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I only use staging, spurs and C/I tracks mainly because I don't have a good idea as how to use a yard track.

Is there a reference where I could better understand the role of a yard track in the Ops scheme of things?

Doug

Managed to sort out the com port issue. the PR4 is now on Com4. and the MRC is still on Com 3.? which is a worry if there is a problem which I not seen yet as Rich in this thread as Rich has the ports reversed.?
I had to go back to start and do the whole windows set up as per the documentation.? perhaps I should have read it first!??

So far. managed to do this part.?As per Billybobs directions.

"You will need to carefully set up JMRI for your Standalone LocoNet. Create a JMRI connection, and configure it as a PR4, and "lie" about the command station type -simply define it as any of the command station types. Make sure that your connection's "Defaults" settings (i.e. Edit->Preferences->Defaults) do _not_ select the LocoNet connection for "Throttles", "Power Control", "command station", "service programmer", "Ops Mode Programmer" or "Consists"

I created a picture file (Howards Pictures) with screen shots of what I have now..? The PR4 has red and green lights flashing alternatively.?

I wanted to check back before going blindly on.

I also included the power supply I have feeding the bus wire for turnout controls (Mega points) and feeding my BDL168s.? I have three installed so far, but no loco net connected up.?

I will next try and set up one as a terminator? I presuming the PR4 cant do that?

Ross gave me the setting for this.

The BDL168 can 'terminate' a stand-alone LocoNet.

Option Switch 11 (Thrown) -- Allow this BDL168 to be the master.
Option Switch 12 (Thrown) -- Allow this BDL168 to terminate LocoNet.

Stupid question where am I doing this are these to two buttons on the board?? The manual refers to the keyboard, so is there somewhere I am observing this. Or am I counting flashes??

Phil,
These are actually two decoders in one Lok. So you may need to program them separately.
Look at the CV15/16 protocols.?

This is similar to the Blue Line Loks that has OEM sound, but required a regular decoder to control the motor.
Most folks I know installed an actual sound decoder to decrease the hassles managing two decoders in one Lok.
Thomas
DeSoto, TX?

Please use "meaningful subject lines" when starting topics.

We are getting lots of subject lines that don't give much if any idea of what the topic is about.

By providing a meaningful subject line you may get the attention of someone that can provide you assistance with your issue. It also give others the chance to skip the topic if it is not of interest to them.

--
Peter Ulvestad

JMRI Users Group Moderator - ( )
Tam Valley Group Moderator - ( )
Sprog-DCC Group Moderator - ( )
Edmonton Model Railroad Association -

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I think, now there were two entries. One for motor decoder one for sound. They shared a common address, this the locking step to program and/or read each one.?

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I use it for the real life builder.?

Do you mean recognized as a single address or do you mean as a single Roster entry ?

Single Roster?? is a tad complicated and would require you create a custom? 'Definition file' combining both the Digitrax_0SFX.xml with the Digitrax_01x3.xml? or portions of them.?

There is no JMRI tool to do this.

Marc

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In the days of the BLI blue line locos the approach was to lock the sound decoder and program the motor decoder. Then reverse the process. That way any overlapping functions would remain uniquely set. I think that let you use one roster entry for both since they shared an address. I later replaced the dual decoder set up with a single sound unit.?

Interesting question that I have never seen before: combining two decoders into one definition file and subsequently a single roster entry.?
Could be done as these decoder do have a series of shared and not shared CV's.

A custom definition file needs to be built.? Combining Digitrax_SFX.xml with Digitrax_01x3.xml? or portions of both.

There is no JMRI tool to combine two definitions into a single Roster entry.

If this is what your question was about.

Marc

Haven’t had much chance to play with it but the new volume sliders work great. Thanks. Also been playing with ‘spatial sound’ but it’s making my brain sweat.
--
Mike Heintzman
Modeling the P&PU since 1953

I see a lot of the issue with separate detection at turnouts depends on what
are the goals of the layout and signaling. Next you get into the track plan
itself, that has quite a bit of impact too.

