Lionel Universal Remote firmware update

Although I have not managed to get this to update, I have managed to synch it with several LC+ engines, and some LC vanilla sets. I haven't tried to see if I can get it to the fabled 17 minute cut off, but I'll run it later to see if it runs over time with any problems. 

If Lionel is monitoring: is it possible this is already updated? No red dot on box or on unit, but maybe that is why it isn't connecting? If not, I would like to get this resolved: I have lots of LC sets I'd like to be able to use this with, including Polar Express. I'd appreciate an email shout out if you know a fix to this.

I must also say that in the few minutes I've used it, it is great fun to use.

UPDATE: This must be 1.0. I'm losing signal after about 7-8 minutes of run time. 

pdxtrains posted:

Yes, I could do that. Or I could ask here in the forum, where two other customers had the same problem. And since it's 9:18 PDT, I thought I'd ask here first. But thanks for the help!

 

I understand the frustration. It was worth the try. Ultimately I believe both of these folks had to contact Lionel. 

I contacted Lionel via email today, since it is hard for me to call and wait on hold during the week--I'm in a classroom all day. I may just take it back to my LHS and hope they take it back.

I'm also hoping that Lionel monitors this so they can at least tell me whether I can deal with this on my end, or if it is a replacement issue.

If you have tried unsuccessfully to perform the update using the iphone app, that remote will need to go back to our service department. Sounds like you have already reached out via email, thanks for your patience and sorry for the inconvenience. 

Thank you for responding.

Railsounds posted:

Lionel Universal Remote Firmware Version 1.1

We’re excited to announce a new version of code for the Lionel LionChief Universal Remote! (6-83071)

 This updated version of the code includes the following changes made over Version 1.0:

·         Connect to ANY Lionel LionChief engine! No more worrying about compatibility with certain LionChief Locomotives! This remote will control any LionChief Locomotive we’ve ever produced.

·         Multiple bugs have been fixed. Version 1.0 would sometimes disconnect from all locomotives it was controlling, and they would all need to be manually reconnected. That issue has been taken care of!

·         More intuitive lighting features! As you may know, you can control up to three locomotives at once with the Universal Remote. In version 1.0, the number (channel) button on the remote would be lit when you were controlling an engine with that channel. With the update, channels that are connected to a running locomotive, but are not the current channel being used, will be dimly lit, indicating that there’s a locomotive that’s running on that channel. Channels not in use will continue to have no illumination.

 Updating your remote:

If you already have a Universal Remote, there are a couple of different ways you can upload Version 1.1 to it.

·         Over-the-air Updating APP: Visit the Apple Store on compatible Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, iTouch) and download this APP:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...er/id1290304849?mt=8. It will use the Bluetooth connection on your phone to connect to the Universal Remote and load the new firmware! For a more in-depth explanation of how this works, you can watch our instructional video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qFfcpcsyTs

Note: An Android Version of the Over-the-air Updating APP is still being worked on and will be available soon.

·         Alternately, you can send your remote to Lionel Customer Service: You can send in your LionChief Universal Remote to Lionel Customer Service and we’ll take care of the updating for you. This comes with a $20 service charge. Please call Lionel Customer Service to get a RA number to send your remote in: (586)949-4100; open Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm.

 

FAQ:

·         What version of code is on my remote? Look at the back cover of your Universal Remote. A small red circle sticker on it means your remote has been updated to Version 1.1 already from the factory. If you do not have the red sticker, chances are likely that your remote still has Version 1.0 on it and needs to be updated.

·         What if I’m happy with my remote as-is? Updating the firmware is not required! If your Universal Remote already runs all of you Lionel Locomotives and you’re happy with its performance, updating is not needed.

http://www.lionel.com/articles...Remote-Compatibility

 

One of your fans suggested you might know the answer regarding compatibility of the Lionel Universal Remote.  I have one of the first Thomas & Friends Sets.  My remote control has no RF output, but the light appears to work normally.  The model number of my Thomas Remote is:  6307016600.  There is no part number on the set box.  Also no reference to Lionchief on the box.  Is the Universal Remote compatible ?  The only reference to this model number I could find is in Lionel's FCC Cert documentation which is on-line.  My model number is the same model number as the unit under test.  My remote color is the traditional baby blue.

Steve, doesn't this tell you all you need to know?

Connect to ANY Lionel LionChief engine! No more worrying about compatibility with certain LionChief Locomotives! This remote will control any LionChief Locomotive we’ve ever produced.

He sure seems to be saying it'll do ANY of them.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Steve, doesn't this tell you all you need to know?

Connect to ANY Lionel LionChief engine! No more worrying about compatibility with certain LionChief Locomotives! This remote will control any LionChief Locomotive we’ve ever produced.

He sure seems to be saying it'll do ANY of them.

