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Re: JMRI Decoder Pro, EasyDCC, and SoundTraxx
Thomas,
As this is my home layout, usually operated solo, ghosting should be a non-problem, or at least minor one.
I'm hoping to have my EasyDCC connected to my new in the box Raspberry Pi 3B+, using a spare Netgear hub to communicate wirelessly with the computer running Decoder Pro. So, the cable is only one piece of the puzzle. As an old hardware hand, I'm comfortable modifying a cable. It's the software that gives me trouble!???? :--)
Don
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Re: Creeping locomotives (was Re: Digitrax DCS100 missing LocoNet packets
'Creeping Locomotives' may be a manifestation of some erroneous wording in early (circa 1997) NMRA DCC standards.
IIRC, 'Emergency Stop' was described as 'the first speed step.' When the DCC working group was queried they confirmed their wording was 'correct.' The updated DCC Standards describe emergency stop as an immediate stop.
Since locomotives that had been 'emergency stopped' were actually at the 'first speed step' they often crept. I often coached people to follow any use of emergency stop by then turning the throttle to '0' to make sure the locomotive was stopped.
I don't know if later DCS100 firmware versions ever changed this. Later throttle models actually send a '0' speed command when emergency stop is used.
HTH
Ross
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-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Steve_G Sent: Sunday, July 28, 2019 5:43 PM To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [jmriusers] Creeping locomotives (was Re: DigiTrax DCS100 missing LocoNet packets Hi Speed step 1 means Emergency Stop (i.e. Stop NOW and ignore deceleration settings). Which dcc system / command station are you using? Steve G. On July 28, 2019 5:20:38 PM EDT, Bob Jacobsen <rgj1927@...> wrote: Could I ask some more info on these?
With the creeping locomotives, what kinds of decoders do they have?
On Jul 15, 2019, at 9:08 AM, Don <donmcgil@...> wrote:
BUG alert - While I am talking about the Monitor Slots Window I have noticed that the "Estop All" button sets the locos to a speed of 1 not
0. As a result they start creeping and eventually cause issues (shorts
at turnouts, collisions derailments etc).
--
Bob Jacobsen
rgj1927@...
-- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
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Hi Folks
I've done a project to throw 26 PECO turnouts with SG90 servos using Arduino Unos. A feature of this is to drive red/green LEDs with the Arduinos to show turnout position. No limit switches, no relays.
This uses enough pins that I can get 4 servos and 8 LEDs per Arduino.
The goal off this project is simply to replace handthrown turnouts with pushbutton remote in an industrial area where turnouts are hard for operators to reach. There is no need for connection to DCC system at these locations.
(We do have dispatcher's computer panel for 5 key mainline locations using Digitrax PR-3 , PS-64's and JMRI. We use JMRI primarily for operations and decoder set up.)
The cost is about $6 US per turnout site, including panels. Materials came via AliExpess.
The servo mounting is the "half inch aluminum channel" type found on YouTube. Thus includes a piece of steel wire which bends a bit to hold the points in place. Servos should be off between throws. This may require adjustment of throw angles.
The code was cribbed from various on line sources -- I'm not a coder, just a retired civil engineer who can adapt/figure things out.
Each Arduino is part of a "module" that include a bread board and barrier strips. There are 7 modules mounted together on a panel under the layout, below the industrial area.
The fascia mounted panels have a track schematic, one push button and two LEDs per site. The panels include barrier strips and connections to the modules are made with 4 pair communication cable - one cable for buttons, one cable for LEDs.
Adjusting servo throw is done by adjusting the code for a given module, each servo has a loop of code for it's button; each module has its own code for its 4 servos. The throw angle is given in degrees in each direction; each turnout of 26 may be adjusted separately, although this hasn't been necessary so far.
I don't know how to write servo position to Arduino's eprom. So if Arduinos are powered off, then each servo must be "waked up" next time system is powered up. Not a big deal but not very elegant, even for a dirt engineer. (Operators shouldn't leave cars parked on turnouts, but...)
So I'd like to learn how to have Arduino's remember servo position, and LEDs color when powered up.
