Happy Birthday America!
Happy 250th Birthday America!
It's hard to believe it's 1 day shy of a full year since my last update! Since then, my prediction that Apple would make some *ahem* changes to Liquid Glass seem to have come true. I've also picked up an older model iPhone to test iOS 27 on. And can I just say, that the Product (red) iPhone color is absolutely fantastic.
So what new features are being unleashed to Train Throttle today? Nothing, actually. I spent the last year playing with some ideas that went nowhere:
I tried to use the iPhone 16's camera control button to control the train. I thought I could detect a slide to adjust the speed, or a press to blow the horn. Unfortunately the APIs are clunky at best, and required the camera to be on the entire time, which would have chewed through your phones battery. No thanks.
I wanted to implement a track power button that would work for my CS-105, as JMRI doesn't support it. I got it working! But, that requires connecting to 2 servers, which means 2 server pickers, and the entire feature felt clunky, and fell apart at the UI layer.
I've had some feature requests for better DCC-Ex support. I bought an Arduino and Bluetooth module, promptly swapped it for a Wifi module, and it's been sitting on my workbench since then. At minimum, I'll update the wording on the "Error" popup to signify that it's a message, but not necessarily an error. If I get overly ambitious with the hardware, I'll see about the bluetooth connection too.
If you want to show support for DCC-Ex, err, go buy their swag. The hoodie is really thin.
So that's 3 non-updates.
So what is coming? I'd still like to better support my CS-105, DCC-Ex support can get some love, and I have a new toy - a Rapsberry Pi Zero with a camera, that I'd like to add support for.
But first, XCode 27 is calling my name, and I have some Liquid Glass updates to attend to. And for those of you still rocking iOS 18, I'm still supporting it too.
That's all I've got. Until next time, enjoy this startup sequence of 4014.