Guns - Yes, it should.  I contacted Railsounds yesterday as you suggested.  Awaiting response.  Talked to Lionel parts today.  They said the last digit of the box UPC are the Lionel part number.  So I checked the set box and the P/N traces to Lionchief.   Lionel's computer system was down so I couldn't get any Universal Remote trace to my Remote P'N.  So based on your expert input and some anecdotal Lionel input, I took the leap and ordered the Universal Remote V1.1. A Thomas remote is $22 on-line @ Lionel  plus round trip postage since the failed remote must be returned.  The new remote has to be hardware configured.  There must be an up-charge for that.  The Universal Remote was beginning to sound like a bargain. 

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Steve, doesn't this tell you all you need to know?

Connect to ANY Lionel LionChief engine! No more worrying about compatibility with certain LionChief Locomotives! This remote will control any LionChief Locomotive we’ve ever produced.

He sure seems to be saying it'll do ANY of them.

until we here from Lionel this question is not answered.

Thomas the tank and the other remotes in this family are not the same.

We have done additional research on this question. It turns out that the very first run of Thomas remote engines is NOT compatible with the Universal Remote. 

The first Thomas version has the same Lionel part number/SKU (6-18769 ) as later Thomas, which DO work with the Universal Remote. In order to determine if a given Thomas engine is compatible with the Universal remote, open the locomotive by removing two screws which can be accessed with a long-shaft philips screwdriver between the driving wheels and the frame. (During re-assembly, make sure the eye mechanism rod is aligned with Thomas’s eyes.)

If the PCB is green with the lettering "LT117-RX4," the Universal Remote will not work with this locomotive. If the PCB is blue, it WILL work with the Universal Remote.

We believe this is the only exception to our previous statement that the Universal Remote will work with ALL LionChief engines. 

Thanks for chiming in Rudy, I guess every rule has to have an exception!   Maybe a replacement PCB would solve his problem.

Railsounds posted:

We have done additional research on this question. It turns out that the very first run of Thomas remote engines is NOT compatible with the Universal Remote. 

The first Thomas version has the same Lionel part number/SKU (6-18769 ) as later Thomas, which DO work with the Universal Remote. In order to determine if a given Thomas engine is compatible with the Universal remote, open the locomotive by removing two screws which can be accessed with a long-shaft philips screwdriver between the driving wheels and the frame. (During re-assembly, make sure the eye mechanism rod is aligned with Thomas’s eyes.)

If the PCB is green with the lettering "LT117-RX4," the Universal Remote will not work with this locomotive. If the PCB is blue, it WILL work with the Universal Remote.

We believe this is the only exception to our previous statement that the Universal Remote will work with ALL LionChief engines. 

 

Thanks Rudy !!  I'm the fellow with the first run Thomas.  Is there a direct replacement PCB (i.e. drop in) I can purchase and install in my Thomas which will work with the Universal Remote V1.1 ?  Also would it be necessary to return Thomas to the factory for channel selection given I presume the Universal Remote works with all channels ?   My original Thomas remote has a factory installed resistor matrix for supporting one of three channel selections.  Mine is channel 3.  

Steve, I'd check with Lionel Customer Service on the availability of the newer PCB, I do believe it is a direct replacement.

Railsounds posted:

Steve, I'd check with Lionel Customer Service on the availability of the newer PCB, I do believe it is a direct replacement.

Thanks Rudy - I talked to Lionel today and was able to order a replacement PCB which is Lionchief/Universal Remote compatible.  They said the PCB has the same  connector/pinout as my original board.  They believe the form factor is the same also.  So it should be a direct replacement.

I think we all learned a little today, there is one exception to the "universal" remote, now we know.

My Universal Remote arrived which I updated to V1.1.  I also received the latest Thomas Series 2 Llionchief board from Lionel.  It was a  drop in replacement for my first run 2012 Thomas engine PCB which is incompatible with Lionchief.  Installation of the engine board was easy except for the two Thomas screws.  Whamo, it worked. Thanks All 

I love success stories.

Thanks Lionel for the Android updater app. I downloaded it from the Google Play Store and updated my Universal Remote to version 1.2. I just followed the on screen instructions which are the same as the procedure for iPhone and it took about 15 minutes. I ran trains while it was updating the remote. It was easy and I'm a happy model railroader.

Hi Rudy, I've got a Universal Remote that isn't responding to the upgrade software. I've tried it on both an Android phone and an iPhone with no success. I changed the batteries in the universal and rebooted both phones, and still had no success. My contact information is in my profile or if you want to post something for me to try here, either is fine. I did get one of the very early remotes as I placed my backorder as soon as I saw the remote. Just let me know, thanks.

AtoZ Lewis posted:

Hi Rudy, I've got a Universal Remote that isn't responding to the upgrade software. I've tried it on both an Android phone and an iPhone with no success. I changed the batteries in the universal and rebooted both phones, and still had no success. My contact information is in my profile or if you want to post something for me to try here, either is fine. I did get one of the very early remotes as I placed my backorder as soon as I saw the remote. Just let me know, thanks.

