JMRI on a Kindle

Burlington Bob Feb 3, 2023

  1. Burlington Bob

    Burlington Bob TrainBoard Member

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    I was wondering if it's possible to download and use JMRI for programming decoders with a PR4. I just got a top of the line Kindle that is far more capable than my low end laptop. Curious if anyone has any experience doing this and what shortcomings they may have encountered. I also have a Chromebook that I could use if that was a more viable choice.
     
  2. sidney

    sidney TrainBoard Member

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    isnt kindle just fer books...??
     
  3. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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  4. Burlington Bob

    Burlington Bob TrainBoard Member

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    Kindle does a LOT more than just books. I have Office Suite on mine that allows for making documents, spreadsheets, presentations and PDF files. I haven't done anything with them yet and Kindle doesn't use Windows OS, it uses Fire OS, which seems to be mostly compatible with Windows. I haven't tried downloading Java to see if it is workable, which is needed for JMRI.

    I have an older Kindle that isn't quite as robust as this one, but I'm thinking of trying it on that one to see what happens. Hopefully it would work, if not, I could do a total reset on it.

    Looks like I may be jumping into the deep end in the near future. Hopefully, I can learn to swim!
     
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  5. CSX Robert

    CSX Robert TrainBoard Member

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    I think you meant a Fire tablet, not a Kindle, right? The Fire tablets run a custom Android operating system, Android is based on Linux, and JMRI will run on Linux, so it may be possible, but if so, it's certainly not as easy as just downloading and installing it. The Chrome operating system is also based on Linux, and apparently, at least with some Chromebooks, you can just enable Linux in the advanced settings to be able to install Linux apps, though I don't have any personal experience with it. However, as Sumner mentioned, JMRI doesn't take much to run, so there's a good chance your laptop will run it and it would probably be the easiest option overall, especially if you're not familiar with Linux. In fact, JMRI is an excellent use for an old computer that you're not likely to use for anything else.
     
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  6. CSX Robert

    CSX Robert TrainBoard Member

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    I had forgotten this, but when Amazon first introduced the Fire tablet, they called it the Kindle Fire, but after a few generations they dropped the Kindle from the name, so now the Kindle and the Fire are two separate product lines.
     
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  7. Burlington Bob

    Burlington Bob TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks Sumner. I got a new low end Lenovo computer at Wallyworld with plans on using it for JMRI with my PR4 and Loc-programmer. I got a new top of the line Kindle for my birthday and thought that I might try it instead. I haven't used either one of the interfaces yet and I am no longer computer literate. I have a kitchen remodel in progress that takes a lot of my time. I'm easing into this and I know that I will have a lot of questions as I go. I know that I will be asking for help as this journey progresses.
     
  8. Burlington Bob

    Burlington Bob TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for all of the comments about the Fire (Kindle). Yes, it is the latest Fire tablet. First thing I realized is the Fire lacks the necessary connections that would be needed to connect the needed hardware, so that idea is going out the window now. I got the computer about a month ago with the intention of using it just for my trains, but I haven't used a computer regularly since XP was still being supported. Looks like I've got some learning to do!
     
  9. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    One of the factors for running JMRI is whether the required version of Java runtime is available on the computer/tablet to be used.

    The J in JMRI is for Java, the computer language and runtime environment it is built upon.

    However, you could also use one computer to run JMRI (connected to your DCC system), and another, e.g. more portable one, to remote-display/control JMRI (typically via a VNC app.) This is how I run JMRI Decoder Pro on my Raspberry Pi, VNC'd to my laptop for the latter's keyboard, mouse and display. But just for running trains, the R-Pi runs headless, and I run Engine Driver (an Android app, WiThrottle is the equivalent app for iPhones) on my phone to control the trains through JMRI.

    There are lots of ways to 'skin this cat'...
     
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  10. mramsey

    mramsey TrainBoard Member

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    The newer Fire tablets have a charge port that supports USB On The Go (OTG), with appropriate cables and software, they can connect to most USB devices, including an Arduino running DCC-EX. Using the tablet with an Android throttle app (like Engine Driver) would likely work. Android apps are actually written in Java, so (theoretically) JMRI could be modified to run as an Android app, but I doubt anyone wants to make that effort.
     
  11. Msjohnston

    Msjohnston TrainBoard Member

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    Should try and get a Rasberry Pi and run on that, there is a good article on setting up JMRI on one.
     
  12. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    I run a Pi with JMRI and love it with my under $100 DCC-EX Command station. I set up a Pi with the operating system when I had the sailboat as a chart plotter connected to a GPS dongle. That took some studying to accomplish.

    This was way simpler. Download ....

    https://mstevetodd.com/jmri-raspberrypi-access-point

    ... Steve Todd's image file above onto a SD card and plug it into the Pi and start it up. Starts up and auto loads JMRI which comes up on the screen. Can't get simpler than that. Don't need to know anything about a Pi basically,

    Sumner
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2023
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  13. Msjohnston

    Msjohnston TrainBoard Member

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    That is the same artilcle i have, once i get moved and setup on MTH stuff will be looking at it on a Pi zero
     
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