Rick / Chuck Rickets

I got to meet Rick on a few ocasions and operated with him,  Very nice guy.

Well written

I appreciate your effort to simplify and clarify all things DCC. I hope you will continue to expand on the JMRI software. These guys do an excellent job but for me, your style is easier to follow.

Wait...

I DON'T have to wear a lab coat to program a decoder?

Awww... next I'[ll bet you'll try to tell me I don't need a "decoder ring" or a "Quantum Tunneling Device" for decoder programming!

 

Best picture of 2018

Put the decoder ring away, use the quantum tunneling device, but Warflight you made my day!

TomO

Heh...

No worries... flatmates still say I'm about one lab accident away from being a super villain.

Thanks!

I have been using DCC on and off for 20 years, I bought my NCE Powerhouse Pro in 1998. I've been using JMRI for almost 2 years now and I still learned a lot from this article. Definitely is on my personal list of articles to refer back to.

Thanks for well written and informative article!

Bud (aka John)

Talk about timing!

I just bought the Digitrax PR4 and installed JMRI and have been fiddling with it to limited success. Your article really helped clear a lot of confusion. Thanks very much.

Decoder Pro

If you are just starting out with JMRI/DecoderPro, there is a Yahoo group you might want to look at https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/jmriusers/info .

I've followed the site for some time and I have one comment about Bruce's suggestion to download the latest JMRI version. Be careful what you download. There is a beta version of an upgrade that has recently been added to the site. I've read on the group a lot of questions about what appear to be bugs or problems with the update as released. Personally, I'd go for the older, proven version if it was not all ready on my PC. You don't want to spend time learning and running into potential problems.

Question re devices

Full JMRI won't run on phone processors (Android, IPhone, Windows Phone)  It requires the X86 architecture.

​It should run on anything that supports a full PC operating system - typically this means an Atom, Intel, or AMD chipset.  Anything that runs Windows 7, 8, or 10, and has a full USB port should run JMRI - devices as cheap as $100 or less can be found on Amazon.

​That said, I don't know if JMRI will run on Chromebooks...  the hardware would technically support it, but I don't know if the Linux kernel is sufficiently accessible to install it locally.

Raspberry Pi Also

My JMRI is running on a Raspberry Pi 3. Runs fine. Started out on my Windows based laptop, but decided to get into the whole RPi 3 world and was pleasantly surprised. Inexpensive alternative to a Windows system.

Reading the entire decoder

One of the things Bruce mentioned was to do a Read All Sheets in Decoder Pro on new decoders.  This is the first time I can recall anyone recommending that.  It is great advice.  I discovered a while ago that the values in Decoder Pro''s standard definition files may not be what is really in your decoder.  Start monkeying around before doing an initial Read All Sheets and we may not be able to return to the original factory settings.  We will be making changes possibly assuming an incorrect initial starting point.

I suppose a factory reset would work to get back to the original settings, but a Read All Sheets will let you see what''s really in the decoder right now.

Great article, Bruce.

John C

JAVA and JMRI Run on Many Processor Architectures

WRONG!

JMRI aka JAVA Model Railroad Interface is a JAVA application which will run on any processor architecture that runs the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) and has enough storage space and memory. That includes, as already noted, those using ARM processors (Raspberry Pi, Beagle Bone or any similar board; Smart Phones; Android tablets, etc), SPARK processors, Power PCs and more.

I have run JMRI on several of these devices, but the problem is not just what devices JMRI will run on but what IO interfaces and drivers are supported. In other words you can run JMRI, but you can not connect it to a DCC system without driver support for your IO port. You can check the JMRI website for supported hardware.

JMRI article

Bruce:

Great information. I’d sort of let jmri pass me by but you’ve revived me and kept me from drowning in the new information. 

Thanks; 

Karl Scribner

Sunfield Twp MI

JMRI

JMRI is an indispensable tool for the DCC user, and I sent in my $10 while I was proofreading the article. 

Saving this article in hardcopy

How can you save this article (and some others) in hardcopy i.e. print 'em? I  struggle with reading on line anyway and trying to reference a great article like this while using the same computer to implement the advice seems difficult.

Anyhoo........can someone offer a quick suggestion?

Reading / Writing All Sheets Tip

When reading all sheets, occasionally some CVs will fail to read (these will be highlighted in red).

Do NOT read all sheets again. Instead "Read Changes on All Sheets". When you do this JMRI will only read those CVs that are highlighted in red. A great time saver.

The same for goes for writing all sheets.

Hardcopy

The best way to save it in hardcopy is to download the PDF version of the magazine (I recommend the Portrait orientation), open it up in a PDF reader like Adobe Reader or Foxit Pro, and then telling it only to print the pages you want. Since MRH doesn't use global page numbers, you'll need to go to the pages you want to find what their numbers for printing are.

Domelover - I agree

I quote from my column:

Test releases will be numbered something like 4.5.8, whereas production releases are numbered like 4.8.2.

The odd digit in the second position (5) indicates a test release. The production releases are even (8).

Also, they are identified as test vs. production on the JMRI web site download page.

Stick with the even numbers, I do.

Glad you all liked it

Thanks for your kind words and support.

Excellent

A very good article explaining why and how to use JMRI, even for guys using JMRI for years.

It tells you that programming a decoder with such a good tool is easier than you think. It's not a geek sport anymore.

The only thing missing could be: Don't forget to check JMRI for updates (about every 6 months) as theses updates will include bug fixes and new or updated decoder definitions.

Thanks Bruce

Alain

DCC Programing

Very nice well written article, but it gave me a headache. As an older modeler returning to the Hobby it is a bit overwhelming to me as I learn to navigate DCC. Heck I’m still tossing the coin between Digitrax and NCE. What system do feel is the easiest to learn on. I’m building a small switching layout based on the TOMA idea. I’m starting with one module and then I will expand to a second and third as time and space allows.... Is there a DCC Guide for Old Idiots out there?

You columns are a great source of info!

Thanks, Wilson

The SJ and S Railroad

great artical

Its very good, was a big help in getting me started using JMRI. Now if I can just get JMRI to read and write to a decoder. 

Wilson

My columns, starting in October 2010, in MRH are a good, but scattered, treatise on DCC.

However, I've been working on compiling them into an eBook:
Mr. DCC's Book of Knowledge.

This won't be just a reprint of all the columns, as some other magazines are wont to do, but a complete revision and edit of the information presented. That's why I know how scattered the data is. Also, there are a lot of things that have changed in the years, so I'm updating as I go along. Look for it soon from MRH.

In your situation, I suggest you get a PowerCab from NCE.

Book of Knowledge

Thank you for your reply. I will definitely get a copy of your book as soon as it is out. The more knowledge the better, I’ve had the opportunity to use the Digitrax system on my brother’s layout and it seems nice, but the display is too dang small. With all my research it looks like NCE is more user friendly out of the box.

Wilson