New Roco Z21 app

[PaulRhB]

I’ve not had any issues with three different Samsung tablets although I mainly use the old app anyway as I prefer being able to import a layout picture for my point control. 
I can only guess it’s some sort of processor limitation? What brand is the tablet? Also as far as I’ve read the backwards compatibility is for the whole app so locos and layouts but you could try sending a layout as an email and opening it on the android one as you already have it you aren’t losing anything. Once you have an android version you can duplicate it by sending the layouts as emails as they won’t transfer via the app like the iPhones will. On the iPad mini are you downloading the iPad version or the phone version?

[Vecchio]

I use a cheap Huawei 10" MediaPad which I have purchased only for the Z21 control. Display is big enough for an old guy. It works perfect and is so far very good with the battery power. Does almost a 12 hour day  (wireless controllers are not wireless any more if they constantly hang on a usb power connection....). Anyway. as a show backup I have a 2m USB cable...

[M3ti]

On 13/09/2020 at 17:20, PaulRhB said:

I’ve not had any issues with three different Samsung tablets although I mainly use the old app anyway as I prefer being able to import a layout picture for my point control. 
I can only guess it’s some sort of processor limitation? What brand is the tablet? 

On the iPad mini are you downloading the iPad version or the phone version?

Thanks Paul, It is a Generic Brand - Jinksz P10, Has all the right specs so don't know why it is incompatible.

Tried both the iPad and iPhone versions on the iPad mini.

On 14/09/2020 at 06:51, Vecchio said:

I use a cheap Huawei 10" MediaPad which I have purchased only for the Z21 control. Display is big enough for an old guy. It works perfect and is so far very good with the battery power. Does almost a 12 hour day  (wireless controllers are not wireless any more if they constantly hang on a usb power connection....). Anyway. as a show backup I have a 2m USB cable...

Thanks Vecchio, Yes I am looking at Huawei, Samsung and Lenovo devices, the Z21 page specifies a minimum of 5GB of RAM, which is a limitation for a lot of the tablets (2 and 4 GB are common).

 

Thanks for the help guys.  Brian

[Michael Hodgson]

4 hours ago, M3ti said:

Thanks Vecchio, Yes I am looking at Huawei, Samsung and Lenovo devices, the Z21 page specifies a minimum of 5GB of RAM, which is a limitation for a lot of the tablets (2 and 4 GB are common).

 

Thanks for the help guys.  Brian

 

5Gb of RAM seems a lot to run just one app. 

All I can see on the Z21 page under system requirements for the app is iOS vsn 11 or Android 5

[melmerby]

6 hours ago, M3ti said:

Thanks Vecchio, Yes I am looking at Huawei, Samsung and Lenovo devices, the Z21 page specifies a minimum of 5GB of RAM, which is a limitation for a lot of the tablets (2 and 4 GB are common).

 

Thanks for the help guys.  Brian

Watch out for Lenovo devices as their policy is only one Android update and 1 year of security updates for it.

I have a Motorola Moto (by Lenovo) mobile and I have had one update from 8 to 9 fairly soon after I had it, but there will not be another.

Lenovo's policy appears to be 2 years support and then it's considered out of date and not supported any more.

This has been brought up on the mobile phone review sites where the Moto has gone from "Highly Recommended" to basically "do not buy" since Lenovo's takeover.

 

Most tablets will take extra RAM on micro SD cards, I have 128Gb in my Samsung tablet.

Just looked at Argos and i can't find tablets with only 2Gb RAM, their lowest is 16Gb in the Alba 7" which is 45 quid

Edited September 18, 2020 by melmerby

[Matt C]

Check to see if your tablet is running 32 bit or 64 bit architecture

 

My impression is that A lot of new Apps are being written to only run under the newer 64 bit 

 

I think with Apple this is possibly why a lot of  Apps will now only run on the newer devices as well, as they seam to be  pushing  64 bit ? In any new Apps written, and the App writers are no longer writing in both 32 and 64 bit

 

I am thinking this was the reason for the newer Z21 App being written and launched  and why they aren't forward compatible ? The older App being 32 bit and the newer App 64 bit

 

Of course I COULD be completely wrong 

[WIMorrison]

@Mattc6911 you're are not wrong - that is the precise reason  

[M3ti]

Thanks for the advice, I went out and bought a Samsung 8" Tab A. It does the job.

 

Cheers

 

Brian

[RayS]

On 16/02/2018 at 09:24, EarsAreAlight said:

I've not really used it in anger yet but the new app looks to be more flexible in the long run.

 

I do miss the photo as a background feature, not least since I'd just spent some time doing layout backgrounds for the old app. But that and the current lack of text labels aside, it is possible to do control boards quite neatly with a bit of perseverance. See below for an example which i knocked up yesterday for my newly acquired layout...

 

 

The tip for rotating points etc is to tap the point you want to rotate then hold and tap with a second finger elsewhere and rotate. But crucially, move the finger above the point to the side while still twisting - that way you can see where it ends up. Also, you can move your fingers further away, and just like a lever effect, your adjustments become more  precise.