You may see some info on this project on my YouTube channel "Birmingham Rails".
I'm glad to share code, pix, etc. if anyone is interested.
Thanks
John Stewart
Birmingham, AL
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Re: Creeping locomotives (was Re: DigiTrax DCS100 missing LocoNet packets
Hi
Missed the title. If the throttle is being shared between a real digitrax throttle and JMRI, or is just a real throttle, if you E-stop it in JMRI the real throttle will just set the speed back to where it was after a few moments. Its best not to share throttles between JMRI and a Digitrax Throttle, and Dt500/402? with expanded slots enabled, and a dcs240, dcs52 and and dcs210 can actually block JMRI from controlling the loco.
Steve G.
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All,
A quick update on this - had some time this afternoon to implement the changes recommended by Geoff (namely, appending PT and ST to outputStream in the two scripts) and, after some work, I am pleased to report that the two arduinos are working as intended.
I'll have to continue to study the python scopes and namespaces to get an understanding of what is trying to be communicated, and examine other recommended solutions.
Sam
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Re: Creeping locomotives (was Re: DigiTrax DCS100 missing LocoNet packets
Hi
Speed step 1 means Emergency Stop (i.e. Stop NOW and ignore deceleration settings).
Which dcc system / command station are you using?
Steve G.
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On July 28, 2019 5:20:38 PM EDT, Bob Jacobsen <rgj1927@...> wrote: Could I ask some more info on these?
With the creeping locomotives, what kinds of decoders do they have?
On Jul 15, 2019, at 9:08 AM, Don <donmcgil@...> wrote:
BUG alert - While I am talking about the Monitor Slots Window I have noticed that the "Estop All" button sets the locos to a speed of 1 not
0. As a result they start creeping and eventually cause issues (shorts
at turnouts, collisions derailments etc).
--
Bob Jacobsen
rgj1927@...
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
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Locked
Re: Duplicate panel name popup
Terry,
If you reply ¡°No" and then save the panel, then the next time you load it, there should only be one.
Attachments are removed from postings. On the group¡¯s web page, images can be added to an album by selecting Photos and files can be uploaded using the Files selection.
Dave Sand
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On Jul 28, 2019, at 4:18 PM, Terry Metcalfe via Groups.Io <terrymetcalfe@...> wrote:
Dave,
I realise that I have two copies of ¡°My Layout¡± but how can I get rid o f one of them?
As a new user of this group imam not sure that my screen shot was seen by you. Here it is again
It isn¡¯t a major issue because if i click ¡°yes¡± or ¡°no¡± it opens the layout screen but i would prefer not to see this message
Regards
Terry
On 28 Jul 2019, at 22:02, Dave Sand <ds@...> wrote:
Terry,
The most likely cause is loading the same xml file twice in one JMRI session.
Dave Sand
On Jul 28, 2019, at 3:53 PM, Terry Metcalfe via Groups.Io <terrymetcalfe@...> wrote:
What have I done wrong and how do I avoid it?
Regards from a user in the uk
Terry.
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Locked
Creeping locomotives (was Re: DigiTrax DCS100 missing LocoNet packets
Could I ask some more info on these? With the creeping locomotives, what kinds of decoders do they have? On Jul 15, 2019, at 9:08 AM, Don <donmcgil@...> wrote:
BUG alert - While I am talking about the Monitor Slots Window I have noticed that the "Estop All" button sets the locos to a speed of 1 not 0. As a result they start creeping and eventually cause issues (shorts at turnouts, collisions derailments etc). -- Bob Jacobsen rgj1927@...
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Locked
Re: Duplicate panel name popup
Dave,
I realise that I have two copies of ¡°My Layout¡± but how can I get rid o f one of them?
As a new user of this group imam not sure that my screen shot was seen by you. Here it is again
It isn¡¯t a major issue because if i click ¡°yes¡± or ¡°no¡± it opens the layout screen but i would prefer not to see this message
Regards
Terry
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 28 Jul 2019, at 22:02, Dave Sand <ds@...> wrote:
Terry,
The most likely cause is loading the same xml file twice in one JMRI session.
