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[dimaks13]

[Jim]

Wow! Is that genuine LEGO?

what’s the source?

[ibessonov]

Oh, so this is how it looks...

I wonder how are they going to release models with steering. We'll probably have another controller just like it was with "classic" PF - one for trains, one for regular technic sets.

EDIT: or maybe round things with buttons can be rotated, can't wait to see this in action

Edited May 16, 2018 by ibessonov

[dimaks13]

It's cropped from pic from promobricks.

[AVCampos]

Just now, ibessonov said:

I wonder how are they going to release models with steering.

Each pair of "forward/reverse" buttons appears to be rotatable to become "left/right".

[offtopic] Nice avatar, by the way!

[dimaks13]

2 minutes ago, ibessonov said:

or maybe round things with buttons can be rotated, can't wait to see this in action

It was said to be that by the visitors of toy fair.

[ibessonov]

1 minute ago, dimaks13 said:

It was said to be that by the visitors of toy fair.

Awesome, no more contraptions with big bevel gears or small wheels!

2 minutes ago, AVCampos said:

[offtopic] Nice avatar, by the way!

Thank you =)

[JimDude]

We already saw the patent for the 'rotatable' remote - up/down could become left/right - so it's got to be real. It also does away with the tiny dipswitches of the old remote because up/down can also become down/up by rotating 180*.

The illustration in the patent was beyond stupid though, since it showed a rectangular unit as opposed to a square unit, so rotating would mess up the shape. Luckily the real thing is squared.

(OK, technically, it's circular within a square container, but I digress)

[Timoonn]

But what about "channels" selection?

[AVCampos]

1 minute ago, Timoonn said:

But what about "channels" selection?

It should pair via Bluetooth. I don't know the exact procedure between two "dumb" devices (as opposed to a "smart" device like a phone or a computer), but with 2.4 GHz-based drones, when you turn on the receiver, it enters "pair mode", where it listens for pairing requests. When you turn on the transmitter, it searches for listening receivers and pairs to one of them. This is why it's important to turn on only one tramsitter-receiver pair at a time.

[Jim]

This is very good news! I wasn't aware of a new kind of controller, must have missed it. But this looks spectacularly usable!!

I have found a smart phone to have one major problem and that is that you don't hand over your expensive device to a four year old kid.

I will split this discussion into a new PF (Remote) Topic.

[Timoonn]

23 minutes ago, AVCampos said:

It should pair via Bluetooth. I don't know the exact procedure between two "dumb" devices (as opposed to a "smart" device like a phone or a computer), but with 2.4 GHz-based drones, when you turn on the receiver, it enters "pair mode", where it listens for pairing requests. When you turn on the transmitter, it searches for listening receivers and pairs to one of them. This is why it's important to turn on only one tramsitter-receiver pair at a time.

And how to assign a button (input) to a motor/led/whatever (output)?

[AVCampos]

2 minutes ago, Jim said:

I have found a smart phone to have one major problem and that is that you don't hand over your expensive device to a four year old kid.

I agree that it's the biggest problem. For me, the second biggest problem is usability: tapping images on a touchscreen will never surpass proper physical controls.

[Jim]

Just now, AVCampos said:

I agree that it's the biggest problem. For me, the second biggest problem is usability: tapping images on a touchscreen will never surpass proper physical controls.

So true! The second biggest problem 

I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this new product line.

[AVCampos]

2 minutes ago, Timoonn said:

And how to assign a button (input) to a motor/led/whatever (output)?

Hmm, either it's fixed (I hope not), or for initial configuration it requires a phone or tablet. In that case, the pairing problem is also solved by defining on the phone which controller gets bound to which receiver.

[Jim]

Here's the full image:

[Trekkie99]

Cool! Can't wait to see in more detail how it functions, along with what's in store for the app.

[Jim]

3 minutes ago, LegoMonorailFan said:

Cool! Can't wait to see in more detail how it functions, along with what's in store for the app.

Which app?

[kbalage]

31 minutes ago, AVCampos said:

It should pair via Bluetooth. I don't know the exact procedure between two "dumb" devices (as opposed to a "smart" device like a phone or a computer), but with 2.4 GHz-based drones, when you turn on the receiver, it enters "pair mode", where it listens for pairing requests. When you turn on the transmitter, it searches for listening receivers and pairs to one of them. This is why it's important to turn on only one tramsitter-receiver pair at a time.

I have a Bluetooth game controller which can be paired by pressing a combination of buttons, it enters in pair mode that way and if you do the same process on the other side the units are paired. Might be something similar here as well. The configuration is another thing, I'm sure you need a smart device for that. Hopefully it'll have a default profile so you don't necessarily need to tinker with a smartphone for a quick play.

[arijitdas]

I hope the new controller does not make the current IR receivers obsolete/incompatable. 

[Timoonn]

Just now, arijitdas said:

I hope the new controller does not make the current IR receivers obsolete/incompatable. 

For train part, i think it will.

[Trekkie99]

1 minute ago, Jim said:

Which app?

@Cwetqo posted this on the 2018 Lego Trains topic a little while back. 

You want information? Here you have some: :)

  Quote

At the moment, the new PF-Power element are stricktly related to the train.

There is the new battery pack, which is quite similar to the previous one, besde the fact it is also the "receiver" for the Bluetooth.
There is the new train motor, which is quite similar to the previous one too BUT with the new cable, which is of a RJ (same of Mindostorm and EV3) type
There is the new remote control which is operate by Bluetooth
There is an APP (both for iOS and Android) which is still work-in-progress and which will let you to control the train via smartphone or tablet, like the one that has already been developed and released for DUPLO train

Courtesy of my fellow ambassador Francisco Frangioa from BrianzaLUG, who saw those at fair in Milano, Italy.

He also said that connector is NOT compatible with Boost, but EV3.

[Jim]

Just now, LegoMonorailFan said:

@Cwetqo posted this on the 2018 Lego Trains topic a little while back. 

Sweet! Thanks

[allanp]

You would think a train would have proportional speed control. I wonder how/if this is achieved.

[agrof]

I guess +/- grey buttons. Red is for STOP, green might be for channel selection (1-2-3-4-...?-1). Might be Bluetooth based too, at least from this angle no IR port visible... honestly, it would be lame not to be up-to-date, and sticking to IR for no good reason.

Interesting control though, but I miss the connections to build custom controllers (joystick, whatever) - as it was possible with the old controller.

Edited May 16, 2018 by agrof