Toastie

Yes, I really think so: Just ordered two more for €17.90 each because I sent one of my Hubs to electronic heaven … found out that a HubNo4 output cannot compete with a 15V/8A Laptop power supply "accidentally" applied in parallel - when the power setting was "0" nothing happened. But putting it to "very slowly fast forward" the train almost jumped up to DeLorean speed allowing time travel - and then crashed into my file cabinet (there is a curved piece of track preventing that but inertia is ruling here). What happened? Converted a 9V train motor to the "power pickup - return power" model. Wiring was fine. But I forgot to clip off the metal pieces connecting the motor to the pickups … That brings down my freely available budget for LEGO stuff (acquired though gift cards - XMas and birthday - I am not allowed to buy LEGO stuff without permission from the higher authorities with the exception of personal funds) considerably down. But: There is still left over. That would not be the case buying the hubs from LEGO S&H. So yes, it is recommendable! All the best Thorsten

I'd take another perspective: Just get the hack outta here, as so many things go nuts … in such a beautiful vessel! I would board right away. There is no need for "controlling" or "taking over", just enjoy the universe. Very, very nice. I love it. Best Thorsten

Hmm - for the hub: Have a look: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=28738c01#T=S&C=1&O={"color":1,"ss":"DE","rpp":"100","iconly":0} Starts at €14 … scroll down a little: 200 available for €17.90 each … That is not too bad. Best Thorsten

+2 here ...

Hmmm. Well. Yes. How about: They are just trying it out after very careful and expensive market analyses? When I am hearing that one of the reasons for making the ugly yellow train bogie plates is that calls to customer service are costly and every tenth of a second clicks in (so when the customer describes the piece a "yellow plate type thing with no nobs and a funny pin type thing on top" the service knows: Train bogie plate, bingo, and cuts the line off) then I am believing they are carefully, very carefully planning this out. Really very carefully. With lots of thoughts. And math. Just an illustration: The 10V DC power supply (45517) they are selling for $32.99 (this is sooo unbelievable cool) is the best rip off in LEGO history - you can't possibly make more money … Has anyone such a power supply? Does it deliver 10V? I mean as in 10.0V? And even then: Who cares? The LiPo (8878) features an injection molded "10V" sign on its top lid. You can safely use anything between 9 and 18 V DC to charge that thing. Stabilized or not. Same for the NXT/EV3 LiPos. I tried it out, works for years of constant use. TLG headquarters on a rainy Thursday: "How much do we want to charge for the new PuP Hub?" "Which one?" "The el cheapo one". "Dunno - 50 bucks?" "Are you crazy?" "No … OK then. make it $49.99" "OK sounds >much< better - but who is going to buy that?" "Come on, they are buying the 10V wall wart for thirty bucks. And there a lot less in that thing …" "OK, I can see that" "So how much do we charge for the other one?" "Which one?" … to be continued ... So the policy appears to be: Electronic stuff is sometimes confusing people. Confused people are willing to pay for getting less confused. Which happens when they buy stuff that actually works. And the stuff from TLG works very nicely. Naturally only as long as other people convince them that other stuff works as well. But that does only rarely happen. And it all seems to work out well; otherwise the yellow bogie plate would "promptly vanish in a puff of logic". (as Douglas Adams tells us) Best Thorsten

Yeah, all these new parts … exciting! I do share this notion. In addition (and for me personally that is much more than that) there are all these new programming features. There are so many things going on in TrainTech, Mindstorms ... with regard to automation, remote control, etc. pp. BL, BLE, Linux, Windows, Pi's, Arduinos, Python, Node.Js, Java, whatnot … This is so cool. All the best, Thorsten

Don't think so. When the LED does not light up, the remote does not send anything. [Even when it lights up, it may send wrong messages: After >years< of exposure to sun light, dust, high and low temperatures I found that the "lubricant" ensuring good contact of the dial's metal pieces with the PCB inside the remote simply degraded. Cleaning that stuff off (ethanol), and applying carefully (!) WD40 or the like, reanimated all controls properly.] But your problem is different, as there is no light. OK - the works (I know … don't get me wrong) batteries oriented correctly? If so, mind opening the remote up? Best, Thorsten

