ProtoThrottle

[Chris Webster]

Pete Mulvany has posted several Youtube videos of crews using Iowa Scaled Engineering ProtoThrottles during operating sessions on his layout:
Ops Sessions on Pete Mulvany's Layout

[ScaleCraft]

Opinion. Useless. I do predominantly steam. Light Steam doesn't have that type of control stand.

I wonder who designed them. I know an outfit in Iowa that designed some stuff for #1 scale. Clean looking, though. Wonder it its weatherproof...like running outdoors in a rainstorm.

[sarge]

I, on the other hand, find it intriguing. A ramble follows:

Not for me probably, since it requires sound (which in its current manifestation leaves me wanting), digital control, a dedicated wifi hub, &c. But, those are all logical manifestations of what the hobby has become and where the cutting edge is for people far younger than me.

In the mainstream, the hobby is not about building the models anymore but about building the control systems. Note the "in the mainstream" caveat. It's the tech and its application that is the build for most of these guys. I don't pretend to understand it (though analogue wired systems come easy to antiquarian-me and I enjoy creating with wire and switches) nor to be all that interested for myself, but I can see it as the mainstream direction and respect the genius that goes into a lot of it.

I would not be at all surprised if these are just the beginning of a new range of models for the mainstream to focus upon. Instead of building a roster of locos as we did, the loco might be considered a purchased component in a pairing with prototype-appropriate controls as a new level of detail for that overall model which is the control system itself. I'd not be surprised to see more versions; EMD, Alco, GE, perhaps even steam (although nostalgia for steam is waning mainstream), in both control stand and console configurations.

Who knows? Will we be seeing this stuff marketed in the next decade as a package consisting of one or two units blister packed with a prototype-appropriate wifi interfacing controller? Interesting new set of standards coming?

[ScaleCraft]

Apparently others have been watching.
Quote, from one who only uses dcc:

"Been following this product for about a year, diesel only of course... pretty expensive and cannot be used with one hand, cute but I have not bought one yet, also you need to spend another $100 on the wireless receiver that has the "translator" for your specific DCC system."


I dunno Sarge. Looks pretty expensive and useless to me. Sorta like "look at the bling I've got!"
Certainly explains the lanyard hole . Hang it about yer neck to show it off.
Didja look at the website?

"Upgrade" handles. Really?
https://www.iascaled.com/store/ProtoThrottle

But, you can get a t-shirt to hang your throttle in front of!
Where does the lanyard come from? Not listed in "included with", nor separate sale...nor in any photos.
You can pay more for a BLACK one! OMG, Limited Quantities! Get one quick!

Horse Poo.

[ScaleCraft]

Features

Fully wireless throttle
Eight detent throttle handle
Reverser handle with centered position
Brake handle
Spring-loaded horn handle
Push-on/push-off bell button
Front and rear headlight knobs with dim and ditch light settings
Auxiliary buttons that can be assigned to any DCC function
Works with any standard DCC decoder
Interfaces to any* DCC system
Highly configurable to suit your operating style
NEW! Securely store your throttle with the ProtoThrottle Pocket
Laser cut holder also available from Precision Design Company

*Note: Requires purchase of a separate receiver specific to your DCC system.


See? Needs a specific receiver. 8 freaking speed settings? Really? The dcc folks look down their nose at anything less than 128 steps....You can have 14, 28, or 128 different speed steps. Even this one is about half the least number of steps. I am sure it's adjustable..settable..programmable....and you get to spend some considerable amount of time locked into the programming track getting it set up before you ever get to actually run it...
Visually impressive (if you like EMD), usefulness questionable.

[sarge]

First off, I have not had one in my hand, and I probably won't because this sort of thing is not intended to appeal to me or you. Might be fun to try one, but this is aimed for a much different and much more mainstream market than us.

One thing though. The number of notches in the throttle has nothing to do with the number of speeds steps. If you set your NCE or MRC system to resolve at 128 speed steps, its still resolving the entire range in 128 increments, whether you use one of these to go eight positions or you use the stock potentiometer/knob.

The rate will still resolve 128 steps, just 128/8 per notch as it ramps from notch to notch replicating the behaviour of a real diesel with an eight notch throttle. In other words it doesn't jump instantaneously from speed to speed in eight steps. It ramps (slowly) notch to notch for eight notches, each notch still resolved to nominally 16 speed steps for a 128 step range.

I think this is cool. Might be high end at first but might also be the next option besides an iPhone for the human interface that appeals to the mainstream young hobbiest.

