Trainvision

From IPTrains

With IPTrains Trainvision you can see views from your trains on your computer or anywhere on the Internet.

From the Plow

In a nutshell

Take a very small single board computer with a TCP/IP stack and a built in webserver. Add one or more very small web cams with streaming video support and a WiFi dongle to link it all to the Net plus a power supply with both track and battery support and you have the essence of Trainvision, the thing. But Trainvision the concept is a lot more than the sum of its parts. Trainvision is all about being the engineer that you always wanted to be as a kid. Seeing what the engineer sees and running the train not from the track side but from the inside. Come on, you know you wanted to be an engineer, you can't kid us, we're all foamers here ;-) Your secret is safe with us...

IPTrains Trainvision FAQ

What is it? A new way of looking at your garden railway, from the cab of your locomotive, out the cupola of your caboose or off the front of your snow plow. Don't just watch your trains from 500 feet up, climb in the cab with Trainvision and run them for real. Trainvision takes streaming video from your locomotive and puts it on your computer as well as making it available for real time viewing over the Internet with no additional equipment.

How does it work? By putting a small single board computer complete with web server and wireless networking along with very small USB digital cameras into your engine or other piece of rolling stock. Gory technical details may be found at the WiFi page.

What software do I need? Trainvision will work with most popular browsers that support Java. It will work with Internet Explorer under Java or ActiveX. We also supply the iMultiview program with each unit purchased which allows multiple windows with multiple cameras to be viewed, simultaneously. iMultiview is a Windows program however we have successfully tested it with Win XP running on Parallels 3.0 on an Intel Mac. iMultiview has the best speed (highest FPS rate) of any of the methods that may be used to access Trainvision. iMultiview also supports recording to disk, full screen windows, multiple windows on screen, etc.

How many cameras can each unit support? Each on board or track side unit can support up to two cameras (second camera requires an external hub).

How many Trainvision units can I have on my railroad? A single WiFi access point can support between 6 and 10 Trainvision units (12 to 20 cams) in simultaneous operation (transmitting a video stream). You can have a much larger number than that, essentially unlimited, on the railroad that are not transmitting video actively. If you are a club operation you can have multiple APs, each with a different SSID and channel, each supporting 6 to 10 active locomotives or other Trainvision equipped units. The real question is how many do you want? The system is essentially open ended.

What kind of resolution and speed do the cameras have? The low light camera (IP-2061) is capable of 30 FPS, has a light sensitivity of 2 LUX and supports resolutions up to 640x480. The Hi Res camera (CM-51) is capable of 25 FPS, has a light sensitivity of 5 LUX and supports resolutions of up to 1280x1024. We currently include the IP-2061 as the supplied camera in the DVRAC kit.

Which Camera is right for me? Click the link for the Camera Comparison Matrix.

Selecting an outdoor AP All about access points and what you should look for.

Is your equipment usable worldwide? Yes, our equipment is standard compliant 802.11b/g and thus usable anywhere the WiFi standard is allowed. This includes all of the US, Canada, most of Europe (ETSI), Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Since the on board units use our 5VDC power supply there is no voltage compatibility issue in any country. Our access points come with a 90-260VAC @ 47-63Hz 12V POE injection unit. You may need to purchase a plug adapter if using the POE adapter outside the US as it comes with a standard US plug. We can special order a non-us plug for the POE adapter however you are normally better off in terms of time and money just buying the standard unit and purchasing the plug adapter elsewhere. The same considerations apply to our battery chargers, they are world wide voltage compatible but you may need an adapter plug to fit non-us electrical outlets.

How hard is it to install? The DVRAC is normally furnished as an 'assembled kit'. Look at the DVRAC page for an example. You need basic electronic skills and the ability to disassemble your engine, identify track power pickup and do simple soldering. Trainvision is about as complex as installing the average sound system.

- If you are good with a soldering iron and can follow a wiring diagram we also offer the DVRAC as 'loose parts' at a discount as it saves us labor. The video and radio bits are still all plug and play, the battery pack is fully assembled but you put the power supply together around a Euro connector backbone. It's about 50% screwdriver work and 50% soldering. We supply all required parts, wire and heat shrink.

- Alternately, for you guys who love trains but are afraid of soldering irons or who are willing to trade money for time, we do offer an installation service for Trainvision units. See a complete installation example Battery conversion example that includes TrainUPS floating battery support.

- Factory Direct We also offer Trainvision, TrainUPS and the Aristo 2.4Ghz contoller installed in a brand new loco of your choice in our Factory Direct program.