Dave Sand
On Jul 28, 2019, at 3:53 PM, Terry Metcalfe via Groups.Io <terrymetcalfe@...> wrote:
What have I done wrong and how do I avoid it?
Regards from a user in the uk
Terry.
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Locked
Re: Duplicate panel name popup
Terry,
The most likely cause is loading the same xml file twice in one JMRI session.
Dave Sand
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Show quoted text
On Jul 28, 2019, at 3:53 PM, Terry Metcalfe via Groups.Io <terrymetcalfe@...> wrote:
What have I done wrong and how do I avoid it?
Regards from a user in the uk
Terry.
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Locked
Re: OpenLCB - Lights - Help - Tests for build 3335 failed.
Thank you!
On 7/26/2019 9:13 AM, steve young via
Groups.Io wrote:
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Hi Tim,
Have been meaning to post, hadn't forgotten about you!
Not had a chance to progress this recently, family commitments +
have needed to debug a few CBUS things which have cropped up.
It's still on the list of things to sort though, possibly even
later this evening depending on how I get one with a hardware
test.
I haven't ( yet ) doubled the OpenLCB Light panel size, however
still planning on building a massive test xml programatically.
I'm aware that OpenLCB was??updated from 0.7.25 to 0.7.26 between
JMRI 4.17.1 and JMRI 4.17.2,??
although you'd need to check the OpenLCB project for details on
what that means!
Steve
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Locked
Duplicate panel name popup
What have I done wrong and how do I avoid it?
Regards from a user in the uk
Terry.
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I did something like this, you can find it on GitHub: To avoid the problem that the servo keeps pushing because the endpoint is a bit too far, my sketch does a "detach" when the end point is reached. This prevent a really annoying buzz, servo wear and power consumption. Bye Manu
Le dim. 28 juil. 2019 17:51, Andy Reichert < andy_r@...> a ¨¦crit?: A basic R/C servo is a machine that uses force to reach a particular set
position against any fixed or variable resistance.? It's not
specifically designed to be appropriate or convenient for model railway
turnout throw bar applications.
If you set the servo position to end with the points 0.001" away from
the stock rail, it will stop pushing entirely at that point. If you set
the position to 0.001" past the stock rail, it will continuously try to
reach that position with all the force (and current draw) it can
provide.? This mismatch can be compensated by placing a soft spring
between the servo output and the throw bar and setting the servo
position to slightly over throw the turnout in both directions.
Otherwise the turnout construction is required to be strong enough to
withstand the repeated full force of the servo, as well as being a
realistic model.
However in order to correctly set the position for a particular servo
mounting , it is most preferable to have the setting controls to hand
where you can closely observe the throw bar setting movement. This
implies, to me at least, that the setting controls are mobile.
One sobering thought is that all this extra technology can be saved for
model railway applications by merely pulling the electronics out of the
servo and driving the motor L or R directly. Again something that is
simpler to operate by an on/off bit output from JMRI controlled
hardware. It also implies that a servo without electronics should be
somewhat cheaper than a servo with electronics. But the actual landed
cost of servos in the West has a lot to do with mass production and
overseas lower wages. Which is something that cannot necessarily be
counted on indefinitely.
Andy
On 7/28/2019 6:29 AM, bluetobits wrote:
> I use servos to control turnouts on my DCC++ layout.
> It's not really practical to hack the DCC++ code to produce outputs
> that can be directly connected to servos without compromising the DCC
> timing. - at least it's way beyond my programming skills!
> The outputs from the mega can be soft and hard patched to inputs on
> one or more separate Arduinos. It is theoretically possible to control
> 10 servos with one arduino pro mini or nano, but it really helps to be
> able to calibrate the maximum and minimum throw of the servo for the
> open and closed turnout positions. To do this will require a
> potentiometer input, and a? calibrate button, perhaps an LED to
> signify calibration mode and pot wiper position, this will leave (say
> ) 8 inputs (say D11,D12 and A1-A6) from the mega and 8 turnouts (D2 to
> D9), Calibration Switch (D10) ,Calibration pot wiper (A0) & LED (D13).