Phew. That was close. I believe your view, Sven, on this is very, very honorable. Kind of from an above, wise perspective. I like that very much. @snakebyte Folks - >talk< to each other. It is so easy. But talk before you "do" something. Before you make - whatever it is - publicly available - simply talk. Ask for permission. In the sense of being kind - and much more importantly: In the sense of being honest. Don't take your actions as granted. People can't read your mind. Whenever there is an idea of making this world - our train world - a better place: Ask yourself: When I take something from someone and turn it into something else: Who came up with the "something" in the first place? That is so much of a difference! When I was taking Ben Benekes BR23 mdp file he provided (for free and without any notice on his BrickShelf folder) and made an instruction, I asked him whether or not he would like to see this publicly available. He did nor only say yes, but I got so many tips and tricks, so many details from him - it was an experience I don't want to miss. And I bet (a lot of … whatever) that @Tenderlok would have done the exact same thing. All the best, Thorsten

Very nicely phrased! I am closely following the LEGO electrical systems - as you call them - since 1998. All these years it appears (only to me!) as if there is no master plan. As if TLG is driven (or better pushed) by new technology emerging. As if they were seriously thinking about it - and then at some point lost it - or better abandoned it. Particularly the compatibility thing. It is all there, but they don't really promote or push for that. Of course they have to make profit, take care of children not eating the new stuff … but … something is missing. The idea of putting everything together. It may very well be that this is next to impossible - however: I don't believe that. Too many diverse electrical systems from TLG are easily integrated - if you want to. But again: Legal issues may be in the way. Or motivation. Or declining sells. TLG is a very dedicated toy manufacturer - but at the same time a high-power globally operating company. Best Thorsten

That would be fun BUT: These strings are for >serious< decoration purposes (i.e. my wife's efforts). I am just the guy who has to minimize battery consumption Hmmm ... maybe I should get my own 3V strings - there is a 48 V DC power supply in the work shop. From the good ol'days where telephones could be used to make phone calls as well as cause serious injuries All the best, Thosten So back on topic: I believe that @Cosmik42 makes a very good point with regard to releasing his source code: Looking at my >mess< of messy VB6 code (that does actually works rather nicely with PuP devices) - I would not want that anybody sees it. On the other hand, he is a programmer. So his mess is not a mess, but a just a freaking good solution.

Well I believe I know some of electronics. Not too much but enough to get this and that going. Haha: The datasheet of a ten LED dirt-cheap string running on two 1.5 V AA batteries tells me nothing. But they were in some glass container with a little Christmas tree and some fake snow - and were decorating our dining room - and were - important. I hope you understand … not that much to me … Phew - another one of these strings of LEDs (2 x 1.5V) this time with spring season stuff - turned them off as soon as I read your post. Had 3.2 V regulators/100 mA at hand, used a 5V (+X) wall wart and now we should be good, right? Thanks for letting me know! All the best, Thorsten

Really nice ... … as usual. Seeing a post with your avatar - across this entire board - is always fun, inspiring and/or stunning. Very well done. Best, Thorsten

Didn't know that - just recently slowly killed an entire (very cheap) LED string (which was supposed to run on a 2x1.5V battery pack) by replacing that with a dirt cheap "3V DC" (measured about 4 V) wall wart. When looking into that a little more, it turned out to be a wall wart with a considerable AC component on the DC voltage. All but one of the 20 LEDs died over about 1 month … which may then just mean they were even of worse quality than the bad wall wart However, there seem to be quite some references out there that do not favor the 12V reversing voltage … maybe that is an how-much-you-spend-on-LED-thing? Or: The LEDs I have in my storage bins are more than 8 years old - and they are simply making better ones nowadays? Interesting! Thanks for pointing that out. I guess I need a new order of LEDs! Best Thorsten

The little junction box is a little more than that: It features a bridge rectifer and some other components that allow the hub to see what is connected its ports: When you set the output to "motor" make sure that the LEDs don't see full reverse polarity as many of them don't like that very much. (http://www.learningaboutelectronics.com/Articles/How-to-connect-a-protection-diode-in-a-circuit) I believe one can also use two antiparallel LEDs - one for forward one for reverse current - and the one emitting will protect the one in reverse. Best, Thorsten But it could may be done, right? Maybe a drop down list in the frame of the current hub with other hubs already connected to your BLE clients; then select one from that list; then use the slider.value change event to trigger the other one? (I am doing that in my software) Best Thorsten

