Re: Discovery: Reading & writing success using JMRI with TCS Wow decoders

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Tom

JMRI had problem reading WOW decoder with a date of firmware before 31/10/2016 NO problems with current decoders.

Gerry

On 3/08/2018 2:44 PM, Tom Stage wrote:

Greetings,

I recently installed my first TCS WowSteam decoder in a Trix 2-8-2 Mike.? I'm still getting used to programming some of the CVs using Audio Assist but I'm pleased with results so far.

I had read on here and a few other sites that programming TCS Wow decoders with JMRI can be problematic for some users, as Decoder Pro has difficultly reading the indexed CVs of the Wow decoders.? I tried it the other night using my NCE Power Cab and USB module and - sure enough - I experienced a number of "loco unknown" error messages before giving up on the idea.

Today I received 2 sets of roller bearing stands (4 per set) that I ordered from Micro-Mark.? I'm presently WOAL (w/o a layout) and only have a programming track.? So the roller bearing stands will allow stationary break-in and programming of my locomotives until I build my next layout.? Setting up the roller bearing stands was pretty straightforward and they work well as advertised.

This evening I decided to try again and see if I could read & write the CVs that I had programmed/changed in my Trix Mike; this time with it positioned on the rolling bearing stands on my programming track.? I fired up Decoder Pro on my Windows tablet, clicked on the CV tab, the clicked on Read Full Sheet.? Well, lo and behold - Decoder Pro read ALL the CVs without a single error.? Same went for writing the CVS.? And, presently, I'm reading & writing my other Wow decoder (installed in a brass H20-44 switcher) with the same success.

So, what is it about a rolling bearing stand that would aid Decoder Pro in reading all the CVs successfully?? Is it the larger surface area contact between the base of the roller bearing stand and the rails with the "two-point" contact of the bearings with the drivers of the locomotive?? I'm not complaining.? I'm just trying to understand why the difference.

Thanks for reading my musings and for any input you might have...

Tom

-- 
Gerry Hopkins MMR #177 FNMRA
Great Northern Downunder




NMRA Australasian Region
Contest & AP Chairman
Web Administrator

Virus-free.

Re: Synching Rosters between different platforms

#150177

I use a faceless Raspberry Pi to run JMRI connected to the layout in N Scale modular setups.  I use Dropbox to sync JMRI files between other computers and RealVNC to transfer JMRI files to and from the Raspberry Pi and Dropbox.

The latter has to be done manually but with a common Wifi it is very easy to sync with JMRI files on other computers.  

With a modular setup, a laptop not connected directly to the layout can be used, if necessary, to monitor and control the Raspberry Pi using RealVNC.  

The laptop can also be used to run Decoder Pro separately from the layout and the Roster manually synced through RealVNC.

David Matthews

Snake Bend & Black Diamonds UK

Discovery: Reading & writing success using JMRI with TCS Wow decoders

#150176

Greetings,

I recently installed my first TCS WowSteam decoder in a Trix 2-8-2 Mike.? I'm still getting used to programming some of the CVs using Audio Assist but I'm pleased with results so far.

I had read on here and a few other sites that programming TCS Wow decoders with JMRI can be problematic for some users, as Decoder Pro has difficultly reading the indexed CVs of the Wow decoders.? I tried it the other night using my NCE Power Cab and USB module and - sure enough - I experienced a number of "loco unknown" error messages before giving up on the idea.

Today I received 2 sets of roller bearing stands (4 per set) that I ordered from Micro-Mark.? I'm presently WOAL (w/o a layout) and only have a programming track.? So the roller bearing stands will allow stationary break-in and programming of my locomotives until I build my next layout.? Setting up the roller bearing stands was pretty straightforward and they work well as advertised.

