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Using the Digikeijs DR5000 with TrainController


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I have both the DR5000 and a Lenz system connected to TrainController.

 

IIRC in Windows Device Manager the DR5000 shows as COM ports 3, 4 & 5 and the LI-USB as COM8 (I need to double check as TC is not on this computer!)

Because of that I have three systems active in TrainController, 2x Lenz & 1x Loconet.

Currently the DR5000 is only controlling turnouts using Loconet protocols.

 

Cheers

 

Keith

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Just been to the Railway Room to check

Here the snips of the settings:

 

Windows Device Manager

post-6208-0-13024300-1484560623.jpg

 

Train Controller set-up Window

post-6208-0-37066300-1484560659.jpg

 

Cheers

 

Keith

 

EDIT

Forgot to add that when setting up any TC element (Block, Turnout, Signal etc.) you need to select which of the connected systems it should respond to.

Edited by melmerby
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Hello Keith,

 

Thanks for your quick reply.  My Device manager is the same as yours, just different COM ports.  I have all the sensors for the blocks on Lenz USB but nothing shows up, the sensors do not light up so the blocks do not show occupancy, but the picture of the Loco's is in the blocks.  I tried to change the sensors to Loconet but that does not seem possible.  I don't know why the sensors do not operate?

 

Regards

 

Anthony

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  • 5 weeks later...
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I have an established layout controlled via Traincontroller Gold Ver8.  DCC system is Lenz Ver3.6 (LZV100 +plus 1 additional booster for second power district) Occupancy is monitored via 14 LDT RS8s via the RS bus. This setup works very consistently and reliably.

 

I purchased a Digikeijs DR5000 (Ver1.2.8) with DR5033 Booster, DR4018 Switch module and DR4088LN occupancy module.  This system again on its own works consistantly and reliably. However I have been singularly unsuccessful at getting the LDT RS8(both Ver 2.2 and 3.2) to work with the DR5000 using the RS bus connections. I have opened a support ticket with Digikeijs but I have not received a response in the last week to this problem.

 

As Traincontroller will allow multiple digital systems to operate the layout I set up a test Bus and connected the Lenz and Digikeijs systems to it (no other connections only the two command stations).  As I turned the Lenz system on the DR5000 fired up even though the power USB connectors were not connected only the track connections on both command stations.

 

Now some questions to those of you that have managed to successfully get the RS feedback modules working through the RS feedback bus and or those that have successfully connected two or more command stations physically even before running Traincontroller.

 

To get the RS8s working reliably are there any parameters that need to be set in the RS bus properties eg First contact in feedback space?

 

In the test system I have set up clearly the DR5000 is recieving power via the track output connections as that is the only connectors in use.  Have I misunderstood how to connect the two command station on one bus?

 

Or does each power station need to operate only its own power district? This seems very restrictive.Thanks for any help.

 

Alex Thomson

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Hi Alex

 

Have you tried reversing the RS connexions to the DR5000?

I found that the RS-8s were less tolerant of the output phase of the Digikeijs unit than the Lenz.

 

I currently have the DR5000 controlling the points (Switch-8s) with Loconet protocol and the Lenz controlling the trains and occupancy modules (RS-8s)

 

Cheers

 

Keith

Edited by melmerby
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Yes tried both ways but same result.  With the ON/OFF buttons closest to you the track output on the left I have settled on using as J as this seems to be the common on the connection diagrams in the DR5000 documents.

 

The RS8s when connected to RS on DR5000 show up both in the RS Feedback and Loconet windows as being attached with relevant addresses added.  However the first connection address always shows occupied whether it is or not. The second address sometimes works as normal but not always.  The third address also sometimes shows occupied and it is not even connected.  Both J&K terminals on RS8 connected to J K power.

 

Presumably your Lenz and the Digikeijs have connections on the same power bus and it is working correctly?

 

Alex

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Yes tried both ways but same result.  With the ON/OFF buttons closest to you the track output on the left I have settled on using as J as this seems to be the common on the connection diagrams in the DR5000 documents.