Well. Yes: An Island in the North Sea belonging to the Eurasian continental plate will have problems in being not Europe anymore after a socio-economic Brexit, I give you that. So I stand correct: I thought the European Union was a pretty god idea. You are right: Europe is just a name for a rather small geographical region of Eurasia. What I was saying though is that I find it fascinating that such a comparably small geographical region on this planet with so many and diverse ethnical, economical, cultural, judicial, political, ideational ways of living is a comparably silent region in the world. And I believe that the European Union with all the stupid and countless rules and regulations and all that stuff that apparently irritates people so much - is favorably playing a role in that particular situation. IMHO. I have a >totally< (I could not be more than that) different take on using Britisch Empire and the (presumably) German Reich in the same context. The former has a several century spanning historically in so many aspects important and relevant (there were certainly not to few downsides as well) role in history, whereas the latter is a total and final error in the history of mankind. The latter should never appear in any kind of historical context or measure. It should always stand alone - and as a final error. And we should leave it here. And we (I) should take it easy: Sorry for running into the … Brexit trap. I simply should stop thinking and typing when hearing Brexit. In that regard: All the very best Thorsten

There is nothing wrong with that considering that this particular blue brick is existing decades longer than the 1980's, is there? It is sort of telling a story … from a long time ago. Which is still happening today. And most probably happening tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. And … What I like so much about the "Euro" bit is that nowhere in/on this world more diverse "populations" just try it out. For decades now. Without banging their heads and what not. And foremost: With forgiving unbelievable things that "happened" in the past. I am German and I am not proud of it. It is with great pride I am calling myself an European. Living and building Europe as a model for the world. Only as far as I am concerned, of course. [Oh yes: the Brexit. When learning about the educated British people's decision, I was very frustrated as I thought Europe was a pretty good idea. After seeing what the British government has accomplished over the past two years with respect to the Brexit and with respect of disclosing to the world how it works, in the parliament: WTF, just do it. Get outta Europe. Do your thing. And simply leave the other 27 countries alone. With or without "plan". We'll see whether or not the British Empire will prospect again - when it works, Europe will suffer roally, for sure. But when it does not work out … how about joining again? I'll vote for it, again for sure!] I like the Euro part very much. The "bricks" part is indispensable, of course. All the best, Thorsten

Well - believe me - I was thinking exactly the same thing (OK, replace the drunk with crazy, self focused or whatever) when I was in high school. I mean who makes up these rules? On the other hand, lets call it … … … heritage or … … … no, can't think of any other reasonable reason. But that is me. But: It is fun! At age close to 60 you just enjoy stupid things like that And then … I learned in beautiful SoCal: No comma before that, but more or less always before which. And then the if and when thing … and this and that … cool stuff ... So back on topic: I also believe the MOC is very well rendering the real train. DB is painting them in red/white, so is the MOC. Silberling or not … All the best Thorsten

Yes Yes and that is so true. But I agree with @Tmc0 that is could be much worse of course. But it could be much better as well. I simply do not believe that it is next to impossible to integrate such functionality when you do that at design time. I mean people are doing it on their own after the product has been released. That is what lately repeatedly strikes me as a "why on earth didn't they?" thing. It really is so much fun to see all the PBricks communicate with each other. The RCX/SCOUT/Spybots are from around 1998 on - which still can talk to a NXT via the IRLink-Sensor, the NXT via BT messages with the EV3 and that one with appropriate software (as I have now learned from @Tmc0) that one can talk to the PuP BLE devices. I am just saying that I would push for such features at design time if I were TLG. But I am not. I nevertheless looks so far so good with 3rd party stuff … All the best Thorsten

