This page explains how to control LEGO® Powered Up trains from nControl™.

To control a LEGO® Powered Up train with our nControl™ automation software you need:

• A BLE112 Bluetooth dongle. The dongle will make the Bluetooth connection with the PU hub and allows our software to communicate with your train. You really need a BLE112 dongle, the standard Bluetooth board in you computer or a generic Bluetooth dongle will not work.
• A PU hub license of subscription for nControl™.
• A computer that runs our nControl™ software. Additionally you can use a mobile device to remote control your PU trains.

Once you're set-up you'll be able to:

• Control your PU trains with Python™ programs and integrate them into an automated layout.
• Control multiple trains with the same mobile device.
• Control PU trains that have multiple motors.

nControl™ requires a license to connect non 4DBrix™ devices. For the LEGO® Powered Up trains you either needs:

• a PU License
• a nControl™ subscription

For this tutorial we'll use a free PU trial license. The first step is to create a 4DBrix account, as the account is used to manage the licenses. Go to www.4dbrix.com/user and click the Sign Up button if you don't have an account. If you have a 4DBrix account, go to www.4dbrix.com/user and log in. Click on Open your license management panel in the Licenses tile.

Then click on the Start Trial License button to start your 30 days free trial license. After accepting the trial license by clicking the Yes button in the dialog window it should be activated:

You're now all set to connect your PU trail to nControl™.

nControl™ needs the log in credentials of your 4DBrix account in order to find your PU license, so the first step is to enter them and restart the software. The video below shows how to do that.



After restarting, nControl™ should be connected to our web server and see your license. You can check that in the About dialog box.

The first step in connecting to a new PU hub is to register it. This step only have to be done the first time you use this particular PU hub with nControl™. Make sure your BLE112 dongle is connected before starting the scan. Once the hub is found, give it an alias; that's the name that will be used for this hub in nControl™.

Once the hub is registered you can connect to it as shown below.

To pilot your PU train you have to make a train control tile. Make sure the Label of the tile corresponds with the Alias of the hub, as the Label of the tile determines to which hub the control signals are sent.


Now that your Powered Up train is connected you can control it with the train control tile, control it with Python™ scripts or export the project to a web interface and control it with a mobile device.