 

The RS8s when connected to RS on DR5000 show up both in the RS Feedback and Loconet windows as being attached with relevant addresses added.  However the first connection address always shows occupied whether it is or not. The second address sometimes works as normal but not always.  The third address also sometimes shows occupied and it is not even connected.  Both J&K terminals on RS8 connected to J K power.

 

Presumably your Lenz and the Digikeijs have connections on the same power bus and it is working correctly?

 

Alex

The Lenz is connected to the track with the feedback from the RS-8s to the Lenz RS bus.

The DR5000 is currently only connected to the "accessory" bus which controls the points, turntable etc.

However I have tried connecting the RS-8s to it as you can see earlier in this thread and had it working correctly.

(I have also had the track connected to the DR5000 to test it out.)

My setup is a work in progress as I also have two LDT DB-4 boosters which I can connect to either system and will be connected eventually, as will the DR5000 itself to break the layout into several power districts.

 

Cheers

 

Keith

Edited by melmerby
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Yes tried both ways but same result.  With the ON/OFF buttons closest to you the track output on the left I have settled on using as J as this seems to be the common on the connection diagrams in the DR5000 documents.

 

The RS8s when connected to RS on DR5000 show up both in the RS Feedback and Loconet windows as being attached with relevant addresses added.  However the first connection address always shows occupied whether it is or not. The second address sometimes works as normal but not always.  The third address also sometimes shows occupied and it is not even connected.  Both J&K terminals on RS8 connected to J K power.

 

Presumably your Lenz and the Digikeijs have connections on the same power bus and it is working correctly?

 

Alex

 

Have you updated to the latest firmware for the DR5000.

 

The most recent addresses some issues with this stuff.

 

I have no idea if it will help with your problem.

 

Frederick

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Keith as I understand your system each command station has a connection to its own bus.  i.e. the Lenz connected to the track via J & K and the DR5000 to a separate accessory bus via the track outputs.  In other words the DR5000 has no power connection to the tracks, is that correct?

 

Thanks

Alex

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Keith as I understand your system each command station has a connection to its own bus.  i.e. the Lenz connected to the track via J & K and the DR5000 to a separate accessory bus via the track outputs.  In other words the DR5000 has no power connection to the tracks, is that correct?

 

Thanks

Alex

Hi Alex

That's correct. The DR5000 does not connect to any track at present.

Eventually It will power a district.(when I get around to splitting the track bus into sections!) as well as controlling accessories.

 

I have had the DR5000 doing everything and it did work fine.

 

Cheers

 

Keith

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  • 6 months later...
  • 1 year later...

I'm having similar problems to some of those on this old thread.  I have updated DR5000 firmware and software to the latest version. 

 

As my Lenz system gave up the ghost I've been trying, time permitting, to get a DR5000 up and running.  I can't get it to view feedback from RS8s or RS16s despite trying both types and all four combinations of polarities on the track output and the RS bus.  During this I noticed the LDT modules would only program if their common feed input is connected to the right hand terminal of the track output as viewed from the front of the DR5000.  This configuration causes my NCE EB3 circuit breakers to work only intermittently, so I have bypassed them. 

 

In the RS monitor window of the Digikiejs software I usually get nothing at all, but on one occasion I got endless repeats of module 1 (which doesn't exist).  I have RS scanning and LDT timing enabled in the RS settings tab.  The monitor in the Loconet properties gives the full range of inputs but doesn't show any in purple as they should be if an RS module is detected.  For some reason every time I restart the software it tells me I have 16 S88 modules too (none attached or configured) even after I've set this number to zero. 

 

The randomness of this, previous posts on here and my previous struggles getting RS8s to work with Lenz all make me think the whole RS-Bus with RS8 combination is a bit flaky.  Any suggestions before I rip it out and buy LocoNet modules instead? 

Edited by Edwin_m
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2 hours ago, Edwin_m said:

I'm having similar problems to some of those on this old thread.  I have updated DR5000 firmware and software to the latest version. 

