Another great video to start my day! The IoTT line of products just gets better and better. Integrating them with JMRI makes them even more useful. I have always liked your use of the ws2812 LEDs. They are an ideal way to show switch position and block occupancy.
Hi, what is the difference between using this AUX shield and the blue hat ? Is it just the footprint ? Wouldn’t using a yellow hat be a better option since it includes 32 inputs ?
The main purpose of the AUX shield is supplying 5VDC to the Arduino and controlling DCC EX. If you don't need wired Loconet, you can use the Loconet Loopback command source and you have a fully functional Loconet command station you can use with Loconet over TCP from JMRI or WiThrottle from the smart phone. The LED chain is just a side feature as I had the output pin available, but yes, it has the same functionality as the BlueHat. And correct, if you need inputs, the YellowHat is the way to go, and it can work over Wifi as well.
Is it possible to use this shield with the RedHat shield and just one IOTT stick ? I’m thinking a YellowHat shield and AUX hat combo board without the stick to be used with the RedHat++ shield.
The short answer is yes. If you have an older RedHat Shield with the buck converter mounted on the bottom side, you do not need the AUX shield as it adds no extra value. If you have a newer RedHat shield without piggy back buck converter, you need the AUX shield to power the RedHat shield, but you will have only one stick on the RedHat. On the other hand, if you don't need a wired Loconet net, you can go with the AUX shield only, add a Stick to it and you have a wireless Loconet system that can connect to JMRI using Loconet over TCP. Without the stick, the AUX shield is just a power supply for the Arduino stack. Watch video #113 for an overview of the entire modular concept and how everything fits together.
Another great video to start my day! The IoTT line of products just gets better and better. Integrating them with JMRI makes them even more useful. I have always liked your use of the ws2812 LEDs. They are an ideal way to show switch position and block occupancy.
Thank you. I agree, Neopixels are perfect for model railroads. And cheap and easy to wire.
Quite the Swiss Army knife. 👍
One does what one can do ;-)
Hi, what is the difference between using this AUX shield and the blue hat ? Is it just the footprint ? Wouldn’t using a yellow hat be a better option since it includes 32 inputs ?
The main purpose of the AUX shield is supplying 5VDC to the Arduino and controlling DCC EX. If you don't need wired Loconet, you can use the Loconet Loopback command source and you have a fully functional Loconet command station you can use with Loconet over TCP from JMRI or WiThrottle from the smart phone.
The LED chain is just a side feature as I had the output pin available, but yes, it has the same functionality as the BlueHat. And correct, if you need inputs, the YellowHat is the way to go, and it can work over Wifi as well.
Is it possible to use this shield with the RedHat shield and just one IOTT stick ? I’m thinking a YellowHat shield and AUX hat combo board without the stick to be used with the RedHat++ shield.
The short answer is yes. If you have an older RedHat Shield with the buck converter mounted on the bottom side, you do not need the AUX shield as it adds no extra value. If you have a newer RedHat shield without piggy back buck converter, you need the AUX shield to power the RedHat shield, but you will have only one stick on the RedHat. On the other hand, if you don't need a wired Loconet net, you can go with the AUX shield only, add a Stick to it and you have a wireless Loconet system that can connect to JMRI using Loconet over TCP. Without the stick, the AUX shield is just a power supply for the Arduino stack. Watch video #113 for an overview of the entire modular concept and how everything fits together.