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The battery box and train motor are all genuine LEGO, only the controller is ours (the light gray box). We tested RF, Bluetooth and WiFi and found that WiFi was the best choice for full layout automation systems. So that's what we designed our system on; we're not supporting Bluetooth, it's a fundamentally different technology. Using multiple trains with our system is straightforward. In fact, it was one of the design criteria and that's were the power of the WiFi approach became clear. Each controller has a unique identification number. You need to specify that identification number in the train control tile in nControl; the instructions of that tile will be sent to that particular controller/train. So to use multiple trains: you need to create multiple train control tiles, specify the corresponding controller ID in each tile and you're ready to pilot multiple trains! How many trains can you use ? In practice, there shouldn't be a limit. The WiFi communication is based on MQTT (open source internet of things protocol) that is designed to handle hundreds / thousands of devices... The controller needs minimal configuration. You need to connect it to your computer (USB) once to upload the WiFi network name, WiFi password and IP address of the computer running nControl. After that, you just need to switch them on (LEGO battery box button) and they automatically connect with your WiFi network and the computer running nControl. It takes about 10 to 15 seconds for the controller to boot and connect to the WiFi network and nControl.

It's funny you mention that because that's exactly what we're working on right now! We just finalized our first WiFi train controller. It has a PF style connector on top to connect the train motor and it has a cable with a PF style connector to connect it to a LEGO battery box. The controller measures 5x4x2 base units. We were planning to make a video to show case it one of the coming days... We added a new train control tile in nControl to pilot the train. You can change the speed with the + and - button or if you have a device with a touch screen you can change the speed by sliding your finger over the power indicator, i.e. the arc in the middle. The controller also measures the voltage of the battery and sends that to nControl so you have real time info on how your battery is doing. This tile will allow you to remote control the train or to automate with scripts from nControl. The hardware design is done, it's just a matter of fine tuning the software and firmware. The target retail price for the controller is $25, and we hope to have it available this summer!

Thank you! I agree, button controls would be awesome! We're looking into that and would like to make 12V style button that can easily be integrated in a control panel made out of LEGO bricks. We have made some fully functional prototypes, see below. The 'box' is 6x8x1 LEGO base units. For the buttons you can use 3D printed tile or you can use 4x6 genuine LEGO plates, both options are possible with the same base. I'm sorry about how you feel about the price of the automation system, we're doing our best to keep the system as affordable as possible...

Thank you! Making automation accessible to people who don't want to make their own electronics is indeed one of our goals. In addition, our components are designed to be easily integrated into Do-It-Yourself automation systems. We provide all the information you need to do so; if we forgot something we're happy to add it. We're also working on an add-on to connect our nControl software to DIY automation systems. Track switches are already supported, the other components (lights, sensors, etc.) will follow, it's ongoing work... If anyone wants to give it a try, don't hesitate to ask a free trial license!

FYI: We got a big one step closer to having a portable automation system for shows: we had to pull a few tricks but we finally managed to compile nControl for the Raspberry Pi! You won't even need a screen on it; you can connect the controller boxes to the Raspberry Pi and either log in with a mobile device using a remote desktop or use a custom webpage (that nControl will be able to generate from your project) to interface with your layout. The Raspberry Pi is powered with a micro USB jack so it should be possible to power it with a standard phone battery power bank. We still need to test this but this could also make you independent of the grid if that would be a concern for a show... The Raspberry Pi version can be downloaded for free from our website: https://www.4dbrix.com/downloads For those who are not familiar with the Raspberry Pi, it's a $40 Linux computer that roughly measures 10 x 6 x 2 cm / 3.5 x 2.5 x 3/4 ". It has 4 USB ports and on board WiFi. The Linux version of nControl is fully compatible with the Windows and macOS version. We're look into making an off-the-shelf solution with this by embedding the Raspberry Pi in a 3D printed housing.

@adn2377 we finally managed to finish the first video of the starter controller with sensors, lights and motors! This video shows the possibilities of our automation system. We have two monorail trains running on two loops that cross each other. Each loop has a sensor to detect the trains. The sensor flips the cross switch in the correct position for the oncoming train. When two trains approach at the same time, one of the trains is stopped. The automation process also keeps the traffic lights in sync. Let us know what you think! FYI: We have also finalized our design for the WiFi controller for LEGO trains. We're going to make a video showing the same configuration but with trains ASAP! If you are wondering where we got the monorail trains from, they were designed and built by Brick Loco. You can find all their trains here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/148062782@N06/

A 4DBrix user testing out his automation system on a train and monorail layout...