> The Arduino sketch needs to scan inputs from the DCC++ mega, change
> position value for any that have changed, and output that change to
> the servo. Pressing the calibrate button allows the position value for
> the last servo moved to be re-set by changing the pot value.. The
> sketch would need to write all values to eeprom so they can be loaded
> on power-up in the setup routine.? Of course there are plenty of
> opportunities for refinements.? I am happy to upload a mini tutorial,
> sketch and wiring diags if you would like to try it. (at ?3 per
> arduino and ?1.50 per servo it's not really expensive)
> Steve 009 in UK
>
---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
|
Going back over my roster I noticed unmade some mistakes in the Docoders I selected For example on Soundtrack in stead of selecting DSD diesel I hit DSD steam? My question beside deleting the mistake unit and reinstalling it ,is thier a way to edit the decoder selected? Thanks for the help? Alfredo?
Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device
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when i open panel pro, ?i get a pop up headed ¡°Duplicate panel name¡± on top of the layout screen. ?This never used to happen. ?Something is wrong can you describe the steps to remove this popup
thanks
Terry
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Re: EngineDriver 2.24.89 released to production
Steve, thanks for cracking this nut.? Don't think you are a bit paranoid.? Just returned from a fishing trip and started the Kindle I use for ED and there was a note that I needed to update ED to 2.24.93.? Installed just fine and am off to the club to try it out. ? Larry ?
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Steve Todd
Sent: Friday, July 26, 2019 8:06 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [jmriusers] EngineDriver 2.24.89 released to production ? On Mon, Jul 1, 2019 at 07:42 AM, Larry Savage wrote: Steve, any chance of getting this update from the Kindle app store?
Update for Larry and other Kindle users: I bought a Fire 7 on Prime Day so I could (hopefully) figure out why EngineDriver was no longer showing up in the Amazon App store. I went through the same steps to post v2.24.93 as I've done before, and it now shows support for 23 of 24 Amazon devices (all but the 2011 Kindle Fire).
On my new Fire 7, I opened Amazon AppStore, searched for "jmri" and it showed EngineDriver. Clicked Install, then Open and it is working fine (desk test).
If I was paranoid, I'd think Amazon refused to publish until I actually owned a compatible device..... :)
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Re: DCC4PC Railcom Reader
Is there a support community for DCC4PC somewhere? The usual problem for esoteric hardware like this is that the JMRI support was originally coded by just one person who had detailed knowledge of the hardware, but then that person moves on and nobody knows enough about how the hardware works to pick up support. The code, including the history of all the changes, is available here: Somebody who has hardware to test the problem could use `git bisect` to figure out exactly which change to the software caused the problem: Bob On Jul 28, 2019, at 3:48 AM, ardmay via Groups.Io <ardmay@...> wrote:
Is anyone aware that support for the DCC4PC railcom reader doesn't work anymore in jmri! After testing some passed releases it seems to work all but slow refreshing up to release 4.12. Later releases don't work and looking at the dcc4pc monitor within jmri it seems that jmri can't read the input file from the hardware. I've tried reporting this but to no avail. The suggestion that jmri supports dcc4pc railcom reader hardware is misleading and maybe the option to select this hardware in the preferences connections pane should be taken away to protect people from investing in hardware that is no longer supported by jmri.
Michael Smith
-- Bob Jacobsen rgj1927@...
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Re: Can I have two points with the same DCC address on a control panel?
Renton,
Since you didn't mention how you are setting up your panel, I am going to state that it appears you are using the layout editor. I have used the panel editor without ever having a problem. Could you please define which editor you are using. It will clarify your question.
Thanks, Nick Kulp
"I'm not a failure. I started at the bottom and I found it easily attainable. Life is too short to set unattainable goals"- Nick Kulp
On Sunday, July 28, 2019, 05:27:33 AM EDT, Renton Charman via Groups.Io <renton.charman@...> wrote:
I am using Cobalt SS point motors which allows two point motors to be operated simultaneously with the same address. When I have tried to add points to the JMRI control panel on my Mac I can add the first post and control ok. However when I then try to add the second point and give it the same address I get an error warning that the address is already being used. I can control both points on the layout together clicking on the first point but I have no animation of the second point on the panel. Is there a way of doing this?
