Looks like Lionel now has ability to add Lion/Flyerchief to Legacy engines. Third paragraph - Lionel announcement
Brendan
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We will have this subject covered at the Legacy meeting.
To me this is intended as a path from the lower-end product line to the higher end ... at least right now.
But that's the question -- are there other paths here...
One path would allow the legacy base to somehow see the bluetooth engines too... guessing limited commands.
That doesn't seem unreasonable to me ... but they may wonder if it would be a problem if they give (somehow) the legacy base a way to see the bluetooth engines too... some add-on or upgrade.
Do they think that they'd be competing against themselves? ... That folks would tend towards the cheaper lionchief engines instead of the higher end legacy engines, even though they have a base and I assume got that for that "one" legacy engine?
Finally of course the bluetooth could carry TMCC1&2 commands.... but this seems very unlikely to me at least because then why have a base at all?
MartyE posted:We will have this subject covered at the Legacy meeting.
Thanks Marty. Not planning on going to York but information regarding another potential avenue to run Legacy engines is appreciated.
Just curious how it would work with, say a Legacy diesel. I know that for the LC+ SD60Ms it was stated on Notch 6 that the ditch light flashing would not be enabled for these. However this is seemingly a different beast.
This is interesting. When Lionel was at Trainland recently I had suggested that they could write one App that control both Legacy and FlyerChief so that one controller program could run everything instead of the separate Legacy App and a separate FlyerChief App. This is doing the same thing with Hardware (Adding Bluetooth). I am not certain what features in Legacy will be lost. But it at least shows Lionel is listening.
--Rocco--
The engine will have all the Legacy features, none will be lost. But when you are using the LionChief Universal Remote to run, you are limited by the number of physical controls on the remote. This is similar to using a CAB2 vs. a CAB1L. The engine has all the features, but different remotes have different capabilities.
That's kind of what I figured. Thanks Rudy.
Railsounds posted:The engine will have all the Legacy features, none will be lost. But when you are using the LionChief Universal Remote to run, you are limited by the number of physical controls on the remote. This is similar to using a CAB2 vs. a CAB1L. The engine has all the features, but different remotes have different capabilities.
Rudy,
Is Lionel going to publish Lionel's Bluetooth specs like they did with Legacy?
Yes, a future Legacy locomotive that is Bluetooth-equipped will run on a layout without a Legacy command system present.
Let me add to that by offering an answer to your question "Why lay out $350.00 for a Legacy control system if an inexpensive tablet or phone can do the same thing via the APP?" Different choices in your control system will give you different features. They won't "do the same thing" but they will all let you run your locomotive.
John Graser posted:Is Lionel going to publish Lionel's Bluetooth specs like they did with Legacy?
Not at this time.
Thanks.
I plan to use both. Currently have Legacy and Lionchief Plus but would like to write a app to control all 3 of them.
I'm not criticizing this at all. In fact the opposite -- I like it! But just to be clear: the path is lionchief to legacy engine to legacy base... not replace the legacy base. Actually I'd like to see the legacy base know about these lionchiefs, then you could have 199 of these "legacy jrs"!
But it's not clear if that's a money make or loser for Lionel... so up to them to decide on that.
If you mean "the path to full functionality of a Legacy engine" is to include a Legacy Base on your layout, then yes, I agree.
That is what I mean. The idea to me is that you may start with the starter set which will be lionchief that includes bluetooth control. Then later you discover there are even cooler ones! These are Legacy... so you get one & it runs with your bluetooth which is nice. But... you then realize there's more to it... so then you go for the legacy base.
Less bluetooth, this is what I did -- so I just figure many others will do something similar & the bluetooth in the legacy engine provides a nice on ramp to do that over time.
banjoflyer posted:If the APP will also run TMCC and Legacy that'll be an added bonus and the Cab1 will go bye-bye.
Mark
Doubtful, you will probably still need the Cab1 unless they sell some type of bluetooth add-on board for the older TMCC/Legacy locos.
