DigiTrains Loco Sounds user guide

Loco Sounds description

If you do not have sound decoder for a locomotive, with this solution you will be able to play certain sounds on your phone or tablet speaker. More than 25 different sounds, like horns, whistles, door sounds, etc.

The sounds can be used if you check the Sound checkbox in Function editor menu for a locomotive. (Open any of your Locomotive, touch tools icon next to the picture of the loco, touch Functions menu). In this example we will add a horn to F1.  Set F1 to Active and Touch, and set also a horn icon to it. Check the Give sound checkbox for it, too.

A new window will open. Here you can select from the sound list. The sound is played when selected. Save it.

Go back to Train Control window and press the horn icon. The sound is played by your phone speaker.

The volume of the sound is the same as your device media volume. If you do not hear the sound or you want to change the volume, be aware that in Train control window the volume buttons will adjust the speed on phones. So go to the station speaker menu and play an announcement. During the sound play press the volume buttons to set the right volume. Now you can go back to Train control and play the horn sound. Note: when you press the sound the function command is also sent to the decoder.

The Loco sounds is an In-App Product. You can try it for free and play sound for limited times. If it works fine and you like it, you may purchase it in DigiTrains Settings / In-App Products menu. Enjoy!

DigiTrains 2.2 on Play

Several new functions in DigiTrains latest version. It is available now on Google Play.

Release notes:

-Train control screen will return to the same train from the quick-list if you navigate to another window.

-Control your locomotive with volume buttons in train control menu. No need to watch the screen.

-12 new function icon for your locomotives:

-New In-App Product: Loco Sounds: If you do not have sound decoder for a locomotive, with this solution you will be able to play certain sounds on your phone or tablet speaker. More than 25 different sounds, like horns, whistles, door sounds, etc.

-If you use a black Z21, and beside the smartphones you also use Freds to control locomotives, sometimes you need to change the loco address in Freds. If you use DigiTrains you can change address in a Fred from DigiTrains Settings / Dispatch address menu.

-Optimized usage of background pictures to avoid app crash because of out of memory error on certain devices. This error usually happened on Samsung devices, where the Samsung Android OS handles the memory on a different way compared to simple Google Android OS.

-When DigiTrains used with JMRI, there was a bug in showing the locomotive pictures which have a space in their name (Roster ID). This bug has been fixed.

DigiTrains - JMRI quick start videos

I created two videos today to show how easy is to use DigiTrains with JMRI.

 It is also useful for not JMRI users, the main difference is what you select after startup in Connections menu. Of course not JMRI users (Z21, DigiWifi) must add trains, accessories by themself and create routes and layouts as well.

DigiTrains 2.1 on Google Play

I updated today the app on Play. New features:

1. JMRI compatibility

2. New sound in Station Speaker
3. Application error report in e-mail

Emergency STOP one locomotive

A new function in DigiTrains 1.9 is the emergency stop of the currently controlled locomotive. That is straightforward if you want to stop your locomotive you will press the normal STOP button on the train control screen. In this case the train will stop as it is defined in its CVs. If this is set to be like in the real world the train may stop on a quite long way. But what if you want to stop it immediately because of an emergency? You may use the Main Emergency STOP button on the top right corner, but this will stop all the trains on your layout. There is a better option now!

In Train Control menu you can LONG-TOUCH the normal STOP button between the + and - buttons. With this the currently driven locomotive will stop immediately, independent from the predefined CV values. This command will not influence the other locomotives on the layout. This functions is available on some throttles like the LENZ LH-100 (press the direction changes button).

Double Header native support in DigiTrains

Double Header

One of the new functions in DigiTrains 1.9 is a native double header support which is currently uniqe among the apps for model railroading.

Double Header means the two locomotives are connected to a train. This can be only achived in model railroading if you have a command station which supports it (for example Lenz) or you set both locomotives to the same dcc address.  

DigiTrains provides a checkbox in Double Header menu where you can enable or disable the native double header operation. 

If you command station do not support double header, and you enable native operation, DigiTrains will send speed commands for both locomotives matched together in Double Header menu, no matter which one we control from Train control menu. The direction and functions can be still adjusted individually. This way you can connect one train to the other on the layout moving them separately, then just put a tick to enable double header and then move them in syncron. Of course the parameters of the locomotives should be set before to match the speeds at similar speedsteps. 

So from now you can even use the function even if you use Roco 10764 + MultiMuas or Z21 as command station.

How to use Double Header in DigiTrains: 
1. Select a loco in train library
2. Enter into Train settings menu (tools icon next to loco thumbnail)
3. Select Double Header menu
4. Set if you command station supports double header or not
5. Select which train to match to the current one
6. Go back to train control menu and set speed. Both locomotive will move.

To disable double header repeat steps 1-4. Touch the locomotive in the list which has a tick on its picture. That is the actually matched locomotive to the double header. This will disable double header.

DigiTrains 1.9 on Play

Today I updated DigiTrains app on Google Play. Release notes:

-Roco Z21 compatibility
-Loconet compatibility with Uhlenbrock 63840 Maus-Adapter
-Emergency stop only the controlled locomotive
-Block occupancy feedback display on layout for dispatchers
-Security logic for dispatcher game
-Bug fix in station speaker announcements
-Double Header - control of two locomotives with one command even if the command station do not support it

Before any update I always test a lot. Not only the functions, but I also test the app on different screen sizes and android versions. If you experience any issue when using the app please let me know on this e-mail: digitrains@digitools.hu . This way I can fix the problems if any.

If you already downloaded the app please rate it on Google Play. Thanks.