ring HC-3 User manual

HC-3 Model Railroad Handheld
Controller
User Manual
Ring Engineering Inc.
[phone]
www.RingEngineering.com Revision 1.00
Copyright © 2024 Ring Engineering Inc.All rights reserved.

Introduction......................................................................................3
Warnings...........................................................................................3
Quick Start Guide.............................................................................4
Operation..........................................................................................5
Find Products.........................................................................................7
Control, Setup, and Monitor Products......................................................8
Charge Indicator.....................................................................................8
Help.......................................................................................................9
Stop All...................................................................................................9
Reset Button...........................................................................................9
Locomotives...................................................................................10
Basic Control........................................................................................10
Multiple Units........................................................................................12
Setup....................................................................................................13
User Defined Buttons............................................................................14
Advanced Setup...................................................................................17
Locomotive SetupAdvanced 2..............................................................17
LocomotiveAdvanced Sounds Setup....................................................18
Information Page..................................................................................19
Turnouts..........................................................................................20
Basic Control........................................................................................20
Accessories....................................................................................21
PWR-56 Basic Control..........................................................................21
Repeaters.............................................................................................22
Charging.........................................................................................24
Passwords......................................................................................25
Reset Password...................................................................................26
Update Software.............................................................................26
Remove Product.............................................................................27
Warranty..........................................................................................28
FCC Statement................................................................................28
Index................................................................................................29
Button Picture Descriptions...................................................................29
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Introduction
Thank you for purchasing this RailPro Model Railroad Controller by Ring Engineering.
Wehope you find this Model Railroad Controller to be a great addition to your model
railroad layout.
Please read all warnings and instructions before installation and use. For the latest
information from Ring Engineering, please visit us on the web at
www.RingEngineering.com.
Your handheld controller (HC) is a wireless controller with a color touch screen that can
be used to operate your model railroad layout. The HC can control the speed, direction,
lights, and sounds of locomotives and other accessories by simply touching the screen!
Multiple HC’s can be used at the same time to allow multiple users to control multiple
locomotives and accessories. You will need to install RailPro modules into the
locomotives and accessories.
Warnings
Ring Engineering believes that our HC is compatible with most personal computers (PCs) for the
purpose of getting information from Ring Engineering’s Internet site to your HC. Because of the
vast amount of different PCs and configurations possible Ring Engineering does not guarantee that
our HC or software is compatible with your particular PC. We recommend backing up any important
documents or pictures, etc. before installing or using Ring Engineering products. We make
reasonable efforts to be sure that our software and hardware works well and does not interfere or
damage any of the programs or data on your PC. We have an outstanding record of not having
any issues with loss of data but because of the vast array of PCs, configurations, etc, it is
impossible for any company to absolutely guarantee that you will never loose data from installing or
using new software. Ring Engineering is not responsible for any damage to your PCs software
programs or data that may occur from using our hardware or software.
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WARNING: To charge only use Ring Engineering recommended power adapter.
The use of a non-approved power adapter may cause a fire.
WARNING: Do not leave handheld controller plugged into the charger for more
than six hours. Only leave handheld controller plugged into a USB port when
loading files. If you do not see activity on the charger screen when charging,
disconnect handheld controller, and return to Ring Engineering for repair.
WARNING: This product is not recommended for persons under fourteen (14)
years of age.
WARNING: Only clean the HC with a soft cloth slightly dampened with water. Do
not use any type of cleaning detergents or solvents.
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including lead, which is
known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
WARNING: Temperature: Operating 32F to 80F, Storage 0F - 110F
WARNING: Operate and store in dry environment only.
Relative Humidity: Operating 20% to 90% non-condensing, Storage 10% to 95%
non-condensing

Quick Start Guide
At a minimum, you will need at least one locomotive that is equipped with a RailPro
locomotive module that is not included.
Step 1
Install a RailPro Locomotive Module into a Locomotive
Please see locomotive module installation instructions.