Hi! I know... we have been very busy (kickstarter campaign for the switch tracks...) and indeed didn't spend enough time to keep everybody up-to-date... But we have continued moving in the direction of full layout automation! What is ready and available: We have controllers that can handle 4 sensors (Quad Sensor Controller), controllers that can handle 4 train traffic lights (Quad Traffic Light Controller) and 'starter controllers' than can handle 2 switch motors, one train traffic light and one train detection sensor. The sensors, traffic lights and controllers are fully operational and available in our webstore: https://www.4dbrix.com/shop/ The sensors and traffic lights are supported by nControl 2017.3 which is available for both Windows and MacOS on our download page: https://www.4dbrix.com/downloads What is currently in development: We're working on a Wifi based train controller that can communicate with nControl, e.g. receive instructions based on sensor feedback. We have fully functional prototypes of the controller but we still need to turn it into a 'final product'. Besides the motor, the train controller will also be able to control the head lights and will be ready for the 'train position system' that we're working on... We also started working on button controls that will allow you to create a control panel out of LEGO bricks, it's inspired by the 12V train system. We have been working on solutions to export an nControl project to a webpage that allows you to control your layout from a phone or table. The initial tests look very promising... Another successful approach to control layouts with mobile devices was to connect the automation system to a LattePanda (Windows based single board computer) and then control it by remote login. We managed to setup the LattePande so it automatically becomes accessible with a table/phone after it booted, so you don't need to connect any peripherals to it. It just acts like a wireless nControl hub to control your layout with a mobile device. We hope to find the time to make a couple of movies the coming week to show the automation system, motors, lights and sensors in action! If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to let me know...

@davidzq, @supertruper1988, and everybody else that is interested in building rail yards: We just added the new track segments needed to build rail yards to our kickstarter campaign. You can find the info on this Eurobricks post:

We just added the new track segments needed to build rail yards to our Modular Track Switch system kickstarter campaign. There are 3 new 3D printed segments: rail yard diverging track (left or right turn): designed to put the tracks of the ladder at a distance of exactly 8 studs apart. rail yard adapter: designed to make sure all the track align nicely at the end or connecting the track of a bidirectional rail yard. bumper track: to have an elegant way to end the tracks of a one way rail yard. The system work for both one way and bidirectional rail yards: You can find all the info on our kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/4dbrix/modular-switch-track-system-for-lego-trains

Well, if you have a specific application in mind it's always possible to make an additional 'diverging track' for that. That's the advantage of having a modular system.

Yes, of course! You can add as many tracks / switches as you want. Both the connectors and geometry of all the switches are fully compatible with the LEGO RC/PF track system. The question was about connecting a right-turn 'diverging track' to a left turn 'split track', as illustrated below. The tracks of those two parts don't line up and to make sure you don't do it by mistake we designed the connectors in such a way that you cannot connect the parts. It's actually a safety feature... We also put numbers at the back of the tracks so it's easy to tell them apart.

No, that's not possible...

Indeed, excellent point! This works out great because on average you need the same number of '8+2.67 adapters' as 'rail yard diverging track'. Thanks for pointing that out! I guess now we can / should add them to the Kickstarter as additional option: 1 rail yard diverging track + 10.67 adapter.

There are indeed no studs there. Thank you for pointing out this potential problem, we'll look into it. The main reason there are no studs there is because the curved track is blocking you from adding anything, but maybe there is a work around... If possible we'll add studs to the final version. Thank you! I need to study the HO code 100 track before I can answer this. How easy/difficult do you think it would be to bend this tracks to the right curvature ? Thank you for supporting our project! Yes, we'll do other radii in the (near) future...

