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JMRI / PanelPro and Prodigy Advance2 - serial port?


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  • RMweb Gold

Just starting with WiThrottle on iPad, on my Prodigy Advance2, and ok with loco control so far. I understand I need to set up turnouts in JMRI, to be able to use turnout function in WiThrottle. In any case, I plan later to use PanelPro to view and operate turnouts on a mimic panel on screen.

but, when setting up Panel Pro on a Windows10 laptop, JMRI seems not to find a serial port. Guidance refers to the ‘serial port associated with the system’. Which system? Windows, MRC, WiThrottle? How do I know which port, and how do it tell JMRI?

Anyone suggest how to overcome this (almost) first step?m

 

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You need a connection from the DCC system to the computer running JMRI.  Normally, this is via a serial port of some sort (typically a USB device) which links the DCC system to the computer.

 

You mention WiThrottle;  there are two ways of using that software: 
The original method was via JMRI, so you would have needed a connection from computer to DCC system to use the WiThrottle capabilities written within JMRI. 
More recently, a few DCC system manufacturers (including MRC/Gaugemaster) have released hardware devices which have just the basic WiThrottle server capability within them (usually just the absolute basics of the protocol, none of the fancier features such as loco naming, icon choice, etc..).   

 

So, the fundamental question, is which hardware do you have for operating WiThrottle ?  From your question, I'd guess its the newer MRC/Gaugemaster Withrottle server hardware device - that does doesn't offer a connection route to a computer, it just runs the WiThrottle service and nothing else.   If you want PanelPro to work, you need a MRC/Gaugemaster to computer USB device; a completely different bit of hardware from MRC/Gaugemaster. 

If you have the MRC/Gaugemaster USB device, reply and some guidance on setup can be offered. 

 

 

- Nigel

 

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  • RMweb Gold

Ah, I see. Thanks  Nigel. I was beginning to wonder if a physical connection was the solution, a Gaugemaster DCC55 I think it is.

i may be back when I’ve got one.

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  • 6 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

I now have the physical link from the Prodigy to the laptop. Indeed, I have now progressed to having a (very) rough layout plan in Layout Pro, and can control points by the mimic screen in JMRI.

On this specific query around combining both WiThrottle and JMRI, so as to use the former for switching points, I could use some advice as to how to link the two, please.

 

i do have another connected query around importing Anyrail layout plan into PanelPro, but I will post this separately on this topic in this forum, if you can also help with that.

thanks as always.

Ian

 

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JMRI has two services which need starting - the WiThrottle Server and the Webserver.  And your computer needs to be connected to a Network Access point for the phones/tablets (typically a home router, though there are many other ways).   Within the Webserver preferences, specify which Panels you wish to be available.

 

Then you can link a smartphone, running an appropriate App, to the WiThrottle Server.  (Often you'll have to put in the IP address and port number manually, as the automatic service doesn't always work - depends on your local computer and network settings.  If you have to do things manually, find the JMRI preference to use a fixed port number, rather than a randomly changing one).

 

I think the free version of WiThrottle for Apple devices has some limitations in what it can do compared to the paid-for version.   Its a while since I used the Apple client (paid-for version), but think the turnout table was a swipe-right on the function panel.  Can't remember how one got to actual Panels, but was possible.  

The Android client (eg. Engine Driver) is free and does all things. 

 

 

- Nigel

 

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