@Railsounds see above!  

Mike, you should contact Lionel Customer Service. They will be able to program your Universal Remote to the current version and return it to you. Once that's done, in the future you'll be able to use either the iOS or Android app to do any future upgrades.

@Railsounds @GregR

As always, I’m late to the party, and in this case to a thread that kind of died out last August. But it was just a week or so ago that I happened upon this topic started in an October 2017 post from RAILSOUNDS, “We’re excited to announce a new version of code for the Lionel LionChief Universal Remote! (6-83071).

Connect to ANY Lionel LionChief engine! No more worrying about compatibility with certain LionChief Locomotives! This remote will control any LionChief Locomotive we’ve ever produced.”

So I called Lionel to get mine, after all, the only two LionChief engines I own are Thomas (early version) and a 6-30218 Polar Express, and both had been on the “Doesn’t work with the Universal Remote” list. At the time I called, Lionel had none in stock, so I ordered a Universal Remote from Amazon. It arrived already updated with Ver 1.2, so I immediately set about trying it. I could not sync to either engine. So I reloaded it (twice) to see if that made a difference. Both downloads went perfect, but didn’t make any difference.

Looking back to December 2017 in this thread, there seems to be a ripple that suggests the new remote may not be 100% compatible, and relative to this story, there were two locos in question: Thomas and The 1225 Polar Express – it figures 

After some back and forth discussions, the following was provided by RAILSOUNDS in March 2018, “We have done additional research on this question. It turns out that the very first run of Thomas remote engines is NOT compatible with the Universal Remote.

The first Thomas version has the same Lionel part number/SKU (6-18769 ) as later Thomas, which DO work with the Universal Remote. If the PCB is green with the lettering "LT117-RX4," the Universal Remote will not work with this locomotive. If the PCB is blue, it WILL work with the Universal Remote.” 

Yep there it is, hiding inside my Thomas!

RAILSOUNDS continues with, “We believe this is the only exception to our previous statement that the Universal Remote will work with ALL LionChief engines.” So that’s one engine down, and I’m still concerned my PE Berk will never work with this remote either, based on my experience and the experiences shared by GREGR earlier in this thread.

So what has happened in the last 5 months?

1. GREGR, did you ever get your six LC PE Berks mated up with this orange remote?
2. RAILSOUNDS, will there be any further upgrade(s) that will include the early Thomas?
3. And have you confirmed that all PE Berks (including the early ones) have passed testing with this remote?

My only solutions right now are to buy new boards for my engines, assuming any are still available for early product. That is something I would like to avoid (especially since the November parts sale is a looong way off), so I would really like to know the answers to the above questions.

One last thing, a big Thank You to all who contributed to this thread, and a very big Shout Out for Rudy (RAILSOUNDS) for his help, candor and integrity. It’s not all that common in today’s world, and I just want you to know it is much appreciated!

George

George,

From what I recall, yes, we did get the universal remote to pair with the PE locos after the necessary firmware update. 

George,

I've personally tested the UR with all of the different loco types and can confirm that with the updated code, all Polar locos can be controlled. LionChief ones I mean - not any of the conventional versions 

We put in the effort to try to get compatibility w/ the first gen Thomas, even using a spectrum analyzer to try to find the correct frequencies, but with no success. So we won't be able to get that one to work.

If you continue not being able to connect to your Polars, send me an email and we can troubleshoot.

GeoPeg posted:

 

One last thing, a big Thank You to all who contributed to this thread, and a very big Shout Out for Rudy (RAILSOUNDS) for his help, candor and integrity. It’s not all that common in today’s world, and I just want you to know it is much appreciated!

George

Thanks, @GeoPeg!

One last comment to put closure on this thread. My Lionel Universal Remote does now run my Polar express 6-30218 with the original PCB in the engine. I had a connection/corrosion problem that once fixed, allowed everything to work as advertised.

As Rudy and Dave both pointed out, the remote does not work with the earliest version Thomas PCB, and never will - it certainly can be made to work by purchasing a newer PCB, but since I now have two original (dedicated) remotes for Thomas, I'll probably just leave things the way they are.

Thanks again to all who contributed!

George

Did the Universal Remote update App for Android ever ger released?

@johnstrains,yes it is released and works great on my kindle.  follow directions in the new catalog.

hokie71 posted:

@johnstrains,yes it is released and works great on my kindle.  follow directions in the new catalog.

Oh, great! Will do.

I just tried to run the app on both of my android tablets and got the same message from both "device not supported."  Is the app only configured for phones?  Is there a plan to update the app for tablets?

Rolland

your tablets may not support bluetooth LE. It works on my Asus tablet.

Worked on my kindle too.