This evening I decided to try again and see if I could read & write the CVs that I had programmed/changed in my Trix Mike; this time with it positioned on the rolling bearing stands on my programming track.? I fired up Decoder Pro on my Windows tablet, clicked on the CV tab, the clicked on Read Full Sheet.? Well, lo and behold - Decoder Pro read ALL the CVs without a single error.? Same went for writing the CVS.? And, presently, I'm reading & writing my other Wow decoder (installed in a brass H20-44 switcher) with the same success.

So, what is it about a rolling bearing stand that would aid Decoder Pro in reading all the CVs successfully?? Is it the larger surface area contact between the base of the roller bearing stand and the rails with the "two-point" contact of the bearings with the drivers of the locomotive?? I'm not complaining.? I'm just trying to understand why the difference.

Thanks for reading my musings and for any input you might have...

Tom

Re: Finding Routes

#150175

Thomas,

Looking at some of your old files, many the Route system names are numeric. ? You will need to add IR to the those system names using a text editor. ?I believe you use a Mac so you can use TextEdit to do that. ?Make sure that you have backup copies before manually changing the panel xml file.

If you want, you can send the panel xml file to me and I can change the names for you. ?I am assuming that you have not saved the file while running 4.12 or 4.13.1. ?If you have, you will need to find a backup copy in backupPanels.

Dave Sand

?

Show quoted text

On Aug 2, 2018, at 10:46 PM, Tom Cain <atsf93@...> wrote:

I did an update tonight to Decoder Pro V. 4.13.1
A couple of things,

the JMRI website says the current test release is 4.11.3
Is that a typo???
When I went to the “download” screen it shows a test release of 4.13.1 which is what I went to.
I’m curious that in Decoder Pro the “About" drop down says 4.13.1 but the bottom of the screen says Decoder Pro 3 profile, Is that anything to worry?about?

In Panel Pro, I cannot find my routes in Tables. ?It seems that I recall that I need to add a character to the address, but I also need to be able to find?them too, so where should I be able to find them to make those changes? ?Still happy here, just need to make those changes.

Thomas Cain
Indianapolis, IN
atsf93@...
Modeling the Eastern Illinois Santa Fe from the Prototype
See my website and layout at: ?www.atsf93.com

Finding Routes

#150174

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I did an update tonight to Decoder Pro V. 4.13.1

A couple of things,

the JMRI website says the current test release is 4.11.3

Is that a typo? ?

When I went to the “download” screen it shows a test release of 4.13.1 which is what I went to.

I’m curious that in Decoder Pro the “About" drop down says 4.13.1 but the bottom of the screen says Decoder Pro 3 profile, Is that anything to worry about?

In Panel Pro, I cannot find my routes in Tables. ?It seems that I recall that I need to add a character to the address, but I also need to be able to find them too, so where should I be able to find them to make those changes? ?Still happy here, just need to make those changes.

Thomas Cain
Indianapolis, IN
atsf93@...
Modeling the Eastern?Illinois Santa Fe from the?Prototype
See my website and layout?at: ?www.atsf93.com

Re: Engine Driver 2.20.56

#150173

Mark, thanks for the update.
The problem Peter fixed was a real crash, reported automatically to the Play Store. So even if that wasn't your guy, he fixed a problem for someone. That's always a good thing.
--SteveT

Re: Engine Driver 2.20.56

#150172

Steve and Peter - At this point it seems that the original reported problem was a ghost. I had the club member uninstall Engine Driver v2.20.59 and then do a clean install. The reported problem disappeared. Two possibilities: (1) the first install was bad; (2) there was a computer fart last Thursday which was resolved when the computer was shut down and rebooted. I tend toward #2 because another member who uses WiThrottle v2.20 also had problems last Thursday did not have a problem today and he did not reinstall WiThrottle.

I might have saved Peter a bit of trouble if I had thought to reboot the computer last Thursday. Then again, maybe not. Why were Engine Driver v2.15 and v2.18 working last Thursday? Who knows. If these computer farts were easy to deal with, we would all be programmers!

Thanks for your attention to my first report. Let's hope it doesn't reappear.