Do I need special computer skills or programming knowledge? No, everything is web driven and we set up all units before we ship them to you. We'll show you how to add a WiFi access point to your network and make it all play together.

How do I control my trains? Trainvision will work with any control system that puts 0 to 28 volts AC, DC or DCC on the rails. You can use DCC or radio control, both work fine with Trainvision and are fairly easy to 'remote' inside so that you can run your entire railroad from one spot while using Trainvision to 'see' the action in real time. You can even use Trainvision with conventional variable 0 - 20 VDC or on un-powered track but your video run times will be limited. Trainvision units that charge off the track requires at least 14 or 21 V (depending on model) constant voltage to fully recharge the internal battery.

Can I use Trainvision with a conventional DC power pack? Trainvision will also work with traditional variable DC systems but must be charged on a track with a fixed voltage of between 12 - 28 V. Run time on un-powered or low voltage track is between 3 and 5 hours. Our units that includes an external charger for in train charging are your best fit for use with conventional rheostat power.

What about battery powered trains? Trainvision will work with battery powered trains subject to the same limitations as noted above with conventional DC power packs. If you are a battery+radio control user we have a deal for you. Take a long hard look at the TrainUPS option available with Trainvision. This is what we use here in house, the best of both worlds, the reliability of battery power (in a very small package) and the run times of track power.

6 cell battery pack

What size is your battery? That depends on power option that you select. The DVRACLV comes with a 6 cell (AA) 2300 mah NiMH battery pack that provides backup power for the video system only. It is 70x83x10 mm in size. If you select the DVRAC with or without TrainUPS power then the battery pack is a 14 cell (AA) unit that is 70x50x30 mm in size. TrainUPS provides UPS power to both the camera and to the locomotive radio, lights and motors. TrainUPS is for radio controlled units only, not for DCC or variable DC controlled units. Read more at this link Floating Battery. Specs and pictures of the 14 cell pack may be found at Battery Specs, more on the power system may be found at On board video power.

How reliable is it? Our trains here run 24x7x365 and are always available for viewing over the web. We think that's pretty reliable...

How do I get one? Click Here

Product Selection matrix

click to enlarge

You can also click the thumbnail to the right to aid in product selection.

**Selecting a unit**
Product	Wireless	Wired	Power	UPS function	Remarks
On Board Constant Track Power (DVRAC)	WiFi	No	12 - 28V track power, AC, DCC or fixed DC,	No battery backup	Self contained on board digital video system, requires clean constant track power.
On Board Flex Voltage (DVRACLV)	WiFi	No	12 - 28V track power, AC, DCC, fixed DC, variable DC	Video only	Self contained on board digital video system, includes video backup power only. Run time w/o track power is 3 to 5 hours, needs charging track or external charger if no track power is available
On Board 24V with TrainUPS (DVRAC14)	WiFi	No	22 - 24V track power, AC, DCC or fixed DC, 21 V with optional low drop rectifier	Video, Motor and radio	Self contained on board digital video system, optionally includes TrainUPS for radio controlled locos. Will not provide UPS power to DCC locos
Battery only power (DVRACBO)	WiFi	No	On board battery	No	Self contained on board digital video system running off battery, includes battery & plug in fast charger.
User supplied battery power (DVRACLB)	WiFi	No	7 - 28 VDC user supplied battery, draws about 200ma @16VDC	No	Self contained on board digital video system running off your battery, includes high efficiency low drop 5VDC regulator. You supply the power, we supply the video. Intended for locos with existing battery power.
Trackside (DVTSW)	WiFi	No	12 - 28 V AC, DCC or DC track power (continuous) or 5VDC (indoors)	Optional, video only	Can be used with any scale, makes an excellent security camera, has record on motion, email notification on motion, etc.
Trackside (DVTSE)	No	Ethernet	POE (included) or local 5VDC supply (indoors)	No	Can be used with any scale, makes an excellent security camera, has record on motion, email notification on motion, etc.

All Trainvision products are built around an iCAMView self contained web based video server and can support up to two cameras with optional USB hub. The DVTSE can support two cameras directly. The DVRAC, DVRACLV, DVRAC14, DVRACLB and the DVTSW require a wireless Access Point (AP). All units supply a TCP/IP based video stream to one or more computers on your home network and on to the Internet if desired.

The DVRAC runs on constant track power (12 -28V) (AC/DC/DCC) and does not include an on board battery. Therefore it requires fairly stable track power. It will re-boot if it loses power for more then about 1/2 second so it is not suitable for use on railroads with conventional variable DC control, slow acting reversing loops or very dirty track. The DVRAC is protected against track polarity changes.