 

As my Lenz system gave up the ghost I've been trying, time permitting, to get a DR5000 up and running.  I can't get it to view feedback from RS8s or RS16s despite trying both types and all four combinations of polarities on the track output and the RS bus.  During this I noticed the LDT modules would only program if their common feed input is connected to the right hand terminal of the track output as viewed from the front of the DR5000.  This configuration causes my NCE EB3 circuit breakers to work only intermittently, so I have bypassed them. 

 

In the RS monitor window of the Digikiejs software I usually get nothing at all, but on one occasion I got endless repeats of module 1 (which doesn't exist).  I have RS scanning and LDT timing enabled in the RS settings tab.  The monitor in the Loconet properties gives the full range of inputs but doesn't show any in purple as they should be if an RS module is detected.  For some reason every time I restart the software it tells me I have 16 S88 modules too (none attached or configured) even after I've set this number to zero. 

 

The randomness of this, previous posts on here and my previous struggles getting RS8s to work with Lenz all make me think the whole RS-Bus with RS8 combination is a bit flaky.  Any suggestions before I rip it out and buy LocoNet modules instead? 

Hi Edwin

I gave up on the DR5000 as it was given too many problems.

In had tried operating all the functions of the layout, which it did after a bit of faffing about , but I was getting intermittent lock outs when it wouldn't repond to commands. (I was not alone experiencing that problem)

I went back to using the Lenz for RS-8 detection and bought a Z21 for the track which has worked faultlessly straight out of the box and everytime since.

If only I could get someway of getting the Z21 to detect occupancy with the RS-8s, I would dispose of the Lenz system as well.

 

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8 hours ago, melmerby said:

Hi Edwin

I gave up on the DR5000 as it was given too many problems.

In had tried operating all the functions of the layout, which it did after a bit of faffing about , but I was getting intermittent lock outs when it wouldn't repond to commands. (I was not alone experiencing that problem)

I went back to using the Lenz for RS-8 detection and bought a Z21 for the track which has worked faultlessly straight out of the box and everytime since.

If only I could get someway of getting the Z21 to detect occupancy with the RS-8s, I would dispose of the Lenz system as well.

 

Thanks for responding Keith.  Was this a recent decision or a few years back like the rest of the thread?  As the software seems to change quite frequently I'm hoping recent updates might have improved things.  But I guess I just have to try it. 

 

I've worked out I only need four 16-way detectors for the whole layout, replacing eight or nine RS detectors, so not as costly as I first thought (anyone any views on the Digikeijs feedback detectors?).  And getting rid of the RS detectors would allow me to change to Z21 if necessary, albeit at an outlay of a few hundred quid more. 

Edited by Edwin_m
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9 hours ago, melmerby said:

 

If only I could get someway of getting the Z21 to detect occupancy with the RS-8s, I would dispose of the Lenz system as well.

 

 

It's not a problem having 2 DCC systems with Traincontroller. In fact, it can be a positive advantage separating out feedback reporting, accessory switching etc. from the main bus. I'm now running my layout with the newer Lenz LZV200 only responsible for train running (with all 5 amps of the TR150 available for that purpose), with the LZV100 managing turnouts, signals and RS8 feedback.  Seems to be well balanced. 

 

An added advantage is that if either command station were to fail, it's easy enough to temporarily configure the other to manage the whole layout.

Edited by RFS
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12 hours ago, Edwin_m said:

Thanks for responding Keith.  Was this a recent decision or a few years back like the rest of the thread?  As the software seems to change quite frequently I'm hoping recent updates might have improved things.  But I guess I just have to try it. 

 

I've worked out I only need four 16-way detectors for the whole layout, replacing eight or nine RS detectors, so not as costly as I first thought (anyone any views on the Digikeijs feedback detectors?).  And getting rid of the RS detectors would allow me to change to Z21 if necessary, albeit at an outlay of a few hundred quid more. 