Mark Granville

Re: Inconsistent behaviour with the dispatcher

#150171

Thank you all for your continued assistance. Following a suggestion made by a member of the Model Railway Club this evening, who has some experience with JMRI, I have tried some further tests with some promising results, although still some inconsistency.

The possible problem that this person identified was that if I remove one of the trains from the track without terminating the Active Train associated with it, JMRI will remember that there is a train on the track somewhere (assuming it to have stalled or similar) and will take this into account, producing erroneous results.

I therefore re-ran the original tests, this time terminating the train that I removed from the tracks before removing it. On this occasion, with the original panel, I did not get the error of the train running around constantly without stopping, but it still stopped dead on entering the final transit.

I repeated the test with the modified panel, and this now seems to work correctly, stopping gradually even with only one train remaining, but there is still a remaining inconsistency: when both trains are on the track, the trains stop further into the final transit than they do when only one train is on the line (and the other has been terminated).? Can anyone offer an explanation as to why this might be?

But a very useful thing that I have now learnt is: do not remove an Active Train physically from the tracks without first terminating it, or else errors are likely to occur.

Re: Comsist Throttle Problems with F Functions

#150170

I think I figued it out but I don't have a tecnical answer. Long story short, I was openining and closing wi-throttle and web server so the consists were not being fully dispached after use.
I was able to replicate this. Today i set up a new consist with Diffrent decoders through JMRI via advanced consisting. They ran good. Closed panel pro which in turn closed wi throttle and the web server. Opened up decoder pro which i have set up to start up Wi throttle and web server again and reconnected engine driver. F buttons were blanked out again. I shut down jmri and engine driver. I then pulled up the consist on my DT500 and dispatched it. Evereything is back to normal.
Thank You for your help.?

Re: Setting Up Digitrax DCS 240 with JMRI- More Questions

Classic Auto Portraits

#150169

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Dear Dave and JMRI Users Group,

OK gang it's "show and tell time."
Following the Digitrax instructions- SEE IMAGE 1 BELOW- I've substituted DCS240 for PR3 as the DCS240 has the same USB connection as the PR3.
I've followed the various steps 1.-6. IMAGE 2 corresponds to Item 2 in IMAGE 1 (the instructions).
But then with step 7. there's some questions ?
See IMAGE 3 - If I select System connection "Loconet PR3," (since the DCS240 and PR3 are the same) the Serial Port window automatically populates with cu.usmodemDtrx60F1. If I select any of the other Connection options, which don't really match anything like a DCS240, the serial Port window shows (none selected). So I cannot "select the serial port" and enter a number similar to the "Location ID"? shown as stated in Step 7 of IMAGE 1.

Perhaps the Loconet PR3 and the cu.usmodemDtrx60F1 Serial Port are fine and I don't have to "enter" anything?
The reason I ask this is I'm having trouble with WiThrottle and was suspecting that the USB connection between the MacBook Pro and the DCS240 was being done through the LNWI and there was some cross talk duplication and cancellation happening. I wanted to make sure the DCS240 was talking through the USB and not through the LNWI. I think I've convinced myself that the USB connection is OK, but I wanted get an answer from you Digitrax-JMRI "Gurus" on this question.

I'll go into the WiThrottle issues after this one gets answered.

THANKS!
Robert Diepenrbrock?

IMAGE 1

IMAGE 2

IMAGE 3

IMAGE 4

Capability of Decoderd/Panel Pro

#150168

Because of the sparse documentation about most of the advanced features of the suite of software that we call JMRI, I'm not sure if what I'd like to implement is even possible.

Here goes what I'd like to accomplish:

I have a question related to operating in a consist using CV19.

Assume that the consist has the lead and trailing loco coupled in opposite directions, no matter how many locos are in the consist.
?
The issue/question is how do you operate the consist when you want to operate the consist in the opposite direction, specificall concerning CV21-22 which defines which function keys are supposed to respond to the consist address. Obviously, the 'new' lead loco function keys would need to operate differently than when it was a traling loco.