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A basic R/C servo is a machine that uses force to reach a particular set position against any fixed or variable resistance.? It's not specifically designed to be appropriate or convenient for model railway turnout throw bar applications. If you set the servo position to end with the points 0.001" away from the stock rail, it will stop pushing entirely at that point. If you set the position to 0.001" past the stock rail, it will continuously try to reach that position with all the force (and current draw) it can provide.? This mismatch can be compensated by placing a soft spring between the servo output and the throw bar and setting the servo position to slightly over throw the turnout in both directions. Otherwise the turnout construction is required to be strong enough to withstand the repeated full force of the servo, as well as being a realistic model. However in order to correctly set the position for a particular servo mounting , it is most preferable to have the setting controls to hand where you can closely observe the throw bar setting movement. This implies, to me at least, that the setting controls are mobile. One sobering thought is that all this extra technology can be saved for model railway applications by merely pulling the electronics out of the servo and driving the motor L or R directly. Again something that is simpler to operate by an on/off bit output from JMRI controlled hardware. It also implies that a servo without electronics should be somewhat cheaper than a servo with electronics. But the actual landed cost of servos in the West has a lot to do with mass production and overseas lower wages. Which is something that cannot necessarily be counted on indefinitely. Andy On 7/28/2019 6:29 AM, bluetobits wrote: I use servos to control turnouts on my DCC++ layout.
It's not really practical to hack the DCC++ code to produce outputs that can be directly connected to servos without compromising the DCC timing. - at least it's way beyond my programming skills!
The outputs from the mega can be soft and hard patched to inputs on one or more separate Arduinos. It is theoretically possible to control 10 servos with one arduino pro mini or nano, but it really helps to be able to calibrate the maximum and minimum throw of the servo for the open and closed turnout positions. To do this will require a potentiometer input, and a? calibrate button, perhaps an LED to signify calibration mode and pot wiper position, this will leave (say ) 8 inputs (say D11,D12 and A1-A6) from the mega and 8 turnouts (D2 to D9), Calibration Switch (D10) ,Calibration pot wiper (A0) & LED (D13). The Arduino sketch needs to scan inputs from the DCC++ mega, change position value for any that have changed, and output that change to the servo. Pressing the calibrate button allows the position value for the last servo moved to be re-set by changing the pot value.. The sketch would need to write all values to eeprom so they can be loaded on power-up in the setup routine.? Of course there are plenty of opportunities for refinements.? I am happy to upload a mini tutorial, sketch and wiring diags if you would like to try it. (at ?3 per arduino and ?1.50 per servo it's not really expensive)
Steve 009 in UK
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|
I use servos to control turnouts on my DCC++ layout.
It's not really practical to hack the DCC++ code to produce outputs that can be directly connected to servos without compromising the DCC timing. - at least it's way beyond my programming skills!
The outputs from the mega can be soft and hard patched to inputs on one or more separate Arduinos. It is theoretically possible to control 10 servos with one arduino pro mini or nano, but it really helps to be able to calibrate the maximum and minimum throw of the servo for the open and closed turnout positions. To do this will require a potentiometer input, and a? calibrate button, perhaps an LED to signify calibration mode and pot wiper position, this will leave (say ) 8 inputs (say D11,D12 and A1-A6) from the mega and 8 turnouts (D2 to D9), Calibration Switch (D10) ,Calibration pot? wiper (A0) & LED (D13). The Arduino sketch needs to scan inputs from the DCC++ mega, change position value for any that have changed, and output that change to the servo. Pressing the calibrate button allows the position value for the last servo moved to be re-set by changing the pot value.. The sketch would need to write all values to eeprom so they can be loaded on power-up in the setup routine.? Of course there are plenty of opportunities for refinements.? I am happy to upload a mini tutorial, sketch and wiring diags if you would like to try it. (at ?3 per arduino and ?1.50 per servo it's not really expensive)?
Steve 009 in UK
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Bob Jacobsen
