Can't read CVs on programming track

Walt Scrivens Mar 23, 2020

  1. Walt Scrivens

    Walt Scrivens New Member

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    Everything was working fine a year ago. Now, I want to adjust some speed tables but DCCpp_Uno won't read CVs (or anything else) on the programming track. The only change I made was updating the Arduino software to 1.8.12.

    Since then, I have tried 3 Arduinos and 2 Motor boards. All work the same, operations stuff works fine, but it returns an error code of -1 when I try to read from the programming track.

    Any ideas?

    Walt
     
  2. Keith Ledbetter

    Keith Ledbetter TrainBoard Member

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    have you tried different locos/decoders? Just trying to eliminate variables.
     
  3. Walt Scrivens

    Walt Scrivens New Member

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    Yes, I get the same response with Bachmann and Digitrax decoders.
    To experiment a little, I used the <W> command to change CV 2,5,and 6>. These also returned a -1 error code. Then switched to operations and tried the <t> command to run the loco. It rain at the previous speed settings, so the writes failed too.
     
  4. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    How do you find the software version? I use to know but can't figure it out now. Is 1.8.12 Gregg's original code?

    I'm running the original on one Arduino and the one that Dex's installer loads on another (again not sure what version that is). I have run engines using the new one but haven't tried to use Decoder Pro to program a loco yet with it. I should do that.

    With the original one I've had problems in the past getting writes to work at times on some locos but not others. Sometimes if I clean the contacts in the loco's pickups that helps, but maybe that wasn't what got it working. I have been frustrated at times with the 308 error. Hope that was an old DCC++ situation and that newer versions will resolve it. Maybe not DCC++'s problem at all but more electrical???

    Sumner
     
  5. wvgca

    wvgca TrainBoard Member

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    if the only change was the arduino loader, that's the first place to look ... [i haven't installed the newest version yet] ... mybe try with the version of the loader you had run last year when everything worked ..
     
  6. Walt Scrivens

    Walt Scrivens New Member

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    The DCCpp_Uno version number is in DCCpp_Uno.h (line 19) and is also printed to the serial terminal on a restart.

    The Arduino version is in the header of the sketch window. The comments in the sketch say it was written for Arduino 1.6.6. The oldest version I have is 1.8.8 and it won't compile the sketch. I get the error message:


    Arduino: 1.8.8 (Mac OS X), Board: "Arduino/Genuino Uno"

    fork/exec /Applications/Arduino1.8.8.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/bin/avr-g++: bad CPU type in executable
    Error compiling for board Arduino/Genuino Uno.


    I'm assuming that some support files must have changed between 1.8.8 and 1.8.9 but I don't have enough information to try to restore the rest of the files (beyond what is included in the Arduino.app package).

    I get a successful compilation with 1.8.10 or 1.8.12, but both have the same problem with the programming track. When I look at the track voltage wit a (very poor) oscilloscope, I can see what looks like the periodic packs of all ones that the NMRA standard calls for, but my 'scope won't give me enough resolution to see the individual bits going by.
     
  7. Walt Scrivens

    Walt Scrivens New Member

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    It's also strange that GitHub does not have anything newer than 2015. Is no one actively working on this package? Maybe I'm not looking in the right place.
     
  8. Jimbo20

    Jimbo20 TrainBoard Member

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    Coincidently a new thread on this very subject was started here a few weeks ago. It seems that newer unofficial versions are being rounded up and documented. Prepare for a long read!

    https://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/dcc-update-project-2020.130071/
     
    Walt Scrivens likes this.
  9. Walt Scrivens

    Walt Scrivens New Member

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    Thanks... I'll read it today and see what I can learn!

    Walt
     

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