I don't think there's a simple way to reverse operation and have the now lead loco to respond to the function keys as the now new lead loco.

So, although I've actually answered own question, it'd be nice to be able to define direction for function response when direction is changed. Also, you'd have to define which of the consist locos was the trailing loco, so other locos that are not the lead or trailing loco in the consist would still ignore the correct function keys.

So, can a macro type operation read CV values, and then change the CV 21 U& 22 values to accomplish the correct response to function buttons when reversing a consist? I completely understand that there may be different macros needed for various consist combinations, as trying to make it universal would be beyond the ability of most JMRI users.

And lastly, assuming such a macro could be implemented somehow, how would the macro be triggered?

Maybe the decoder manufactures need to help with this, but there's not much chance that would happen.

Re: Synching Rosters between different platforms

#150167

I am using one-drive successfully.??

Re: Setting Up Digitrax DCS 240 with JMRI- Max OSX Do I need USB Drivers?

#150166

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Ignore the conflicting posts. Follow the instructions below and it will lead you through the checking whether you need to install drivers on the Mac:

USB Devices Mac

=============

Irrespective of DCC system, there are some basic rules for troubleshooting any USB-attached device to a Mac.

Plug your device into your Mac.

Go to "System Information" from Apple Menu->About This Mac->More Info->System Report.

Look in the USB section, expand all sections under controllers and hubs and see what devices are present.

Unplug your device, select Refresh from the System Profiler menus and see what device has disappeared. Plug your device back in, refresh again and see what reappears. Repeat until you see what is changing. If there is no change, there must be a hardware problem external to your Mac, such as a faulty USB cable, connector or device and there is no point going any further until your Mac can see the physical device.

Once you have seen the device in System Profiler, you will quite likely have to install Mac drivers for it (although some do not need extra drivers, see your documentation). If unsure, try the next step anyway.

Unplug your device. Open a Terminal Window (from /Applications/Utilities), copy and paste the following command in EXACTLY (including spaces and punctuation) then press Enter.

while : ;do clear;ls -lt /dev|head;i=$((i+1));echo $i;sleep 1;done

This command should show about 10 lines of output and then sit looping, with a counter incrementing every second.

Plug your device back in and wait a few seconds. Two new items with names like ?cu.xxx and tty.xxx should appear in the list. They should disappear if you unplug your device. If this does not happen, you do not have the correct drivers installed for your device and you will need to solve that before proceeding further. Once you have found your device, write down the name you see.You want the cu.xxx version not the tty.xxx version.

If you have got this far you know your device is be being seen by the Mac, that it has a matching driver installed and the name of the connection port "cu.xxx" you need to select in JMRI. If you cannot get this far, there's no way JMRI can find your device until the driver issue is resolved.

Please report back exactly how far you get.

?

--?

Dave in Australia

The New England Convention 2018

Show quoted text

On 3 Aug 2018, at 7:06 AM, Classic Auto Portraits <classicautoportraits@...> wrote:

QUESTION: Do I need to download USB Drivers?
I'm seeing conflicting posts saying Mac OS already has the drivers and others saying I need to download Drivers specific to JMRI?
Please advise.

Re: Synching Rosters between different platforms

#150165

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In a recent thread, I'm fairly sure there were references to a Dropbox-compatible client for the Pi.

--?

Dave in Australia

The New England Convention 2018

Show quoted text

On 3 Aug 2018, at 2:58 AM, Lindsay Hughes <lphughes@...> wrote:

1)? Dropbox or something similar - the problem is this is a significant pain on the Pi, ? I have used this to synch between the Windows machines and it works great, but not so much with the Pi

Setting Up Digitrax DCS 240 with JMRI- Max OSX Do I need USB Drivers?

