Comparison

MySantaRosaFL vs Poor Man's Throttle

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MySantaRosaFL

Features
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MySantaRosaFL is your easy, on-the-go connection to Santa Rosa County government services. With just a few taps, residents can report issues like potholes, drainage problems, traffic signal concerns, and more—directly to the county’s public works team. Whether you're traveling our roads or enjoying our parks, Santa Rosa County is committed to serving you with excellence.

About

Poor Man's Throttle

Transform your smartphone into a wireless throttle for model trains. This app enables smooth, responsive control of locomotives using inexpensive electronics and your phone, ideal for DIY enthusiasts and hobbyists looking for an affordable wireless solution.

Highlights
  • Wireless smartphone throttle
  • PWM motor control for smooth operation
  • Control speed, direction, and stop
  • DIY hardware integration
  • Affordable components
  • Ideal for DC and dead-rail layouts
Features
Read full description

FREE DIY Wireless Model Train Control — Built for Hobbyists, **Poor Man’s Throttleturns your smartphone into a wireless throttle for model trains. Designed formodel railroad hobbyists, makers, and DIY builders**, the app allows you to control a locomotive using inexpensive electronics instead of costly commercial control systems. With simple ESP32-based hardware, your phone becomes asmooth, responsive wireless throttle**. --- Smooth Motor Control Many traditional DC transformers struggle with low-speed operation. Locomotives often: • hum at low speeds • start with weak torque • move in jerky steps Poor Man’s Throttle solves this by usingPWM motor control (Pulse Width Modulation)instead of simply lowering voltage. This allows locomotives to: • start smoothly • run at extremely slow speeds • maintain strong torque • eliminate most transformer hum --- Wireless Smartphone Control Control your locomotive directly from your phone. Features include: • Speed control • Forward direction • Reverse direction • Stop • Additional command support Because control is wireless, you canwalk around your layout while operating trains**, just like with professional wireless throttle systems. --- A Major Upgrade for Traditional DC Layouts Poor Man’s Throttle works especially well with classic DC transformers. Instead of using the transformer to regulate speed, the transformer is set tofull powerwhile Poor Man’s Throttle performs the motor control using PWM. This approach provides: • smoother slow-speed operation • higher starting torque • reduced transformer noise • modern wireless control for classic layouts --- Perfect for Dead-Rail Builders The system also works extremely well withdead-rail locomotivespowered by onboard batteries. Builders commonly use: • cordless tool batteries (DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, etc.) • lithium battery packs • LiPo or lithium-ion cells • NiMH packs • other hobby batteries This flexibility allows hobbyists to useinexpensive, widely available power sources**. --- A DIY System That Costs Around $20 A typical Poor Man’s Throttle hardware build costs about: • ESP32 development board • IBT-2 motor driver • 5V logic power module Total hardware cost is oftenaround $20 per locomotive**. Many builders already have some of these parts available. --- Built for the Model Railroad Community Poor Man’s Throttle was created to makewireless train control accessible to everyone**. Instead of expensive proprietary systems, this project focuses on: • simple hardware • open DIY building • affordable components • sharing knowledge with the hobby community The goal is simple: **Give model railroaders a powerful wireless throttle they can build themselves.** --- Who This App Is For This app is ideal for: • model railroad hobbyists • dead-rail builders • DC layout operators • electronics makers and tinkerers • DIY train control enthusiasts Bothbeginner buildersandadvanced hobbyistscan use the system. --- Learn More Hardware build guides, documentation, and project information are available through the Poor Man’s Throttle project resources. https://github.com/jamocle/PoorMansThrottle-DIY/blob/main/README.md Build your own throttle. Control your trains wirelessly. Keep the hobby affordable.

Screenshots

MySantaRosaFL4 screens
Poor Man's Throttle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Poor Man's Throttle at every 3 days against MySantaRosaFL's every 2 months. Poor Man's Throttle also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MySantaRosaFL ships an update every 2 months, Poor Man's Throttle every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
MySantaRosaFL versus Poor Man's Throttle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMySantaRosaFLPoor Man's Throttle
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size145 MB112 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperCounty of Santa RosaJames Theimer

In-app purchases

None

MySantaRosaFL

No in-app purchases

None

Poor Man's Throttle

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MySantaRosaFL free?
MySantaRosaFL is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Poor Man's Throttle free?
Poor Man's Throttle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MySantaRosaFL or Poor Man's Throttle have ads?
Neither MySantaRosaFL nor Poor Man's Throttle shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MySantaRosaFL or Poor Man's Throttle?
MySantaRosaFL ships an update every 2 months, and Poor Man's Throttle every 3 days. Most recently, MySantaRosaFL was updated on October 28, 2026 and Poor Man's Throttle on October 24, 2026.

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