The issues get into where does a train need to stop and where are the
signals (virtual or physical) that would tell it to stop. Many times from a
signaling view, making an interlocking of multiple turnouts can save signals
and detectors at the expense of you must stop outside of the interlocking
and can't make changes within the interlocking. Granted that's really part
of the definition of an interlocking, a set of trackwork that is controlled
as one unit.

The best reason for turnout detection is to lock the turnout if it is
occupied. Keeps the route from changing when the turnout is in use. Granted
that can mean more manual lifting if somebody runs a turnout and gets part
of the train scattered across it. I may have been easier to operate the
turnout and not have to lift as many cars (provided they stayed on the track
over the points).

The next big reason for having the turnout as a separate detection is for
knowing traffic direction and telling a dispatcher that somebody either
arrived or left somewhere. If all the track (turnout-mainline-turnout)
between towns are only one block, which train moved? The one at the left or
right town?

In the model here is a case showing some advantages and disadvantages of
interlocking multiple turnouts.:
Single track feeds into two left hand turnouts. Normal leads to mainline,
diverging first turnout and normal second turnout leads to passing siding,
both turnouts diverging leads to yard tracks. The signals are on a three
track bridge over the middle of the turnouts. Having these two as one
interlocking leads to a train on the mainline can stop closer to the first
turnout than a train on the passing that must stop short of the second
turnout. Many model crews have a hard time doing that. Since the second
turnout is normal, they see it as straight track and pull onto that turnout.
But as a single interlocking, they have now fowled themselves. Even using
yellow marked ties to remind crews where the gaps are, they seem to forget a
lot, then complain to the dispatcher why they are sitting at a red signal
(which they caused). At one layout this is three turnouts in a row where the
second turnout is an industry spur and the third is the passing or yard. The
distance difference depending on which track you are on is rather long.

But if you have single track between two points with passing at both, it is
really simple with the turnouts and the single track being one block. They
get a red when somebody is in between and a yellow if somebody is on the
track in the next town. If those turnouts are separate detection, it takes
more logic to manage this same behavior.

Lots more examples and discussions available. Chew on some of this a bit and
give more thought. If you want to do proper CTC, you need the separate
blocks for the turnouts. Otherwise a number of the board operations will not
be prototypical.

-Ken Cameron, Member JMRI Dev Team
www.jmri.org
www.fingerlakeslivesteamers.org
www.cnymod.org
www.syracusemodelrr.org

I think manufacter refers to the model manufactor not the train manufactor.
but am I putting the correct info in the columns?


/g/jmriusers/photo/246752/0?p=Created,,,20,2,0,0

Don’t know if this helps, but it was a prior discussion on how to set up dual decoders. I went into the 开云体育 site and searched the messages for ‘dual decoders’.

/g/jmriusers/topic/19530952#130558
--
Mike Heintzman
Modeling the P&PU since 1953

Hi Howard Witt,
???? The Digitrax PR4 will only work on COM Port 3, you'll have to reconfigure your MRC Command Station to use COM Port 4.

Cheers,
Rich S.

Hi Tony, ? The cost element of the extra hardware hadn't slipped my notice and I am having to build my system with cost restrictions just to prove to my wife this isn't a whim, so using Sprog and Arduino with both current sensing and optical sensors,? I was partially driven to re-think the turnouts and blocks issue when I tried adding signal masts as jmri wants to add them to boundaries to blocks? which works fine when the turnout is a separate block, when I tried SSL Dispatcher need sections to have directional sensors? so that bamboozled me .
Thanks Steve

Chris,? what you say makes sense and is what I had started to do, but when I then started to look around for further help as I consider was signalling masts etc and whether SSL or SML everyone seemed to have turnouts in separate block, so I started to doubt my original thinking.
Thnks Steve