Classic Auto Portraits

#150164

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Fellow N Scalers,

I've recently "taken the plunge" from DC to DCC. I've installed a Digitrax DCS240 Command Station with LNWI Wifi Interface.
I'm running the latest version of JMRI v4.12.0 on a MacBook Pro with OSX 10.10.2 Yosemite with the latest Java PlugIn- Java 8 181 Build 13
The DCS240 Command Station has a USB port so I don't need a Digitrax PS4 USB Interface. The USB cable runs from a port on my MacBook Pro to the port on the Digitrax DCS240.
QUESTION: Do I need to download USB Drivers?
I'm seeing conflicting posts saying Mac OS already has the drivers and others saying I need to download Drivers specific to JMRI?
Please advise.
THANKS!

Robert Diepenbrock

Re: Synching Rosters between different platforms

#150163

I use GitHub to synch my laptop with a layout computer.  You can see the repository here:     It’s set up with a common “userfiles” directory for panel files, etc and a “common” area for the roster, but that’s only historical:  I had already set it up that way when sharing via USB sticks, and kept it when moving to git.

The only downside is that you get a lot of git changes in parts of the profile directories as certain parts of JMRI rewrite flies every time you run.  I ended up creating a .gitignore file to ignore changes in WarrantPreferences.xml to reduce the messages.

A bit complicated to set up, take a good backup first, but it works well for me.

Bob

On Aug 2, 2018, at 9:58 AM, Lindsay Hughes <lphughes@...> wrote:

I am trying to synch rosters between a Raspberry Pi that I use for programming, and a PC that I use for running the layout (and a couple of  Windows Laptops that I use in different ways).  What is the best way?   I can see a couple of options:

1)  Dropbox or something similar - the problem is this is a significant pain on the Pi,   I have used this to synch between the Windows machines and it works great, but not so much with the Pi
2)  GitHub.  The question is, will JMRI be able to use the roster if it is in a cloned repo?

Recommendations or experiences?

Many thanks,

L..

--
Bob Jacobsen
rgj1927@...

Synching Rosters between different platforms

Lindsay Hughes

#150162

I am trying to synch rosters between a Raspberry Pi that I use for programming, and a PC that I use for running the layout (and a couple of? Windows Laptops that I use in different ways).? What is the best way? ? I can see a couple of options:

1)? Dropbox or something similar - the problem is this is a significant pain on the Pi, ? I have used this to synch between the Windows machines and it works great, but not so much with the Pi
2)? GitHub.? The question is, will JMRI be able to use the roster if it is in a cloned repo?

Recommendations or experiences?

Many thanks,

L..

Re: Running JMRI on a Dell with a 32GB eMMC drive

#150161

Hi

I have recently got a similar spec Acer, the drive is just not large enough to run anything without getting warnings even jmri,

I took a leap of faith and installed linux xubuntu, took a bit of learning with a few issues along the way mainly to do with the cheap way acer had the bios set up but I now have a nice little machine for running JMRI with 2/3rds of the memory and Ram available.

Alexander

Re: Comsist Throttle Problems with F Functions

#150160

Sorry it took me a few days to notice this thread.? It's been busy? here.


On 07/23/2018 01:19 PM, gritcityrailroad@... wrote:
I am having issues with non responsibe function buttons in consists.
Both my JMRI and Engine driver throttles have non functioning Function
buttons. I am able to control the speed and direction of the consists
but that is all. I use the consist manager in both advanced and
command station mode but get the same results. I have reset the
decoders with no avail.?
When I use my dt 500 or the protothrottle I have full function of my
buttons.? Also if i build the consist in engine driver I have no
problems. This only affects the JMRI and engine driver throttles.I think I know what is going on here.

