Wireless train control, I am SO stoked!

Doorgunnerjgs Nov 5, 2017

  1. Doorgunnerjgs

    Doorgunnerjgs TrainBoard Member

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    I have had JMRI for quite awhile now and just tonight I took advantage of that to successfully try to use it for wireless train control for my NCE Powerhouse Pro. I downloaded the free Engine Driver for both my Android phone and my Kindle from enginedriver.mstevetodd.com (also available at Google Play). I have JRMI installed on my Raspberry Pi computer and gave it a shot. Worked exactly as the instructions in Engine Driver said it would, though to get at the Tools/Throttles/Start WiThrottle Server, I had to open PanelPro3, not DecoderPro3. After that it, worked, first time with no hassles! It works equally well on both my phone and my Kindle!

    Easiest setup I have had to do in a long time!

    Thanks to the thread "NCE Power Cab (add on) question ? (non wireless)" in DCC&Electronics forum (http://www.trainboard.com/highball/...ower-cab-add-on-question-non-wireless.111109/) for the kick in the tail I needed to attempt this!

    John
     
  2. Doorgunnerjgs

    Doorgunnerjgs TrainBoard Member

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    From stoked to sad. A couple of days after I posted this, my NCE command station can no longer read or write decoders and won't run the layout from JMRI. Shipping it to NCE tomorrow! :(
     
  3. Doorgunnerjgs

    Doorgunnerjgs TrainBoard Member

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    And again, stoked! After a month, a return to NCE (which found no problem), and several hours of beating my head against the wall, finally checking the JMRI Yahoo group, it's working! Turns out JMRI has a problem with resetting some parameters that close down most, but not all, communication with DCC units.

    Now it all works great, including using phone to operate trains.
     
    Kez likes this.
  4. Greg Elmassian

    Greg Elmassian TrainBoard Member

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    As I use the same setup, what did you have to do to fix the problem?

    Greg
     
  5. Doorgunnerjgs

    Doorgunnerjgs TrainBoard Member

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    Edit>Preferences>Default. Make sure all the buttons are set for the DCS100 or NCE or whatever your command station is.

    From Dave with JMRI, "The problem is that if you launch JMRI without a valid connection, when you quit it will ask to Save Preferences. If you do that it will swap things to Internal in Preferences->Defaults.

    We are aware of the problem and it will be fixed in the V4.11.x series of releases."
     
  6. Greg Elmassian

    Greg Elmassian TrainBoard Member

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    So a bug changed the connection? Ahh, I know that bug, I learned early on to set the connection. Been using it so long I guessed I no longer run into it.

    For free software, it's pretty darn good. I use it to tweak speed tables, running a loco through a speedometer and tweaking the speed table from the screen. In Z scale, there is so much variation in loco performance it sure helps.

    Glad you are having fun!

    Greg
     

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