Looking for software/documentation to control LEGO train the same as standard DCC? (blunami)

Question

Recently, SoundTraxx came out with a product called Blunami that allows one to control with DCC an HO model railroad locomotive via bluetooth using an iPhone app. Some folks realized that they could use the Blunami and the app to control a LEGO locomotive. So a few questions arise. First, are LEGO locomotives DCC? So then can a LEGO controller control a Blunami and hence a HO locomotive running DCC? If the LEGO locomotives are not DCC is there a document that describes how to write software to control the locomotive? The Blunami is either receiving DCC instructions or converting a different set of instructions into DCC that it then sends to the locomotive's "motherboard" which controls the motor.

Links on via YouTube on Blunami are here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epGtjOZWMkc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Umian2P88

Answer 1

For clarity, Blunami decoders are circuit boards that can control an electric motor, lights, and provide a broad array of train sounds to a speaker. So if your Lego train has an electric motor in it, you can use Blunami to control your train. You can also control up to 6 independent lights. You will undoubtedly want to put a speaker in your train, because one of the primary strengths of a Blunami is the sounds it provides. The board can be controlled by the iOS Blunami app, and an Android version of the app is expected in June 2023.

You don't need to concern yourself with the DCC aspects of the Blunami. The Blunami can also be controlled by pulsed signals that travel through the rails (DCC) which is popular in model railroading. For Lego purposes, just use the free app and control the train wirelessly.

Answer 2

I've seen a number of overly detailed videos on Blunami installation, both from SoundTraxx and other people. Its the exact same product as Tsunami2, and there are a plethora of videos on that install. But that aside, if your loco supports 21-pin, you just need to buy a 21-pin to 9-pin harness adapter and plug it in. You can get those for $12. Then you hook the 2 purple wires to a speaker, and you're done. The blunami decoders have a bluetooth characteristic called "DCC" that will accept DCC commands, so any manufacturer who makes throttles can make their throttle control blunami (there's no encryption or proprietary obfuscation preventing that from happening). Because the product is becoming popular so quickly, its only a matter of time before someone decides the market is big enough to add that. It is rumored SoundTraxx is making their own controller. I think ultimately down the line, people will control their locos with a bluetooth physical throttle, and use a smart device for customization and other features that are not as well suited for a physical throttle.