Step 2
Turn on the Power to the Locomotive
Step 3
Find Products
1. Put the RailPro equipped locomotive on the track and turn on power.
2. On the HC’s Main Page press the 'Find Product' button. You will see that
the Locomotive is detected by the HC.
IMPORTANT: You need to Find all RailPro products (Loco Module, Power Supplies, or
Accessory Modules) one time when they are new. Once they are found by theHC, you
do not need to Find them again.
TIP: Press the 'Find Products' button again to find more products not detected the first
time.
Step 4
Set the Locomotive Motor Full Load Current
This is the only setting you should set before using your RailPro equipped locomotive.
By setting the motor full load current, you setup the locomotive module to: 1)Allow
multiple locomotives to run well when linked together and 2)Allow the module to detect
and report motor faults if necessary.
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1. On the HC’s Main Page press the 'Locomotives' button. Touch the picture of
the locomotive to take control of the locomotive.
2. Press the 'Adjustments' button (round button on the left side of the screen).
Then press 'Next Page' button until you see the 'Motor Full Load Current'
button.
3. Press the 'Motor Full Load Current' button followed by the 'Yes' button when it
asks to 'Use auto set?'
4. Press the 'Start Test' button and wait until the test finishes.
5. Press 'Exit Page' button and press the 'Save' button.
TIP: You only need to set the motor full load current one time. Once it is set you do not
need to set it again.
SETUP COMPLETE! Control your Trains and Enjoy RailPro!
Operation
HC Main Page
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To turn the HC on, press the 'Power On' button (either the far left button or far right
button) on the HC. When you are finished using your HC, you should turn it off to keep
from running the batteries down. To turn your HC off, press the 'Power Off' button in the
lower right hand corner of the Main Page. A great feature of your HC is the 'Home
Page' button. When the 'Home Page' button is pressed, it always takes you to the Main
Page. By touching the screen you can navigate to many different pages to control
locomotives and much more. At any time, you can press the 'Home Page' button and
always get back to the Main Page. This great feature makes it quick and easy to
navigate around the many pages on your HC. There is one exception to the 'Home
Page' button taking you to the Main Page, if the screen is displaying the 'Wait' indicator
the 'Home Page' button will be locked out. The 'Wait' indicator is usually only displayed
when settings are being saved to memory.
Wait Indicator Symbol
When the HC is shipped the default setting is the far right button is the 'Home Page'
button. Please keep in mind that the 'Home Page' button can be changed or removed.
TIP: Wehighly recommend always having one of the four Real Buttons setup to be a
'Home Page' button.
When you get a new HC you should adjust some settings in your HC. The settings that
are described below would typically only be set once, when your HC is new. Go to the
Main Page and press the 'Adjust Settings' button.
By touching the Keyboard layout button you can change the way the keys are drawn on
the keyboard from 'ABC…' to the format that is used on typewriters 'QWERTY…'
Choose the setting that you like best. Setting the 'Keyboard Layout' will make it easier
for you to find the buttons to spell Passwords and other words.
Now give this HC a name. A good name is the name of the person that is going to use
this HC. Touch the blue area under Name. Akeyboard will appear. Type your first
name then press enter. You can give your HC’s any name. Each HC should be given a
different name so you can tell them apart.
If you want to set a password, press the blue area under 'Password'. Type in a
password on the keyboard and press the 'Enter' button. You can give all your RailPro
products the same password. However, you may want to use different passwords. See
the Passwords section for more information on Passwords.
TIP: If you are the only one in the area using RailPro you may want to leave the
password blank (not set) so you do not have to worry about forgetting a password.
You could also set the brightness of the backlight (screen brightness) if you would like
to. Keep in mind the brighter the screen, the less time the battery will last.
TIP: The dimmer the screen backlight is set, the longer the battery will last. From the
brightest to dimmest backlight setting you can about double and half the battery run
time. So the brightness has a large influence on the battery life.