For the advanced consists, there are several things that influence the
behavior your are seeing (which I do not believe is a bug):

1) For an advanced consist, there is ALWAYS a consist address and the
decoder's normal address.
2) CV21 and CV22 tell the decoder whether or not it should respond to
functions sent to the consist address.? Different manufacturers have
different takes on how these CVs work however, so the decoder can impact
what happens on the rails.
3) Some DCC systems (I know Lenz, perhaps others) prevent function
commands sent to the consist address from being sent to the rails.
4) On some systems, bringing up any address in the consist will allow
the throttle to control the speed and direction of the consist and the
functions of the selected locomotive (Lenz does this, and NCE does this
in at least a restricted manner (I know you can select the designated
Lead and Trail locomotives, I am not sure about the "mid" locomotives)).

#2 above is something of a pain.? You haven't told us what decoders are
involved, so I can't comment further on how that impacts the situation
you see.

Because of #3 above, what happens when you press the throttle button on
the consisting tool is that JMRI will open a throttle that has two
associated addresses.? The speed and direction are associated with the
consist address and the functions are associated with the lead
locomotive.? (Because of #1, these are always different on an advanced
consist).

If you open the throttle yourself, either through Engine
Driver/WiThrottle or through the JMRI throttles, it intentionally
doesn't get setup this way.? You are going to be selecting either the
consist address OR the lead locomotive address. (This is so that #4
above works the same way in JMRI as it does on a physical throttle).

On your DT500, when you setup an advanced consist, the throttle will
behave similarly.? The right hand throttle will control the speed,
direction and consist functions.? The left hand throttle will control
only the functions for the selected locomotive.

For the Digitrax Command Station Consists (Universal Consists in the
Digitrax literature), make should leave the consist address blank when
you create the consist.? This will force the tool to use the lead
locomotive's address as the consist number (the consist number will be
automatically populated).? In this case, no matter how you create the
throttle, you just use the lead locomotive's address when creating the
throttle.

On your DT500, when you setup a universal consist the procedure is
similar.? The right hand throttle has the lead locomotive selected and
will control the speed and direction and functions for the lead
locomotive.? The left hand throttle will control the functions for the
selected locomotive only.

Also, since you mentioned something related to this in another message,
consists created with Withrottle/Engine Driver may behave differently
than consists created with JMRI itself, but that depends on how you have
your preferences configured.

Paul

Re: Running JMRI on a Dell with a 32GB eMMC drive

#150159

I have been using a MINEX mini computer for JMRI. 
I had problems getting Win 10 updates to install also.
Referring to the Minex users site, someone found that the reserved area for Win
10 on the eMMC drive was not big enough.
A process was listed about increasing this reserved area.

Hope this lack of specific info sets you on the trail to resolve your situation.

John

Show quoted text

---------- Original Message ----------
From: Lou <tpwillie@...>
Date: August 2, 2018 at 8:22 AM

I have one of the Dell units. It choked on the last update also. The problem
was that Microsoft insisted that the update had to be written to the boot
drive which was too small. I was finally I was able to get a downloadable copy
of the update and put it on my memory stick and made the update from there.

Store everything you can on a memory stick. I found a 64 gb mini stick that I
leave in the PC all the time. I tried the micro SD slot but I have not has
good luck using those cards so back to USB.

Also, be aware that the PC is not upgradeable with the emmc drive. I found
Dell instructions to upgrade the hard drive and memory but this version has
all soldered in components. 

I use it when I have my 3 days of hospital treatments every month and it is
ideal for that. I don't see why it would not work for JMRI.

Lou

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
jimalbanowski
Sent: Thursday, August 2, 2018 8:12 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [jmriusers] Running JMRI on a Dell with a 32GB eMMC drive

Julius:

This may not apply to the Dell...

A friend and I have machine with a similar configuration to the Dell 
with the key being the 32GB "drive." This a fanless mini box computer.

The last Windows 10 Spring Creators Update had issues installing, not 
completing, so I removed software that I never need and got the update 
to finish.

This might be an issue for our machines only but I would like to raise 
the issue and see if there is any more experience in the community.

My guess is you're okay but I think waiting a bit to hear from the group 
is good.

Jim Albanowski