Brendan
My other question to Lionel is are they ever going to make the Lion/Flyerchief boards available through ERR?
Brendan
Not at this time.
I got to play with this today. Pretty cool. Worked well.
Railsounds posted:Not at this time.
Thanks for replying.
Brendan
MartyE posted:I got to play with this today. Pretty cool. Worked well.
It was fun to watch the reactions we got from Dave & Ryan at the Lionel booth as some of us discovered we could access some of the features on the new brass Mikado via the LionChief app!
Like I said in a thread long ago, the technology is there where you don't need these operating systems when you can put a Bluetooth or wifi module in the engine. It's the future
And Rudy, will Lionel ever take the LC+ steamers and put Legacy in them instead? I'd love to get a bunch of those great looking smaller steam engines with Legacy control and sounds.
>Rudy, one more question. Do you have a tentative release date for the Android Bluetooth APP for the LionChief/FlyerChief/LionChief+ engines?
I think Dave O may have spoken to this, so I'm not going to add anything other than to say we are actively working on it.
>And Rudy, will Lionel ever take the LC+ steamers and put Legacy in them instead? I'd love to get a bunch of those great looking smaller steam engines with Legacy control and sounds.
Noted, but that's a question for our product management & marketing team.
Any chance LC+ engines will be able to be ran off the legacy remote?
Directly, no. Clearly we can create any technology to bridge between Legacy and Lionchief, however Marketing will determine what product road maps come to life.
Railsounds posted:>And Rudy, will Lionel ever take the LC+ steamers and put Legacy in them instead? I'd love to get a bunch of those great looking smaller steam engines with Legacy control and sounds.Noted, but that's a question for our product management & marketing team.
If you let me know an email, I'd be more than happy to voice this to them. I'm just dying to get my hands on a bunch of "traditional" sized ATSF steamers with Legacy control and sounds.
banjoflyer posted:Rudy, one more question. Do you have a tentative release date for the Android Bluetooth APP for the LionChief/FlyerChief/LionChief+ engines?
Thanks.
Mark
Obviously the Lionel guys know best -- and they have posted above -- but I do believe Dave O. posted a few weeks ago that the Android version would be "mid-summer" 2017.
The real question is, when will the Electric RR have upgrade modules for Bluetooth. Never mind me, just looking ahead.
illinoiscentral posted:The real question is, when will the Electric RR have upgrade modules for Bluetooth. Never mind me, just looking ahead.
I asked that above and they replied "Not at this time". It would also be nice to have the Legacy/DCC boards avail.
Brendan
I posted this (probably) in the wrong place. Can an earlier (2011) Legacy engine be operated via the base command then by Bluetooth? If not, can it be upgraded?
Wally
Cho Cho Wally posted:I posted this (probably) in the wrong place. Can an earlier (2011) Legacy engine be operated via the base command then by Bluetooth? If not, can it be upgraded?
Wally
No. Bluetooth communicates directly with the engine. The engine must have Bluetooth capabilities. The last time I asked there are no plans to offer upgrades as the older hardware doesn't support an upgrade.
The new catalog shows the new AF Legacy Berkshires, and states they are not BlueTooth.
Bill in FtL
I wonder if it’s is a matter of room in the S Guage engines, because it seems that O Gauge locos have both Legacy and BT.
Regardless of the reason, I think it’s good that Lionel put it in writing so there would be no confusion.
Ben
legacy and blue tooth work for me as i have a double deck layout s on top and o on bottom had to put a tmcc switch for either s or o due to bad tmcc signal if both is used, so i like blue tooth and legacy solves a lot of problems for me
No Bluetooth for Legacy Flyer Berk. Read the details of it on other thread.
Thanks Bill for pointing that out i missed it. Blue i see it will run dcc, which would work for me as i have ac and dc tmcc,dcs and dcc all on the layout.
