About powered up compatibility

[seekersu]

I like to power my Technic models to make them move. However, I am very confused about current powered up compatibility:

1. I've read that Lego powered up family include spike prime system (such as Lego 45678 and 51515), and Boost creative toolbox (Lego 17101)

2. If above is true, there are total 4 categories of hubs in powered up family: large "move hub" (88006), common hub (88009), "tech hub" (88012) and "spike prime hub" (45601). They all have Bluetooth function

3. There is one Remote controller (88010) which can control common hub (88009) by Bluetooth. This remote controller is standard component in Powered up Train series (60197/60198). I'am very curious if we can control other powered up family hub such as Tech hub (72099/72109) or spike prime hub ? 

4. There are also many motor in powered up family: Boost Medium Linear Motor (88008),  Simple Medium Linear Motor (45303), Technic Large Motor (88013), Technic XL motor (88014), Spike prime Technic Large Angular Motor (45602), Spike prime Technic Medium Angular Motor (45603). There is one train motor in powered-up family, too: 88011

5.I wonder if all these motors could be used in all hubs? For example, can I use Technic Large motor (88013) with Spike prime hub (45601)? Can I use Spike prime Technic Large Angular Motor (45602) in Move hub (88006) or Tech Hub (88012?)

6.If I want to control with these motor/hub combination by app, control + app seems to be the most restrictive because it only provide 3 original Lego set panels without user define interface. Powered-up app seems to be more flexible choice?

Edited July 26, 2020 by seekersu

[amorti]

If you don't already have "brick controller 2" app, you should get it. It will allow you to freely program any output on any Bluetooth hub, to react how you want with a playstation or similar game pad.

It's so easy and makes your vehicles so much easier and more playable, that I don't think it's worth the trouble of trying to stay pure and use the Lego app and touch screen or try to make a digital button remote work, which would be a disappointing way to control an anaolg system.

[msk6003]

14 hours ago, seekersu said:

3. There is one Remote controller (88010) which can control common hub (88009) by Bluetooth. This remote controller is standard component in Powered up Train series (60197/60198). I'am very curious if we can control other powered up family hub such as Tech hub (72099/72109) or spike prime hub ?

Partially yes. Generally, only the hub of the train can be controlled, but if you program it in the app, all hubs are available except the spike hub.

14 hours ago, seekersu said:

5.I wonder if all these motors could be used in all hubs? For example, can I use Technic Large motor (88013) with Spike prime hub (45601)? Can I use Spike prime Technic Large Angular Motor (45602) in Move hub (88006) or Tech Hub (88012?)

This is also partly true. All other hubs except the spike hub can use any motor. But according to my tests, L and XL motors can be used together in spike hubs, but not medium motors.(included in 45300 wedo 2.0)

14 hours ago, seekersu said:

6.If I want to control with these motor/hub combination by app, control + app seems to be the most restrictive because it only provide 3 original Lego set panels without user define interface. Powered-up app seems to be more flexible choice?

Brickcontroller 2 is best solution for control hubs until now. But spike hub and wedo 2.0 hub doesn't work with.

[seekersu]

14 hours ago, amorti said:

If you don't already have "brick controller 2" app, you should get it. It will allow you to freely program any output on any Bluetooth hub, to react how you want with a playstation or similar game pad.

 

16 minutes ago, msk6003 said:

Brickcontroller 2 is best solution for control hubs until now. But spike hub and wedo 2.0 hub doesn't work with.

Thank both of you for your kind reply. You help me a lot. I just studied brick controller 2 yesterday, and find it's a very good solution to minimize the barrier between hubs. 

However, I wonder if I can use "brick controller 2" in 1 device (one smartphone/tablet) to connect 3 controllers (88010) and 3 Tech Hubs (88012)? Because I plan to buy 3 Tech Hub Sets and 3 controller (88010) for my kids to build their own creation. But, I don't want them to use 3 phone/tablets, so I wonder if I can use just single phone/tablet to make 3 pair connection between remote controller (88010) and Tech Hub. (I found there are 5 color/setting in single 88010, so I think different controller can use different color/setting).

