JMRI...

Since these can be managed by DecoderPro, EngineDriver or WiThrottle show the updated function maps right on the throttle. It says "Air Pump" instead of F4 or whatever. And of course they're loaded from the roster when you select the address.

@Dominic: simple, clever elegant!

Great idea.  I am going to make up some templates for my NCE throttles to follow your approach.  Thank you for sharing this.

Dennis

Brilliant!

That should work a lot better than my system on post it notes. I think Ill try a similar template for my Digitrax throttles. What are you printing them on?

Printed on...

Greg,

I simply printed them on heavier-than-normal bond paper.  But I recently changed my standard function mapping and will have to make a new batch.  This time I'll probably print them on regular paper and then have the sheets laminated for better durability.

I drew them up in AutoCAD for a more professional look, but a photocopied hand-drawn version would obviously suffice.  The holes for the buttons were cut with a regular paper punch, which happens to be the right size for the MRC buttons.  These buttons are nicely spaced and allow room for reasonably-sized graphics, but I don't envy those trying to do this for Digitrax DT-500 throttles.

Dom

Amen to JMRI

Also displays all 28 functions at once, no scrolling or paging. And you can define any function as "non-locking", like a horn would be.

George

Edgewood, WA

Very clever idea.

That's an idea I'll try.

It's easy to get spoiled with the mobile phone throttle with symbols for all functions....

DIY laminator

You could get a cheap laminator and laminate them yourself using the appropriate sized pouches, then trim them to fit the custom shape you require. But be sure and leave a little extra margin around the holes on your paper so the two halver of the laminate pouch can touch and bond around where you're going to punch the hole.

. . .

Nice work, Inventive solution

High or low tech?

I see from the various posts that there are two takes on this issue.  I'll say it up front: both approaches are fine.

I won't go into detail about why I chose the MRC system about 9 years ago except to mention these two main reasons:

1. At the time, it and NCE were the only two systems with data display screens on the throttle.  That feature seemed very helpful.

2. MRC had been around for a long time and could reasonably be expected remain in business well into in the future because of the breadth of their product line and diversified market, unlike a lot of smaller players.

And yes, I did try NCE and Digitrax systems on other layouts before committing and was therefore aware of their strengths and weaknesses.

The JMRI approach is great and can accomplish wonderful things, but I prefer to limit ultra-high technology to applications you can't see.  Running a train with a cell phone or tablet doesn't feel like the 1970s to me, let alone the 1940s.  I prefer more tangible and tactile buttons and knobs.  (Yes, the Proto throttle is very appealing in that regard.)  For the same reason, my turnouts are thrown with toggle switches, not through commands punched into the throttle.

Again, that's just my preference.  Do whatever you prefer and let others do the same, though alternate suggestions should always be welcome.

Dom

I will say I'm confused by

I will say I'm confused by the idea that OP would need to "toss" his MRC system to use JMRI as if the MRC computer interface didn't exist. 

Anyway I love this, even as a guy who likes JMRI. 

I thought it was a question

 The title of the thread is "how do you..." some of us responded to what we read there.

That’s me too

Yep, that’s exactly how I feel as well. I don’t even like toggle switches to throw my turnouts. I used door bolts on the fascia because they have a similar lift-turn-drop action as throwing a real switchstand.

It’s ironic because as the publisher of MRH, I need to remain open to all ways of doing things and we will continue to publish various methods all as viable ideas.

However, when I take off my MRH hat and put on my individual model railroader hat, I do have preferences, and this is one of them. I don’t want running my layout to seem like I’m on the bridge of the Next Generation's starship Enterprise full of touch screen control panels. I want it to feel like I’m still back in the 1980s where they used tactile controls for things. I have zero interest in touch screen throttles. Zero, zip, nada.

That’s why I’m a huge fan of the ProtoThrottle. I feel like my 1980s layout era is right where I’m at with a ProtoThrottle.

Okay, time to put my MRH hat back on now.

. . .

Edit by me.

That's an MRC wireless

That's an MRC wireless throttle. The command station is not built into it at all. I assume he has a prodigy advance wireless or prodigy advance 2 or similar. The full computer interface is something like $50 last I checked and can work right along side that throttle. So again, I'm not sure anyone was suggesting anything of the sort. 

Yes, it would cost a small amount more to have JMRI. Certainly more than the printout which is a cool idea, but nobody was recommending that a bunch of existing infra be ripped out. Also as noted, a more basic printout would be easy to do with computer software (or hand written) one already owns, but that specific design was done in cad. Which is neither free nor a zero effort thing to learn. So there's a sunk cost there that hasn't been amortized into the solution.

But all of that is just picking nits. It's a cool idea, JMRI/Withrottle is cool too. Enough said.

TCS UWT and ProtoThrottle

The TCS UWT has a ? button you can press to get the JMRI function map, as well as a list of functions by name that you can select and deselect. And the ProtoThrottle doesn't really need labels- the horn honks the horn, the brake does the brake, etc.

For my Digitrax UT4s, which are the only system-specific throttles I plan on using for actual operations, I'll probably make up a little loco card, as I've found that helpful on other layouts that either lacked a WiThrottle server or hadn't filled out the function maps in JMRI.

With the z21 app (I use with

With the z21 app (I use with a Roco z21), I create whatever function buttons I need. I can select the icon I want, change it if I need to, add some text to explain what it does. I can just "grab" a function icon and move it to whatever position I like. Delete and add buttons as required.

Thus, the button layout changes with each loco I switch to onscreen. But the functions are always "recognizable" because of both the icons and text cues.

Looks like this:

Moderator note: resized photo down to 720px wide. 

Make them the Same

I endeavour to map all the functions of each loco the same. I am only really concerned with the headlights, bell, whistle and brakes, I never really use anything else, or can’t remember what all the other functions are!

Using JMRI, I can map these functions to the same keys for different makes of decoders. The brake function is the only one that gives trouble since Soundtrax, TCS and Loksound implement braking differently. Also I like the Utility throttles for running, and they only have limited keys available, so 6 functions is plenty.

The newest versions of decoders allow complete flexibility in function mapping, the older ones are more limited.You have to find the common denominator, in my case it is the older Tsunami’s, with those there is a swap option that switches the functions for the more limited utility throttles, then I can match the other decoders to those.

MRC computer interface

From what I can tell, that interface does not exist to be bought anywhere. 

Overlays

HP used the same type of overlays on their HP 48GX hand held calculators. As one added program cards they could install an overlay to match the key assignments. Worked very well ....DaveB