Hi, I am a newbie who recently got a (white) Z21. While using the Schematic format (rather than Free format) to create my layout (that has a bridge over a few tracks), I don't find any way in which to allow for such an overlap. Do you have any suggestions please?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[WIMorrison]

38 minutes ago, RayS said:

Hi, I am a newbie who recently got a (white) Z21. While using the Schematic format (rather than Free format) to create my layout (that has a bridge over a few tracks), I don't find any way in which to allow for such an overlap. Do you have any suggestions please?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

 

Just overlay the track on top of the one you want to cross, works a treat.

 

Text labels are just as easy by using the Note function (bottom of the symbols) and you can enlarge the size of the text to silly sizes

[crossforth]

Hey guys,

 

I'm having some issues with the Z21 app. Usually when you increase the throttle, the coloured bar goes up in line with power. Same with when you press a function, it doesn't light up. I can also only run trains in one direction as the change direction button doesn't work.

 

I'm running Z21 version 1.3.8 with a Digikeijs DR5000.

 

Luke

[melmerby]

Android or iOS?

It could make a difference.

[crossforth]

3 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Android or iOS?

It could make a difference.

Android.

 

I'm tempted to uninstall and reinstall but I assume I'd lose all my data in doing so.

[melmerby]

7 minutes ago, crossforth said:

Android.

 

I'm tempted to uninstall and reinstall but I assume I'd lose all my data in doing so.

Sorry can't help.

I have it just updated it to 1.3.8 on my Samsung Tablet but haven't checked the new update yet, I was still on 1.3.5

If I remember I'll try it tomorrow.

I'm currently using a Z21 but have used it with a DR5000 previously.

[Matt C]

42 minutes ago, crossforth said:

Android.

 

I'm tempted to uninstall and reinstall but I assume I'd lose all my data in doing so.

 

 

Can you not export your layout/s via email and then re import them once you re install the App ?

 

Cheers

 

Matt

 

 

 

 

[crossforth]

So a quick update:

 

If I disconnect my phone from the DR5000 WiFi network then the app works fine (albeit it doesn't move any trains) but when I reconnect it to the WiFi then it stops working properly.

 

As for exporting the layout, I'm not sure how to do this. I know I can export the loco's details individually but can I do them en mass?

[WIMorrison]

I am aware that there are issues with the latest Z21 app when used with a DR5000 but I thought they were limited to reading and writing CVs - I wonder if this issue is another one in the list?

 

When  you look in the DR5000 does the Z21 show up as being connected (check the DHCP), do you have the port set to 21105, and have you entered the DR5000 address into the Z21 app as the Z21 Interface address?

 

if it yes to all of these then not sure where to go from here

[melmerby]

I have just tried the new version 1.3.8 with my Samsung Tab, albeit connected to the Z21 and the throttle/direction works fine.

Unfortunately that's as far as I go as I only use it as a throttle.

[crossforth]

Thanks for the advice WIMorrison. I shall plug the DR5000 into the PC over the next few days and see what I can do.

 

And thanks for checking your app Melmerby

 

hopefully I can rectify it when I plug the laptop in.

[PaulRhB]

18 hours ago, melmerby said:

Android or iOS?

It could make a difference.

Send the data as an export email to yourself then upload it again if you do a total reset. 
I had this a couple of times and shutting down the app totally and restarting it solved it. Go to the open apps screen and close it there to try that first. 

[PaulRhB]

17 hours ago, crossforth said:

 

 

As for exporting the layout, I'm not sure how to do this. I know I can export the loco's details individually but can I do them en mass?

 

Yes export them from the layouts menu screen it will download the whole layout and all its locos. 
Select layout and scroll to the bottom to see export. 

Edited April 17, 2021 by PaulRhB

[crossforth]

11 hours ago, WIMorrison said:

I am aware that there are issues with the latest Z21 app when used with a DR5000 but I thought they were limited to reading and writing CVs - I wonder if this issue is another one in the list?

 

When  you look in the DR5000 does the Z21 show up as being connected (check the DHCP), do you have the port set to 21105, and have you entered the DR5000 address into the Z21 app as the Z21 Interface address?

 

if it yes to all of these then not sure where to go from here

I'm utterly baffled.

 

DHCP is enabled, port is set to 21105, and the address in the app is set the same as the PC which connects fine.

[WIMorrison]

The address in the Z21 app for the Z21 Interface should be the address for the DR5000 WiFi which IIRC is the 192.168.16.254 - you be able to see it in the DR5000 DHCP page

[crossforth]

3 minutes ago, WIMorrison said:

The address in the Z21 app for the Z21 Interface should be the address for the DR5000 WiFi which IIRC is the 192.168.16.254 - you be able to see it in the DR5000 DHCP page

Yep, all checked and correct. I'm still baffled. 

[PaulRhB]

Surely it’s connecting in that you can drive from it? It’s the app itself that’s not functioning when connected, as it works fine on its own, or the feedback from the command station causing it? You can’t have a partial connection of some functions only so it’s surely a software bug or issue?
I know you’re talking about the Digikeijs unit but I’ve had a different issue with my phone no longer wanting to connect to my Z21 using the old app but works fine with the new one so I suspect there’s a glitch come in with the last update I did and I haven’t run it since I uploaded the latest one. It just forced me to use the new one, which I find a bit too sci fi in appearance for my taste, for now and I wondered if it was a way to wean people off the old one!