Up until just a few days ago my JMRI and Digitrax PR4 were working perfectly to program my DCC equipped locomotives. Yesterday I added a Digitrax decoder to one of my Atlas GP40's, programmed the decoder using my DT500 throttle and all went well. I then wanted to add my locomotive to my JMRI roster, using the "Read All Sheets" function and that is when things took a turn for the worse. I plugged my PR4 into my computer, plugged in the PS14 power supply, started JMRI, selected "New Loco" and since I knew the decoder I just choose it from the list and opened the "comprehensive programmer". I then selected "Read All Sheets" and something happened that has never happened before, the locomotive started moving down the programming track at a slow and steady speed. I had to grab the locomotive to keep it from running off the end of the programming track. When I looked at all the CV values on the JMRI sheet, the vast majority of them had the value of 255.?

Things I've tried so far:

1. Re-installing the JMRI software (Version 4.16) Previous version installed was 4.14
2. Deleting and re-installing the PR4 driver software
3. Checked the voltage of the PS14 power supply

None of the above fixed the problem and the power supply definitely has an output voltage of approx. 15 VDC.
I've also rebooted my computer and now when trying to read all sheets, I get an error message saying the command station is busy.?
My computer is a Dell XPS 8100 with an Intel I7 860 @ 2.80GHz with 8 GB of RAM running Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit.

Thank you in advance,?
Rich S.

Rich, if I’m not mistaken there is an issue with reliability of Read All Sheets. ?I’ve experienced this issue my self and my work around is a simple one; if a new loco I let JMRI try to find the decoder, or if I know what type of decoder it is I will manually pick it. Then instead of Read All Sheets, I go to the CV tab and tell it to Read Full Sheet of the CV tab. ?This in turn reads all the CVs, which then populates all the sheets. ?Once the sheets are populated, the rest of your programming is as usual, ?I hope this helps.

George

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Rich, I have occasionally come across this scenario with my PR4. ?To test it, I put a known working loco on the test track and used the Digitrax Sound Loader program to read the first 10 CVs and compare the values on my cheat sheet. ?Confirming they match, I close Sound Loader and reopen JMRI and it is able to read the locos again. ?George

Hi George, A quick update. It appears the problem is not with my PR4 but with my DN163A0. As you suggested I tried another locomotive on my test track with the Digitrax Sound Loader and it read that locomotive right away. I then tried that locomotive on my test track using JMRI and it read the decoder type within seconds. As a further follow up, I contacted Digitrax as I'm able to program the DN163A0 in question without any issues, using my DT500 throttle and my DB150 command station. The locomotive runs without any issues on my layout, but for some unknown reason, JMRI or the Digitrax Sound Loader can not read that decoder. The Digitrax help desk was puzzled and since it works on the layout, there is not need to send it back for repair or replacement. Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions with this issue.

Cheers,
Rich S.

Hello Group, I'm still having problems with my PR4. After a day of JMRI and the PR4 working correctly I'm now back to square one and not able to read read or write to any of my decoders. Someone suggested I try a new PS14, but that did not fix the issues. Can someone please tell me what their current Port Settings are for the PR4.
My Bits per second = 57600
Data bits = 8
Parity = None
Stop bits = 1
Flow Control = Hardware?
The advanced settings for FIFO Buffers box is checked and both sliders are set to high with the Com Port Number set to COM 3.
Are these settings correct?

Thanks in advance,
Rich S.?

Rich,

I'm not near my layout computer so I can't check the other settings, but the COM port depends on what Windows has assigned. Open Device Manager, expand the ports section, and plug/unplug the PR4 into the SAME USB port.? The COM port number that comes and goes when you do that is the one to use.

Also, I've found that sometimes I have to "reset" my PR4 by removing the USB and power, letting it sit for maybe 30 seconds, then plugging everything back in. That seems to fix the occasional flakiness (which is triggered by, as far as I can tell, by switching between PR4 modes of operation).

HTH,
Steve
"Breezlys"

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On Thu, Aug 29, 2019 at 08:51 AM, Rich S wrote:

Hi Steve,

?? Unplugging and plugging in the USB cable does not fix the issue. That is why I’m wondering if the port settings are correct.

?

Cheers,

Rich S.

?

Rich,

To do the "reset" I've always unplugged *everything* that could supply power to the PR4: The USB cable, the external power, and the LocoNet if it's supplying railsync.

I also had a chance to peruse the layout computer. My COM port settings are as follows. I've never changed anything from when I first plugged in the PR4 and Windows discovered and installed it. I think the values in your JMRI preferences override these anyway:

In Device Manager:
Bits per second = 9600
Data bits = 8
Parity = None
Stop bits = 1
Flow Control = None?
FIFO buffers both set to high

JMRI preferences:
Baud rate = Fixed at 57,600
Serial connection uses = hardware flow control (recommended)
Packetizer type = Normal (recommended)
Transponding present = No
Turnout command handling = Normal


HTH,
Steve

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