[amorti]

The controller you mention is really limited. Two paired digital buttons. What can it do?

Better you get each of them a $20 android gamepad, this should allow control of multiple hubs by one device. I think. There's a bc2 thread to ask that question.

[msk6003]

3 hours ago, seekersu said:

 

Thank both of you for your kind reply. You help me a lot. I just studied brick controller 2 yesterday, and find it's a very good solution to minimize the barrier between hubs. 

However, I wonder if I can use "brick controller 2" in 1 device (one smartphone/tablet) to connect 3 controllers (88010) and 3 Tech Hubs (88012)? Because I plan to buy 3 Tech Hub Sets and 3 controller (88010) for my kids to build their own creation. But, I don't want them to use 3 phone/tablets, so I wonder if I can use just single phone/tablet to make 3 pair connection between remote controller (88010) and Tech Hub. (I found there are 5 color/setting in single 88010, so I think different controller can use different color/setting).

As far as I know, brickcontroller 2 doesen't work with remote hub(88010). And lego powered up app can connect only 4 hub at once(remote include hub).

[kbalage]

I suggest to have a look at my Powered Up summary here for the basics about Powered Up. In general most motors work with most hubs, but the app needs to be updated for the new releases, e.g. the Powered Up app does not work yet with the Technic angular motors. 

The app that supposed to support most of the PU hardware is the Powered Up app, it does not work yet with the Technic angular motor and the Spike Prime hub. To use the PU remote you need to use this app, no other apps support the PU remote as an input device. You can connect up to 4 devices to the PU app, so you can use 2 remotes and 2 hubs the same time. Regarding the hubs the best is to work with the Technic (AA) hub and the (AAA) Hub, the Move hub again has some limitations regarding the motors that can be used but it changes with every firmware upgrade.

BrickController 2 only supports game pads that are designed to work with your Android or iOS device, and only one gamepad can be connected.

[Conchas]

12 hours ago, msk6003 said:

This is also partly true. All other hubs except the spike hub can use any motor. But according to my tests, L and XL motors can be used together in spike hubs, but not medium motors.(included in 45300 wedo 2.0)

According to my experiments with latest SPIKE Prime App (1.2.1) and hub FW, the support for Technic L and XL is still limited.

The motors are identified in the ports they're connected, the respond to some comands, but encoder information is not detected (it says "0 unit"). So if you try to read the "degrees counted" it always returns 0.
Also waiting to see this implemented for a project to move forward....

[ShaydDeGrai]

While I appreciate the flexibility that these hubs and app-based control gives us (I used to teach a course on robotics and worked on the original RoboLab software), on the whole I've been unimpressed by the move to PoweredUp and Control+.  I wish that, in addition to the current offerings, they also had a IR-based smart hub that paired with simple physical controllers.  Where I live, bluetooth signals have become the EM equivalent of dust bunnies and I've given up on Bluetooth mice and keyboards because there's just so much EM interference from competing devices they are unreliable.  My (admittedly limited) experience with PoweredUp thus far has amounted to dropped connections and dead batteries.  With the old Power Functions IR remotes, I could run train layouts and Technic Models for hours on a single charge with no range issues (my house is only 14 meters long, and given doorways I occasionally needed strategically placed mirrors to maintain line of sight but...).  With Control+ I can hold my phone an inch from the hub and still only have a coin flip's chance of getting the model to respond, then, the hubs' batteries go dead from trying to maintain a connection rather than from driving motors.  A decade ago, a Bluetooth / App control system would have been innovative, now it just seems like a gimmick (and a buggy gimmick at that). 

I appreciate what they are trying to do with these new hubs, but there's an old mantra in engineering design, "Make the fringe cases possible, but keep the simple things simple"  I wish someone in the PoweredUp design team would remember that.

[GroundskeeperWillie]

There is an ongoing discussion on https://www.facebook.com/groups/PoweredUp/ about app-less control options. Doesn't look too difficult although it does require building a controller with custom electronics.