What is your wish list for train room electrical items?

[MK]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That video is funny, not that it shows an Alexa controlled train.  But I was watching it on my Amazon Fire tablet...which is Alexa enabled.  So when the dude in the video said "Alex", my tablet froze the video and the blue moving bar showed up on the bottom of my tablet.  For a few seconds i was wondering WTF????  Until I realized what was happening.

Once it timed out, the video played again.  Coooool!  LOL!!!

[DKS]

All those articles are 2+ years old.   Might as well get your tech info from your Encyclopedia Brittanica's.   

Correct. They're all from an article I wrote two years ago. If I did the same again today, I'd have far more articles that painted an even scarier (and more ridiculous) picture of the issue.

[Maletrain]

Um, some basic voice processing is done locally in the device, but without the computing power and the vast database in the cloud, these digital assistants would not be able to do much.  Take Alexa offline and she will be as dumb as a door stop.

The whole point is that Alexa should not need the IP to execute a command like "lock the front door" or "set the thermostat to 72°".  It should open a portal to the cloud only when you ask it to do that, explicitly.  And, it should not take that opportunity to upload everything it has recorded for the last 3 days, either.

[peteski]

The whole point is that Alexa should not need the IP to execute a command like "lock the front door" or "set the thermostat to 72°".  It should open a portal to the cloud only when you ask it to do that, explicitly.  And, it should not take that opportunity to upload everything it has recorded for the last 3 days, either.

Unfortunately that's not how things work.

[DKS]

The whole point is that Alexa should not need the IP to execute a command like "lock the front door" or "set the thermostat to 72°".  It should open a portal to the cloud only when you ask it to do that, explicitly.  And, it should not take that opportunity to upload everything it has recorded for the last 3 days, either.

Dream on!

[draskouasshat]

Sorry, I do not understand "throw switch 23". Did you mean to say throw turnout 23?

Ummmmmm no...... it's throwing the switch.  You're very very wrong @Point353
We use switch in the 1:1. You throw a switch stand when lining a switch, the dispatcher gives me permission to take the power switch on hand when im breaking down the wiring of a switch machine, i get switch yes on my authorities so i have permission inside of a control point, etc.
It's a switch. The switch allows you to travel down the normal or reverse side of the turnout.

Drasko

[DKS]

You're very very wrong @Point353

Well, wrong is wrong. Not sure how someone can be very very wrong...

But Drasko is right in that, in the 1:1 world, you throw a switch... which is part of a turnout.

[peteski]

Ummmmmm no...... it's throwing the switch.  You're very very wrong @Point353
We use switch in the 1:1. You throw a switch stand when lining a switch, the dispatcher gives me permission to take the power switch on hand when im

I think that Point353 knows that and he was just doing some friendly trolling.

[Point353]

Ummmmmm no...... it's throwing the switch.  You're very very wrong @Point353
We use switch in the 1:1. You throw a switch stand when lining a switch, the dispatcher gives me permission to take the power switch on hand when im breaking down the wiring of a switch machine, i get switch yes on my authorities so i have permission inside of a control point, etc.
It's a switch. The switch allows you to travel down the normal or reverse side of the turnout.

Drasko

Again, tell it to the NMRA: https://www.nmra.org/beginner/trackwork

Well, wrong is wrong. Not sure how someone can be very very wrong...

But Drasko is right in that, in the 1:1 world, you throw a switch... which is part of a turnout.

Ibid.

I think that Point353 knows that and he was just doing some friendly trolling.

Still trying to get a handle on that emoji thing.   

[peteski]

Again, tell it to the NMRA: https://www.nmra.org/beginner/trackwork

what NMRA thinks. 

(I own and wear that t-shirt).

[jereising]

Can I get an AMEN for Brother Peter?   AAAAMEN!

[draskouasshat]

Again, tell it to the NMRA: https://www.nmra.org/beginner/trackwork
Ibid.
Still trying to get a handle on that emoji thing.   

Yes , the NMRA is who we should be listening to on this......................

[JMaurer1]

I actually live in the perfect use case: my house has almost every light wired through switches that make little sense and many rooms can be entered from numerous directions. I really wish I could just walk into the kitchen and say "Alexa, turn on the kitchen" and have it happen. It'll also be nice to have it automatically turn things off at certain times because, well, I just got a $450 electric bill!

These things seem like minor conveniences, and they are, but when they work right, they can definitely make life easier when you add them all up.

If only they made some sort of light that sensed movement and turned the light on for you...

Sorry, I do not understand "throw switch 23". Did you mean to say "bro witch funny tree?"

[randgust]

Meanwhile, back at reality.....

I have three circuits in my relatively small room.

1)  'native' 110VAC, wall outlets (3) for 'always on' that the dehumidifier and any other power that has to remain on all the time
2)  'Control' 110VAC, wall switch by door.   That's the power switch for wall outlets to plug layout power into and is the 'master off' switch for everything including soldering irons, wall warts, sound system, everything.
3)  'lighting' 110VAC, wall switch, by door - controlling all the overhead outlets in the ceiling that run the lighting fixtures.

What's funny is that the power indicator has become the signaling system - I literally glance at the Winslow home junction signal to make sure it's off when I walk out the room, that tells me the control circuit is off.   But the 'control' circuit is also the one that generates most of the heat in the room, which is a real bugger in the summer, so it's nice to be able to have lights on, power off at the workbench and just run it off of native.

I had to have my entire house upgraded when I bought it for a bigger service and had lots of space added for extra breakers when I did, so it's been relatively painless to add separate circuits - and I also have lines for the workshop power tools and outside Christmas light power.   I think my basement now draws about 75% of the power in the house between the furnace, appliances, layout, workshop, family room with entertainment, etc.   The rest of the house is pretty lightweight.   So start from the breaker box and see what you have to work with, and if you don't have enough, bite the bullet and get it done by a professional as step one.  More circuits with smaller breakers is a good thing.

I've worked enough in IT that I did the entire house from basement to attic in CAT5.    And I had enough scares with the lousy firmware and security leaks in consumer grade wireless routers that I finally moved nearly everything back to cabled connections.   No big fan here of IoT, I've seen too much get hacked and even shut down most of the unnecessary wireless features even in my office.    On the road, it's all via VPN now to a dedicated Verizon connection, I never use public Wi-Fi if I can help it.