And that is what I call a) true backward compatibility (as in: brick compatibility) and b) sustainable development. When it comes to bricks, TLG is so proud about backward compatibility - when it comes to anything LEGO software/electronics it appears as if they don't have - if they ever had - I plan. It is possible. I am using MicroScout, Scout, RCX, Spybots (VLL, IR protocol) along with NXT (IR protocol, Bluetooth), and PuP devices (Bluetooth LE) all in one software: Microsofts VB6. The NXT knows how to communicate with RCX', Spybots and Scouts with the >brilliant, fantastic< HiTechnic IRLink Sensor. The Scout speaks natively VLL. RCX, Scouts and Spybots interact directly. So every PBrick "of the past" can basically establish communications with every other type. The EV3 brick is included as well as that one understand Bluetooth ... The BLE devices are completely set aside and totally isolated. The only way to get them aboard is with a "base" (e.g. a computer providing the link). Yes. I am missing the good ol'days. Or better: The days when TLG provided "communication links". As far as I am concerned, they do not anymore. And this is why folks ask for "infamous IRLink Sensor support" (which in contrast the brilliant IRLink sensor) and 1.04 or 1.05 firmwares. All the best Thorsten

Just to take this to the education level (the moderators will kill us on this pretty soon …) As @Duq recalled: They hammered that into our brains back then: "An, auf, hinter, neben, in; über, unter, vor und zwischen" (the ";" means a pause) - always is dative … (note the ordering, note the "in" being in the wrong place but nicely adding to the flow ... "Durch, für, ohne, um; sondern, gegen, wider" - always accusative … "Mit, nach, bei, seit, von, zu, aus" - that depends - dative when you can ask for "where and when" - and accusative when you can ask - errr - "whereabouts". My goodness ... I >totally< agree. From the perspective of "having survived high school" (barely) and "made it so far through life" - it actually became fun! So … anyone into German punctuation??? That is a blast. At least ... To make sure that the moderators will not pull the plug on this thread: "Rotling" is apparently a well-known term to German train heads. Hmm. Whatever. One thing strikes me: Why would you call a refurbished, maybe not anymore stainless steel covered coach a "Silberling"? That makes no sense when applying any (random) German language roles … other than: "It was always like that" … or: "It will never be anything else …" So a red/white painted n-Wagen is called a "Silberling" because you >know< things. All the best Thorsten

Wow! I like your idea very, very much. You ship is a true "Time Conserver" … a space ship that carries a wonderful sailing ship in its body. I would go without the tentacles - just with some space antennas or whatever a space ship need in the front section. Thank you very much for sharing! I love it. Best Thorsten

What??? Wikipedia is not telling the truth? And I donated money … what a disappointment () Well, I have never heard these other terms as well - but they make sense, don't they. I'll ask a DRB/DB knowledge institution tomorrow (that is the mechanical engineer in my group). Then we will know for sure And well, they are seldom called "Silberlingen" as you need to use the term in plural and dative case: "Der Zug mit den Silberlingen am Haken fährt in den Bahnhof ein." (Singular: Der Silberling - des Silberlings - dem Silberling - den Silberling. Plural: Die Silberlinge, der Silberlinge, >>>den Silberlingen<<<, die Silberlinge) And again this is meant to be funny , please don't take me serious, @Duq … stupid German Language details in the Eurobricks Train Tech Forum. Have fun! Best Thorsten

Wikipedia is your friend: "Silberling is the colloquial name for the n-coaches of the Deutsche Bundesbahn, a type of regional passenger coach of which more than 7,000 units were built from 1958 to 1981. Nearly all of the coaches have undergone extensive modernisation – these modernised units are widely known as Mintling, Grünling ("greenling") or Rotling ("redling") after their exterior colours. The term Buntling ("colourfulling") is used to denote refurbished Silberling coaches in general." (Accessed 3-16-2019) Hmmm - it appears as if @traintraum has created a Rotling. Or Buntling … but they are Silberlings in their heart … Have colorful fun … Thorsten

It really is!!! Very nice. But you should mention (correct me if I am wrong!) that you need to modify the "base" plate of the 9V connector. Is that true? When I tried to "crimp" an original 9V wire (cut to length) using an unmodified 9V connector base plate, it was a pain in the butt to get the metal pieces cutting into the wire aligned with the two recesses in the base plate. It appear as if your cutting pieces are bent as well(?). Did you do anything about that or were you just pushing the base plate forcefully into its place? Thanks a lot, Thorsten P.S.: I just clipped the cutting pieces away and walked the soledring way, as @XG BC suggested.

Why should this be deleted? You asked, you figured it out. It does not get better! Best, Thorsten