But yeah, for me pots with a knob, dpdt switches, some wire to a rotary controlled distribution to my blocks is just fine. I have a Dallee Engineer power supply, a really high-end piece of gear and a real monster of a power supply. It was intended to do the same sort of thing and replicate controlling a loco with a four position brake handle, variable throttle, rate, decay controls, immaculately and robustly built. Its fun to switch with it for a half-hour then it becomes annoying and I switch over to a Controlmaster 20. Its not my thing, but doesn't mean it isn't a very nice piece of gear or cool for others for whom that sort of thing is important.

[ScaleCraft]

Or a Marn-0-Stat. I quit using knobs 25 years ago on the #1 gauge stuff, because we run in a climate subject to a lot of rain, and we run out doors.

Went to pushbuttons. Works, still, even though the specific technology has long since been branded as "obsolete" by ex-spurts.

While the software may resolve to 128, still looks to me like you select Notch 3, and it will go through the requisite steps automatically (magically?) until it reached that setpoint...not my idea of a good time being had by all.

[Chris Webster]

I wonder who designed them.

Three modelers designed it. They open-sourced the design and software so you can build your own and/or modify their design.

Opinion. Useless. I do predominantly steam. Light Steam doesn't have that type of control stand.

Over on the protothrottle group.io, a couple of guys have been talking about making a steam version. I don't know how far along they've gotten.

I, on the other hand, find it intriguing.

Me too -- I was the first person to reserve one when they started taking reservations.

See? Needs a specific receiver. 8 freaking speed settings? Really? The dcc folks look down their nose at anything less than 128 steps....You can have 14, 28, or 128 different speed steps. Even this one is about half the least number of steps. I am sure it's adjustable..settable..programmable....and you get to spend some considerable amount of time locked into the programming track getting it set up before you ever get to actually run it...

You're misunderstanding -- the Protothrottle is a wireless handheld controller for DCC systems. You use it instead of the hand held controllers sold by NCE, Digitrax, Lenz and ESU.

"Been following this product for about a year, diesel only of course... pretty expensive and cannot be used with one hand, cute but I have not bought one yet, also you need to spend another $100 on the wireless receiver that has the "translator" for your specific DCC system."

That $100 wireless receiver is used instead of the radio base stations the DCC manufacturers sell. (A NCE wireless base station sells for $189.95 and may need repeaters that cost another $159.95 each.)

[sarge]

Chris, I'll be very interested in what you think of it once you have your hands on one.

Just because I'm an antiquarian myself doesn't mean I'm not very curious indeed. The future isn't in Marn-o-stats or in my Controlmasters and homebuilt tether throttles.

[Jay Criswell]

Pete, has made quite a few videos with models using said Proto Throttle.

The model in this one actually has one of my drives for a RC GP9. No, his wiring, not mine.

Not my cup-o-tea but still cool.

Anything more than a rotating dial and I'm lost.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/sear ... tion=click

I see there are other videos he's done shown directly below the first one.

Jay

[2railjon]

My knowledge is extremely lacking in the controller (as in pretty much everything else as well ) but it appears this device replaces the tethered hand controller to a wireless one. I’m all for it as I really enjoy using my DCS wireless remote with my MTH 2 Rail locomotives walking around the layout free of a tether and not confined to a stationary controller.

[ScaleCraft]

Why stop here? Get yourself some real 1:1 equipment and adapt it in.

[Chris Webster]

Get yourself some real 1:1 equipment and adapt it in.

I refer you to the two-part article Quarter-size locomotive cab controls by Jack Burgess that was published in the October & November 1975 issues of Railroad Model Craftsman.

[ScaleCraft]

or the Doctor in Washington State with an F-7 cab in his basement to sit in and run his railroad.

I knew two guys in Iowa who did MR control systems....but neither did full on dcc. Radio, direct. Had some, when they quit cold turkey, went back to my Australian made obsolete stuff.

[Chris Webster]

Chris, I'll be very interested in what you think of it once you have your hands on one.

I do have one, but I'm not as far as long with setting it and my locomotives up as Pete Mulvany is.

In short, I really like the PT. It is a really good option for me since (1) I really dislike operating sound-equipped locos with regular DCC handheld controllers and (2) I had not purchased any wireless DCC controllers. (I only have an old Wangrow system and a more modern NCE Powercab, both of which use corded throttles.)

As for running sound using a NCE or Digitrax handheld throttle, I don't enjoy it. I don't like having to remember which button does what and all the thought that it takes. If I want realistic diesel sound, I have to tap whatever button increases the notch setting, slowly rotate the dial (or tap another button), take out the slack, then tap the notch button again to go up a few more notches, wait a little, then slowly rotate the dial some more (or tap the other button) etc.

With the PT, all I have to do is put the reverser in the right direction, put the throttle in the correct notch and enjoy the model as the PT tells the decoder to throttle up the sound while the decoder's momentum accelerates the locomotive and train for me.