To go to more setup pages press 'Next Page' or 'Previous Page' buttons.
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Repeaters Setup Page
Be sure to read the 'Repeaters' section to know how to setup the repeaters.
Real Button Setup
On the Real Button Setup Page you can change the operation of the four Real Buttons
on the the handheld controller. You can change the button action of each one to Horn /
Whistle, Forward / Reverse, Home Page, Stop All and more! You can change these
settings to suit the way you like to operate. The feel of actual buttons is great for train
control functions that are used all the time and need to be accessed quickly and without
looking at the display. Of course the color touch display is far superior for setup and
other operations but not real good for train control like our Real Buttons.
TIP: You can change these buttons to accommodate left handed or right handed
operators!
IMPORTANT: The outer left button and outer right button are always Power On no
matter what actions are assigned to these buttons.
When you are finished making changes to the Main Adjust Settings Page, the
Repeaters Setup Page, or the Real Button Setup Page, you need to save the settings.
The 'Save' button for all these settings is located on the MainAdjust Settings Page.
Press the 'Save' button and wait until the 'Wait' indicator is no longer displayed. Once
settings are saved, your HC will remember these settings even if the battery dies. You
can change them at any time.
IMPORTANT: Please keep in mind that this save operation may take a few seconds and
may take several minutes, so please just be patient and wait for the save to finish before
trying to do other operations on the HC.
Find Products
Before you can control any products you will first need to 'Find a Product.' This is a
process where your HC will use Direct Radio + NET to detect new RailPro products.
When a product is found, the product picture is loaded onto your HC. If the product
found is a locomotive, then a locomotive picture can be located on the Locomotive
Page. Below is a sample locomotive page after only one locomotive has been detected.
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Likewise, if the product found is a Turnout controller module, you will be able to locate
its picture on the Turnouts Page. All other products found can be located on the
Accessories Page. The three buttons across the top of the Main Page take you to the
pages to control locomotives, turnouts, and accessories.
It is best to move within a few feet of the product you want to find. Next be sure your
new product is powered up. If you are not already on the Main Page, press the 'Main
Page' button. Now press the 'Find Product' button. Your HC will need only a few
seconds to search for your new product. If the product you are finding does not have a
password set, your HC will find and load the product. All products shipped from Ring
Engineering do not have a password set. If the product you are detecting has a
password, then you will need to press the ‘Search with Password’ button and then your
HC will display the keyboard for you to enter a password. If you enter the proper
password, your HC will load the new product.
IMPORTANT: For one HC to Find another HC the HC that you want to find must be on
the Main Page.
Control, Setup, and Monitor Products
After you find a product, you can touch the picture of that product to be able to control,
setup, or monitor that product. For example, if your HC found a Locomotive module,
then you can press the 'Locomotive' button and you will see pictures of the locomotives
found by that HC. By touching the picture of the locomotive you want to control, you will
see the 'Locomotive Control' screen. The same is true for turnout modules, and
accessories. See the Locomotives, Turnouts, and Accessories sections for a more in
depth description of each.
Charge Indicator
On most pages, there is charge indicator in the upper right hand corner. The charge
indicator displays the approximate amount of charge left in your HC cells. If the charge
indicator is all white, the cells in your HC is fully charged. As the cells are used, the
charge indicator has less white area displayed. When you have less than one hour of
charge remaining, the charge indicator turns red. When there is no more charge, your
HC’s charge indicator starts flashing red. When the flashing starts, there is only two
minutes left before your HC will turn itself off.
TIP: If you see the charge indicator flashing red, you should stop all running locomotives
because after the HC turns off, you will no longer be able to control your locomotives. If
the cells go dead in your HC, you could stop locomotives by turning off the power to the
locomotives.
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WARNING: Charge your HC at least once every few months even if you do not
use it. See Charging Section for details.

