Digikeijs DR 5000 and JMRI

[roundhouse]

I recently purchased a Digikeijs DR5000. So far I have it working using a Digitrax throttle and also a friends Lenz throttle, although it did drop out occassionally but that might be the old Lenz throttle.

 

When using the unit to programe, it works fine with the Digikeijs software both reading and writing the CV values.

 

When running JMRI the Digikeijs unit will repsond to the JMRI power on / off and throttle control and a selected loco moves.

 

However I cant get get JMRI to read the CV values or decoder type.

 

I have the JMRI preferences set to Digitrax and a Chief command station and the com ports appear to be correct.

 

I have been using various releases of JMRI form 4.9 to the current 4.10 and also the latest test version of 4.11

 

I have tried running JMRI with the units connected to three different pC's, one running Win7 and the other two Win10 with the same results. I have the DR5000 connected both USB and ethernet and also without the ethernet (for changing wifi setting it needs to be connected to the ethernet port and router).

 

Track power is connected to the test track outputs of the DR5000.

 

Has anyone experienced this or have an idea what settings need to be changed?

[Crosland]

Have you set up the connection as per http://jmri.sourceforge.net/help/en/html/hardware/digirails/index.shtml ?

 

I would also ask on the jmriusers Yahoo group.

[AndrewC]

Have you set up the connection as per http://jmri.sourceforge.net/help/en/html/hardware/digirails/index.shtml ?

 

I would also ask on the jmriusers Yahoo group.

I've tried the same as Ian but get different results. The connection settings on the JMRI page assume you are connecting the Digikeijs unit via LAN and not USB. I can't do that as I'm using the DR as a Z21 server so the protocol has been changed. 

 

Mine is setup using USB according to a couple of Youtube videos I've seen. Digitrax, USB, port set to the same that loconet on the DR5000 is using, command station as any DCS200 or later, and connection with locobuffer USB. I can read and write with JMRI just fine, but the identify loco function is intermittent. As far as I can tell, Ian has the same settings but can't read the decoder. 

[roundhouse]

I have tried Andrews method in the past and have now tried the Loconet over TCP settings but still cant read the Digitrax decoder yet the DR5000 software still does do so.

[Crosland]

Is it using Loconet messages? I am not a Digitrax user, but I think there is a Loconet monitor tool in JMRI that might help in displaying the packets.

[roundhouse]

Is it using Loconet messages? I am not a Digitrax user, but I think there is a Loconet monitor tool in JMRI that might help in displaying the packets.

Yes I have run the Loconet monitor in the past but ran it just now. When I put the track power on in JMRI it starts logging (shows a BDL16 is connected oddly) and also when using the JMRI throttle but nothing when I try to read a decoder.

 

I was going to do a screen print but there is no key for that on the Surface pro keyboard so will have ot try another laptop tonight.

[Crosland]

Are the connection defaults set correctly, so that the programmer is using the defined connection and not set to "internal"?

 

JMRI preferences can be an issue, especially if you startup without the USB connected and say yes to saving unsaved changes.

[Trip]

I also have a DR5000 and I use it with JMRI. 

 

You can safely ignore the connection instructions in the JMRI documentation and connect using the USB which is much easier. You need to make sure you have a command station type that can read/write CVs (ie. NOT the DB150). I use DCS100.

 

Can you explain what you mean by "Track power is connected to the test track outputs of the DR5000." The only outputs on my DR5000 are the main output and programming track outputs. 

 

Is the loco you're trying to read from on the programming track? Which JMRI programmer are you using and in which mode? It would be very helpful to see a screenshot of the JMRI programmer and the output on the loconet monitor.

[roundhouse]

Originally I did connect just via USB. A typo by me as I meant to say that I connected the track to the programming track output of the DR5000 and selected the DCS100 chief. I am not physically connecting it to the chief.

 

Loco is on the programming track and I can drive it using the JMRI throttle.

 

I will get a screenshot next time I try using it.

[roundhouse]

Are the connection defaults set correctly, so that the programmer is using the defined connection and not set to "internal"?

 

JMRI preferences can be an issue, especially if you startup without the USB connected and say yes to saving unsaved changes.

Yes set to loconet rather than internal and USB is connected prior to starting JMRI.

[roundhouse]

This is the screen print after setting the JMRI to read a decoder.

 

All very strange as it reads when using the Digikeijs software but not when using JMRI despite being able to control the loco using the JMRI throttle etc.

 

 

[AndrewC]

try setting the programming mode to direct byte instead of paged. that's the only difference I can see between my setup and yours. 

[roundhouse]

Its working on direct byte. Strange as I had tried that aswell.

 

Just read and programmed my H class using the DR5000.

 

Now ot restart it and hopefully it will still work.

 

Edit

 

Restarted JMRI and tried ot read the decoder in paged mode. However it wouldnt read so swapped to direct byte but still wouldnt read.

 

Restarted JMRI and switched ot direct byte prior to reading the decoder and it worked.

 

So looks like if you try in paged mode then you have to restart JMRI. I am sure that I have seen the setting to get JMRI to start in direct byte mode but cant find it at the moment.

Edited February 4, 2018 by roundhouse

[Nigelcliffe]

Suggest that debugging and fixing the software so it works correctly might be better if you raised it with the developers, who hang out on Yahoo groups.      Just finding which settings work isn't a proper fix.  

 

 

- Nigel

[Trip]

As far as I know the only JMRI developer who has a DR5000 is yours truly. And I don't see this problem at all, it works out of the box for me.

 

The COM ports are reported differently on my DR5000. What firmware version are you using on the DR5000 roundhouse?

[roundhouse]

As far as I know the only JMRI developer who has a DR5000 is yours truly. And I don't see this problem at all, it works out of the box for me.

 

The COM ports are reported differently on my DR5000. What firmware version are you using on the DR5000 roundhouse?

Its version 1.4.4

 

I only recently managed ot get to sign back in to my Yahoo forum as previous attempts failed.

[Trip]

Change the connection type in JMRI preferences to Loconet LocoBuffer-USB (you've selected Locobuffer-II which is for old-style serial ports). Restart JMRI. Then go into preferences again and see if the available COM ports are reported differently.

 

Did you set the loconet connection on the DR5000 to be COM 4? By default it's COM 6 I think.

[AndrewC]

Change the connection type in JMRI preferences to Loconet LocoBuffer-USB (you've selected Locobuffer-II which is for old-style serial ports). Restart JMRI. Then go into preferences again and see if the available COM ports are reported differently.

 

Did you set the loconet connection on the DR5000 to be COM 4? By default it's COM 6 I think.

The DR5000 config app looks for a block of 3 available ports. XBus, Loconet, and itself. On one laptop it setup as com4 for loconet. On another it is on com5 as it also has a PR3 driver installed that takes com4.