I did this earlier this year. I was up to Firmware 1.5.1 (I think) the latest at the time but it didn't seem to improve it.

I didn't notice some of the problems early on ( I started at around firmware 1.2.1) so I wonder whether some of the later "fixes" unfixed other things!

Just too much faffing, it should have been sorted before going to the market rather than only part implemented as was the case.

 

EDIT. I have 15 x RS-8s (plus 1 spare) & 1 x RS-16

Edited by melmerby
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Wow a blast from the past. I just enjoyed skimming through it all again.

I still use the DR5000 but only to deal with my S88 detectors. It seems to do this OK. I use the Lenz LZV100 plus a booster to run trains because it has perfect output waveform and seems indestructable. I also use it for a string of RS Bus occupancy modules (Lenz LR1) because I already had them. It does this without any problems.

I run a separate DCC bus from a z21 to operate accessories. I am just starting to experiment with LocoNet and intend to use the DR5000 for this too.

My summary of the issues:- (as of 2017...I haven't checked since)

 

DR5000 has substandard DCC waveform and also it's DCC output voltage is a bit variable affecting the speed of some locos. From the analysis done earlier it's RS Bus timing might not be good either.

 

LDT detectors and decoders are (or were) very sensitive to DCC polarity and waveform. The polarity issue doesn't matter for me as I use 3 rail but would be difficult with 2 rail reversing loops and polarity switching.

 

Lenz is the gold standard. The waveforms are perfect and their accessory decoders seem to work well with J-K either way around.

 

My own Arduino decoders are pretty good but not as good as the Lenz ones with J-K reversed. This could probably be improved with attention to the actual packet handling library stuff but I just use it as downloaded.

 

I am currently enjoying the battle of converting an old Marklin turntable (M Track with a motor, solenoid and locating pin arrangement but no sensing) to fully automatic using Hall sensors and an Arduino. The idea is to use it fully automatically with TrainController. It is looking pretty good.

-john

 

Edited by john barry
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  • 4 months later...

Please; - a straight & simple question to which I would like a straight & simple answer; - 
Is it possible to connect “TrainController Bronze” to A Digikeijs DR5000 command station.
If so please specify which links should be used.
If not; please suggest an alternative to TrainController that is known to work with the Digikeijs Dr5000, Thank you. 

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Hi,

 

I'm not familiar with the limitations of BRONZE but if you can select a digital system type of Digitrax or LocoNet, that is what you want to use.

 

When the DR5000 is connected to your computer with the USB cable 3 COM ports are created.

 

One of these is for a Lenz type connection. The other one (the one you want) is for a LocoNet connection.

 

If BRONZE allows two digital systems you can use both.

 

Frederick

 

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2 hours ago, Richi5 said:

Please; - a straight & simple question to which I would like a straight & simple answer; - 
Is it possible to connect “TrainController Bronze” to A Digikeijs DR5000 command station.
If so please specify which links should be used.
If not; please suggest an alternative to TrainController that is known to work with the Digikeijs Dr5000, Thank you. 

 

I think that the question might be is the DR5000 an approved controller for use with TC, rather than will it work. As Shown above a DR5000 does work with TC9 however it is not on the published list of approved controllers.

 

What might be worth you while doing is comparing what you get with TC9 Bronze, Silver and Gold as Bronze doesn't give you a huge amount and you may find that you need Gold to achieve the tasks that you wish to automate. I found that this was the case.

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Hi,

As Frederick says connection of the DR5000 to the PC allocates 3 usb  COM ports.  These can be seen in Windows Device Manager.

They are Lenz Digital Plus, Loconet and the DR5000 tool.

The DR5000 tool (without reference to TC) will show which ports are used and you can then select them in TC under Set Up Digital Systems.

TC Bronze allows 2 digital system connections which is fine as you don't connect it to the DR5000 tool.

I have tried it in the past and it works fine. (I normally use TC Gold with a DR5000 and other systems).

Also you can download and try out TC (any colour) for free as a demo. It will connect to your system for 15 minutes.

-john

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