The DVRACLV will work with any known track power and train control method (DC, DCC, variable DC, radio + battery, pulling train with a string, etc.). If track power is not available (radio controlled train running on local battery on un-powered track) then run time is 3 to 5 hours and charging time is 5 hours on 12 - 28 V charging track or 70 minutes with the external plug in charger. The DVRACLV has multiple charging options, none of which require removal of the battery to charge.

The DVRAC14 with the TrainUPS option is expressly designed for radio control operation (Aristo TE, Revolution, Air Wire, Locolink, etc.) and provides a UPS function to both the locomotive motors and the video subsystem. It is designed to run off track with 21 - 24 V constant AC or DC power and to supplement track power with its battery when track power is not available due to dirty track, reversing loops, etc. It will coexist with DCC locos on the same track and will self charge off the track when 21 - 24 V track power is available. There is also an optional plug in charger available for the DVRAC14 to allow it to charge in place from external power.

The DVRACBO is a pure battery powered unit and includes both battery and plug in fast charger. It will charge in about 70 minutes and run for about 3 hours on a full charge. It is suitable for railroads with any (or no) track power.

The DVRACLB is designed for trains with existing battery power systems. It contains a very high efficiency (90%)low drop 5V regulator and will run of any input from 7 to 28 VDC. It draws about 200ma at 16VDC when transmitting video.

The two trackside options can both use local 5 VDC power supplied by a small plug wart (included) either by direct connection (not for use outdoors) or via Power Over Ethernet (DVTSE only). The DVTSW can run off constant voltage track power (12 - 28 V AC or DC) and has an optional UPS to protect it from track power glitches.

Options

There are a large number of options for both on board and trackside Trainvision. See the DVRAC option page , the DVRACLV option page or the DVRAC user battery page for details. For track side units visit the Track Side Trainvision options page. Our most popular options are listed below.

Automatic ditch lights Video access causes a set of very bright (9 lumen each) ditch lights to illuminate. The photo at the right was taken at night from the cab of an SD45 with illumination provided by ditch lights only. The camera used was an IP-2061. The ditch light option provides enough light to actually operate the train at night. The option includes all required control circuits, power supply (7 - 28 VDC input) and two LED ditch lights (3mm SMT LEDs on a 4mm x 8mm substrate). The ditch lights are prototypical in size and appearance and brighter than all getout. Operation is fully automatic, just access the unit via web video or through the iMulmonitor program and they light up. They are fully independent of all other locomotive lighting circuitry.

Multiple power options Both the 14 cell DVRAC14 and the 6 cell DVRACLV have multiple power options for charging including track power, external plug in chargers or both.

Track power indicators Models that use track power have an option for a flashing blue track power indicator LED or a flashing red LED. The Blue LED looks great on top of a loco as a strobe and the red LED can be used as a firebox lamp.

Multiple cameras All of our units can support 2 cameras in simultaneous operation. Our 'second camera' options include everything you need to add a second low light or hi res camera. The second camera can be of any of the types we support.

Wireless Access Points We offer special pricing on our Ubiquiti professional grade access points when purchased as an option to a TrainUPS system.

Movies

The files below are shot from Trainvision cams located in locomotives or other rolling stock. We are constantly putting new videos on YouTube so check back often for new video.

Snow plowing.. In which we use the plow to actually plow some snow!

RS3 at speed (day) A quick trip around the River Line on a windy day.

Night action at South Helper (Night) A brief spot of action at the South Helper manned office.

Plow Ride, the Mountain Division (Daytime) A long slow inspection trip over the mountain division checking the track. Two tunnels and a high bridge as well as Deadman's curve.

2-8-2 cab ride, the River Line Division. (Daytime)

2-8-8 tender ride, the River Line Division (Daytime, same route as above, looking back over the train.)

Live!

Master Cams All the cams on one page. You can pop up a live video window if you like.

Live! Station cams The Helper station cams with 60 second refresh.

Stills

All photos taken with IPTrains DVRAC from the cab. All pictures in 320x240 except as noted. Click the pic for a larger image. Use your back arrow to return to this page.

South Helper from an RS3 cab in Hi res	Nothing but blue sky as we clear the North end of Snowsheds yard. Shot in VGA.	S. Winslow at twilight	Plow clearing the tunnel at South Helper
Peach from the cab of a 2-8-2	Naco interlocking from the front of a plow Medium res	S. Winslow at sunset in Hi res	In the snow sheds Medium res
Blasting through Helper	We've just cleared the tunnel	Dumping on Hereford station	Big drift!