Thanks, this is indeed helpful! I just don't think a 2.667 stud adapter is on optimal solution, there is no space between the ballast and will give 5 studs of 'solid' ballast. I think it makes more sense to make a 'diverging track' with the exact length we need for a rail yard. I merged the shortest 2.667 stud adapter with an 8 stud long track to be able to have better spacing between the ballast. I made the 3D models and it would look like this: (The dark gray models are the new tracks not included in the Kickstarter) Thanks for the complements! We don't have any flexibility with Kickstarter, we cannot chose which payment methods are support so we cannot do anything about the Credit Only situation. Once we supplied all our backers (Thank you!) the tracks will be available in our European store where you can pay with a European bank transfer. As the request for a 9V version comes up regularly so we decided to start looking into that... we're trying to find an approach that only relies on 'digital production machines' (no molds, stamps, etc.) so we don't have any constraint in term of expanding the range of tracks / switches we could make. As I said, we're looking into it. In terms of automation, the switches are fully compatible with our track switch motors. You just have to click them on and you're done! Thank you! Thanks for letting us know. We're going the make other radii in the (near) future and are looking at the feasibility of making 9V variants. Thank you!

This campaign is indeed a starting point! We're planning to extend the selection to all the types you mentioned. The pace at which we can do that will depend on the success of the kickstarter... Thanks! This certainly helps. I will study it the coming days...

Thank you! Yes, drawing are always helpful! A system with maximal flexibility is what we should aim for. Indeed, the curved parts of the switches are R40.

@supertruper1988, @CrispyBassist We chose not to include that in the Kickstarter because the pledge system is quite rigid and this was going to make it way too complex. But we'll definitely make the specialty tracks to do all those things; that's the whole point of making the switches modular! We'll make a diverging track that is 4 studs shorter (straight section). We'll make diverging tracks and connectors with the exact length required to make layouts like on your drawing. The first approach has the advantage that the switch itself remains compatible with the LEGO geometry and you can use if for other things as well, but the tracks of the rail yard will not be exactly 8 studs apart. The second approach gives you a perfect rail yard but that's the only thing you can do with those tracks. We'll provide both options! All our tracks have numbers at the back, so it's fairly easy to tell the specialty connector tracks apart. Great, thank you!

Thank you!

We went for something slightly more ambitious... for details go to the tread below:

We created a modular system to build track switches for LEGO® Trains. There are 9 different parts that allow you to create up to 16 different types of switches. You can find all the details on our Kickstarter page which we just launched. Make a pledge if you want to support this project and everything we do!https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/4dbrix/modular-switch-track-system-for-lego-trains Here are some pictures of our switches:Continuous curve switch: fits in a perfect circle. Parallel track switch: you have the option to put the ground throw on the outside so it doesn't block over-sized cars. Single crossover: create smooth single crossovers with a 8 stud space in between the parallel tracks. Double crossover: with 4 independent switches allowing you to run the train parallel.

The decoupler is 8 studs long, so it easy to integrate it into a layout; the picture might be deceptive because the part that blocks the wheels is in the middle of two studs. The clearance is about 3mm on both sides. It's not straightforward to increase that because of the range of the servo motor. With this design only 6 stud wide objects will pass; 8 stud wide objects will only pass unless they are at least 2 plates (6.4mm) above the top of the track. The decoupler now extends 6 studs out of the track, the motor extends it with another 2 studs. With the current design you can fit the decoupler into a set of parallel tracks that are 8 studs apart. If the decoupler needs a larger clearance this would no longer be possible. A decoupler with a wider clearance is most likely possible, but as you pointed out every design will have limitations and nothing will work very every possible build. But if there is a clear demand, we can certainly look into that.

Absolutely! We're waiting for the cables; we had to custom order them. They are currently being manufactured by a supplier, once we have them we can start making the sensors and lights. The goal is indeed to have a system that is on one hand easy to set-up and does not require an in depth knowledge of electronics or programming; but on the other hand is open to be used by with a DIY control system. We try to make it easy to use for beginners but fully customizable for advanced users. This is the beginning, if it takes off there's indeed nothing that stops us from making a whole range a gadgets to automate the layouts including proximity sensors, LCD displays, etc.

I'm glad you like it! I still need to do the final price calculation but the decoupler track you see on the pictures would be around $10-$12. You also need a servo motor to actuate it, the motor will be the same price as our track switch motors: $15. To control the motor you need one slot of a quad switch controller ($39.95); that's the same controller as for our track switches, so you can use the three remaining slots of the controller to motorize track switches... or connect additional decouplers. As an alternative to the controller you can also use your own Arduino board.