Help
On most pages you will find a 'Help' button in the upper right corner. When you press
the 'Help' button you will see a page(s) of information that describe each control on the
current page. Press the 'Exit Page' Button to return to the page before you pressed the
'Help' button.
Stop All
The 'StopAll' button is used to stop all of the locomotives on your layout quickly by
pressing the screen just a few times. Because you can set many locomotives in motion
using a single HC, it is possible that things get out of control if you are not paying
attention. If you find that a locomotive is going on an unexpected track, you may have a
need to stop all the locomotives quickly to prevent a wreck. This is a good situation to
use the 'Stop All' function.
There are two different types of 'StopAll'. The first type is a 'SetAll Speeds to Zero.'
When the 'Set All Speeds to Zero' button is pressed, your HC will send Direct Radio
commands to all of your locomotives to set their speeds to zero. If you have more than
one HC in your system, then the other HC’s will display a message informing them that
someone pressed the 'StopAll' button. The 'Set All Speeds to Zero' will not work with
multiple HC’s unless each HC has detected the other HC’s. For example if you have
two HC’s, and you named them 'Bob and Mike' then Bob needs to press his 'Find
Product' button when Mike is turned on and on the Main Page. Bob will detect and load
a picture of Mike into the Accessories Page. Mike also needs to detect Bob by pressing
his 'Find Product' button. It would be wise to check theAccessories Page and be sure
all other HC’s are listed there. This is why giving each HC a unique name is important.
The second type of 'StopAll' is a 'Power Off Stop.' When the 'Power Off Stop' button is
pressed, your HC will send commands to each power supply to turn the output off.
Since the power will be cut to the track, the locomotives will stop abruptly. Since this
'StopAll' is more difficult on the drive components of locomotives, this stop all should
only be used when necessary. Each power supply must have been detected and visible
in the Accessories Page for this type of 'StopAll' to work. In other words, you must press
the 'Find Product' button for each power supply you have so this HC knows what power
supply to send the 'Stop All' commands to.
IMPORTANT: 'Stop All – Power Off' will not work on battery powered.locomotives.
IMPORTANT: After a 'StopAll – Power Off', you will need to select each power supply
and enable its output to restore power to your layout.
TIP: You can change one of the Real Buttons to do a 'StopAll - Set Speed to Zero.' By
default, the inside button on the right is set to a 'StopAll' button. Please see Real
Button Setup for more information. Sine the Real Button is always available, and you do
not need to navigate many pages to get to it, a Real Button 'StopAll' is the fastest way
to stop all the locomotives in motion.
Reset Button
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The HC has a 'Reset' button on the back. The 'Reset' button should not be used for
normal operation.
IMPORTANT: Depending on the amount of files recently loaded, save operation can
take from a few seconds to dozens of minutes so please be patient. The HC is
incredibly dependable and will basically finish every time if you are patient.
Locomotives
Basic Control
To control a locomotive that you have already detected, you need to press the
'Locomotive' button on theMain Page. You will be shown a list of pictures of
locomotives to choose from. Touch one of the locomotive pictures. Then you will see a
screen similar to the one above. Touch the 'Direction' button to change the direction of
the locomotive. Turning the knob clockwise will increase the speed of your locomotive.
Turning the knob counterclockwise will decrease the speed of your locomotive. Press
the ''User Defined'' buttons to activate the lights, sounds, and more.
There are more than eight 'User Defined' buttons. Press the 'Next' button to change the
eight 'User Defined' buttons to a new set of eight 'User Defined' buttons. The 'Page 1'
under the 'Next' button text will display 'Page 2.' Continue pressing the 'Next' button to
cycle back to the 'User Defined' buttons on 'Page 1.'
TIP: To quickly select another locomotive touch the picture of the locomotive in the
center of the screen. The select locomotive screen will be displayed for you to choose a
different locomotive. In as few as two screen touches, you can change from controlling
one locomotive to another!
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WARNING: Never press the 'Reset' button without contacting Ring Engineering
first.