i am fascinated by the idea of computer train control and have found a company called CTI that has a great array of modular equipment, but i can’t find anyone that has used it. ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING ABOJT THEM? THANKS
Welcome!! Where did you find this company? Google comes back with too many hits to sift through. You might also try asking your question in the Electronics/DCC forum. Good luck.
Unless you have thousands of dollars of disposable income, lots of hair that can be pulled out when things don’t go right, and are just starting from scratch in building a layout so it can be custom built around the needs of the electronics, read all of the fine print about this system. Retrofitting an older layout could be extremely difficult.
I like to run trains, not just sit and watch them run. To me, computer control would take all the fun out of operating a layout.
Jeff: If you type “CTI computer control” into Google, this is the first thing that comes up:
http://www.cti-electronics.com/
I would want to see one of these in operation on a real layout before I would invest in it. I already have too many electronics modules that don’t perform as advertised, and I’m no novice.
I find their claim that “you can have your layout up and running in minutes” to be an extreme exaggeration. Depending on the size of your layout, it could take days, weeks, or even months to install all of the control modules that would be required.
H:
I don’t know anything about CTI, but Wayne Roderick has had a lot of experience with his own homebrew computer system:
I can’t tell from their website, but it looks like this system is for DC layouts. If you have DCC, there are several systems that do train control/automation/CTC that interface with an existing DCC system. Plus, if you have the skills and are so inclined, you could always build your own (yes I realize this is not for most, but I have been surprised by how many programmers/software developers there are in this hobby). Jamie
Yes. I have the CTI system.
On my last layout I ran a four track automated staging yard in a return loop configuration. A train would originate from staging, go on the layout (a large around the room layout with a single track main). I used a wye to enter the layouts main line. The train would go on the main line, go around the layout and return to it’s originating staging track and stop. After a predetermined time, the second train departed, circled the layout, and returned. When the sequence started, the odd number trains went eastbound and the even trains went westbound. Once the first circuit of all trains was completed, then their directions changed. When the trains were on the layout, I could stop them, perform switching, and then send them on their way again. All of the above was done on a DC layout, but DCC is supported by CTI as well.
What I automated was: Train speed at different parts of the layout, Train direction, Train selection, Main line direction, Staging loop direction, The direction of the lead between the wye and the staging loop, Staging loop turnouts,and Wye turnouts. All turnouts were Tortoise.
My new layout (under construction) will use CTI mainly for signaling, train location, and grade crossing control.
There is a CTI Yahoo group for routine type user support, but the company will up-grade components as required to keep them compatible with new software releases etc.
With CTI, you get to write your own code. To me, that is an advantage because some of the other train control programs are limited in what you can do with them CTI uses simple statements that are easy to understand. The language is very close to Q basic.
I’ve done all the hard work of building the layout. Why should I let my computer have the fun of running it. If my computer wants to run trains, it can build its own @#$% layout.
Actually I’m seriously looking at this option but not to run trains but to control a CTC system and no more.
Fergie