Powered Up FAQ and Community Wishes

[technic70s]

New LED lights now available

https://shop.lego.com/en-AU/LEGO-Powered-Up-LED-Light-88005 

 

[Carefree_Dude]

So, if I had to make my "ideal" Powered Up" wishlist, it would be the following: 

Hub has 4 ports
Ability to reverse polarity on a port (two motors for one hub for instance)
hub not shutting down when out of range of controller
Customizable software for controller
Programmable functions that use sensors (Automatically slow train when coming on a curve)
Ability to control more than one hub at a time (multi engine trains. I think you can do this already?)
an adapter for PF components 
Regular motors (not just train motors) letting you adjust speed, as opposed to just on/off
LEDs that let you change color
Really bright LED

[Mr Hobbles]

I think my absolute #1 item is a PUP->PF/9v conversion cable. Exactly the same as the existing PF extension/conversion cable, just chop off one end, and stick a PUP connector on it. Give it AutoID of 0x02 (same as train motor) so attached PF devices function the same.

Edited August 15, 2018 by Mr Hobbles

[Bartosz]

40 minutes ago, Mr Hobbles said:

Give it AutoID of 0x02

How's the ID implemented in the hardware? What's needed to set it up, and what (possibly, maybe that's too far-fetched) would be needed to allow the conversion cable to have "switchable" ID numbers?

[Mr Hobbles]

2 hours ago, Bartosz said:

How's the ID implemented in the hardware? What's needed to set it up, and what (possibly, maybe that's too far-fetched) would be needed to allow the conversion cable to have "switchable" ID numbers?

"Simple" hardware (WeDo 2.0 Medium Motor, Train Motor, and presumably the LED lights) use a resistor for the AutoID. Smarter hardware (Sensors, Boost Interactive Motor) have an inbuilt PCB that does a more complex handshake to set up the AutoID. I don't know how this works.

WeDo 2.0 Medium Motor - AutoID 0x01, 2k2 resistor between pins 3 and 5, short pins 3 and 6.
Train Motor - AutoID 0x02, short pins 4 and 5, and short pins 3 and 6.

When buttons are pressed on a paired remote control, the hub drives the motors differently depending on the AutoID. Up/Down buttons with AutoID 0x01 devices have bang-bang on/off style operation. With AutoID 0x02 it has train style speed increase/decrease operation.

Theoretically, to convert the extension cable between the two modes, you could have a small switch that switches the pin connections around. But for least effort on Legos side, I'd argue that a AutoID 0x02 cable increase/decrease operation (light brightness, motor speed, full "speed" could even power a PF IR receiver) serves more use cases than 0x01 bang-bang operation (RC cars only?)

Edited August 15, 2018 by Mr Hobbles

[kiwinewt]

10 hours ago, Mr Hobbles said:

WeDo 2.0 Medium Motor - AutoID 0x01, 2k2 resistor between pins 3 and 5, short pins 3 and 6.
Train Motor - AutoID 0x02, short pins 4 and 5, and short pins 3 and 6.

Thanks for this info, now to work out how to hack it manually too...

[technic70s]

Has anyone worked out a way to connect two controllers too one Hub.

I know it will sound silly, but I want to do it as when our RLUG does shows we let children drive the trains and its good to have a second remote to use as an emergency stop for when the children drive the train two fast.

 

[Carefree_Dude]

12 hours ago, technic70s said:

Has anyone worked out a way to connect two controllers too one Hub.

I know it will sound silly, but I want to do it as when our RLUG does shows we let children drive the trains and its good to have a second remote to use as an emergency stop for when the children drive the train two fast.

 

two controllers to one hub would be nice, because then we could just leave one controller on the train (boxcar maybe?) so it will never stop if it goes out of range. 

[Vilhelm22]

Are the new lights any brighter than the old ones?