Barton.

The TCS Univerasl WiFi Throttles truly are the future! Get your pre-order in while you can and save with the pre-order discount - pre-orders are available until March 29th! Pre-order your own UWT-50 by clicking HERE. Interested in both? Get special pricing from now through the end of March on a UWT1-00 and UWT-50 bundle by clicking HERE.

Check out what's new and exciting in the hobby with Ken Patterson and the What's Neat This Week podcast on YouTube.

Interested to learn more about the TCS WiFi Command System?
Here are some helpful links where you can learn more:

TCS WiFi Command System Overview: https://tcsdcc.com/wificommandsystem
TCS UWT-50 "mini" WiFi Throttle: https://tcsdcc.com/mini-throttle
TCS UWT-100 WiFi Throttle: https://tcsdcc.com/throttle
TCS WiFi Command Station: https://tcsdcc.com/commandstation

UWT-100 Firmware Update 2.2 is Now Available!

Release 2.2 is a scheduled software release that adds new User Experience enhancements, brings improvements to existing features based on the feedback of our users and our development schedule, resolves compatibility issues, and fixes some minor bugs.
 

Changes

 

User Interface

  • The LCD contrast can now be adjusted under Throttle Settings. The "Backlight Settings" menu has been renamed to "Display Settings" to encompass more settings which are not exclusive to the backlight specifically.
  • Improved the performance of the thumbwheel. It will be easier to make precision movements in the following situations:
  • Fixed problems with unexpected jumps forward or backward on certain devices when the thumbwheel was rotated slowly.
  • Implemented "ballistic tracking" which makes it easier to reach high speed steps or stop the loco by rotating the wheel more quickly. The throttle will track how quickly or slowly the thumbwheel is rotating, and increment/decrement the speed at a rate consistent with the speed of rotation.
  • Added the following named functions as selectable options for the programmable buttons (softkeys):
    • Air Compressor (or Air Pump)
    • Coupler Clank (Coupler Close)
    • Uncoupler (Coupler Open)
    • Dynamic Brake
    • (Prime Mover) Ignition
    • Notch Up (or RPM+)
    • Notch Down (or RPM-)

Accessory Window

  • The throttle remembers and shows the most recently selected Accessory when entering the Select Accessory screen. It is possible to change the last toggled accessory without looking at the screen by pressing the Accessory button twice. For users who use only one accessory, or frequently use the same accessory, this feature enhancement will improve your user experience!

LCC-related Changes (Do not affect connections over WiThrottle protocol)

  • Adds the ability to display and edit the configuration settings of the currently selected LCC locomotive under Settings > Roster Settings.
  • Adds the ability to display and edit the configuration settings of an LCC Command Station under Settings > DCC System Settings.
  • Implements consist member change direction in LCC mode.
  • Updates dot key assignment in the CV programming screen.
  • Adds support for Paged Mode CV programming.
  • Prevents entering the mainline programming menu in LCC mode when the locomotive has been released.
  • Updates locomotive control to the most recent draft of the Traction Protocol. Adds support for heartbeats.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixes a rare crash when changing configuration.
  • Fixes directional headlights flickering/rapidly-toggling after changing direction when connected to certain systems in WiThrottle mode.
  • Fixes unexpected direction changes in WiThrottle mode when a non-consisted locomotive is edited in the Consist Menu to be set to reverse direction.
  • The throttle now always shows the current cab’s direction on the main screen. If the current cab’s direction is changed in the Consisting Settings Menu, the direction of all other consisted locomotives will be flipped instead.
  • Fixes unexpected direction change in a WiThrottle mode consist when switching to a cab that is in reverse direction.
  • Resolved an issue in the Recall Menu where deleting the last item on the list would remove the cursor from the screen and prevent the use of the thumbwheel to navigate the Recall List.

Misc Changes

  • Added a "Privacy Mode" setting to Menu > Settings > Network Settings. This setting allows users to hide their throttle’s hardware identifier from the WiFi network. This setting addresses an issue some customers have when connecting to an LNWI. See the notes below related to this issue.

Compatibility Fix (LNWI)

TCS was informed by our customers that some recently manufactured LNWI devices have connection issues. The error presented itself on some specific UWT-100 throttles when selecting a locomotive, even though other devices (including other UWT-100's) work fine on the same LNWI. TCS determined that this issue is not specific to the TCS throttles, and also impacts some mobile phones in the same situation. With kind assistance from Digitrax, this issue has been traced back to a batch of LNWI devices manufactured with an incompatible software release. If you encounter this issue yourself, please update the software version on your LNWI device, or contact Digitrax Support. On a UWT-100 you can enable ‘Privacy Mode’ as a workaround, but we recommend performing the firmware update of the LNWI device.

 

CLICK HERE for instructions on how to install the update

https://tcsdcc.com/update_with_depot

What's Neat This Week #144 and #144.5 Featuring TCS

TCS' Dan Mycio flew out to St. Louis in January for an in-person appearance on the What's Neat This Week in Model Railroading show with Ken Patterson! After grabbing a bite of some tasty barbecue, Dan shows off the functional prototype UWT-50 "mini" WiFi throttle in a 3-D printed case, talks about some of the features that will be available, and gets hands-on with Microengineering N-scale Code 55 track. Dan also shows off some of the new speaker options recently released and available now from TCS.

The UWT throttles truly are next gen throttles, get your pre-order in while you can and save with the pre-order discount - pre-orders are available until March 29th! Pre-order your own UWT-50 by clicking HERE.

Also on the show this week are James Regier, Ray Brown, and Ashley. James shows off his custom rotary beacon project using an Atmel microprocessor and a TCS WOWSound decoder. Ray and Ashley share some of the highlights of their trip to the Iron Spike Railroad Museum, as well as show off some populated HO-scale passenger cars.

Check out what's new and exciting in the hobby with Ken Patterson and the What's Neat This Week podcast on YouTube.

In an addendum to the What's Neat Podcast, Dan, Ken, and Ashley share their impressions and experiences with the TCS UWT-100 and UWT-50.

Interested to learn more about the TCS WiFi Command System? Here are some helpful links where you can learn more:

TCS WiFi Command System Overview: https://tcsdcc.com/wificommandsystem

TCS UWT-50 "mini" WiFi Throttle: https://tcsdcc.com/mini-throttle

TCS UWT-100 WiFi Throttle: https://tcsdcc.com/throttle

TCS WiFi Command Station: https://tcsdcc.com/commandstation