You can download JMRI here: http://jmri.sourceforge.net/download/index.shtml#prod-rel
In my case, I download the JMRI for the Mac OS X. I connected to my NCE PowerHouse Pro system using the USB to Serial Interface sold from Dick Bronson at RR Cirkits here in North Carolina. His site: http://www.rr-cirkits.com/description/index.html
After downloading the software, I was prompted to install Adobe Flash (forget the version, but whatever the latest is).
A wizard pops up to help you through connecting with JMRI for the first time.
I selected NCE for my system and serial. For the Serial Port, I wasn't sure what to select here, but found this usbserial selection and chose that. It connected so it must have been the right one.
I placed a loco on the program track, clicked the "New Loco" button, clicked on the "Read Type from decoder" button.
It gave me three options of decoders. I selected the correct decoder and then clicked on the "Open Comprehensive Programmer" button.
I entered the basic info about the locomotive.
I worked tab by tab changing the settings. A big one that was suggested by my friend Allen with the mysterioso short is to turn off the DC Analog Mode. In Digitrax, you can run locomotives without decoders, but in DC mode. In NCE, they don't have this functionality. So, it is best to turn it off. The theory is that a possible short of a car derailment (with metal wheels) was causing the loco to think it was in DC mode which cause the entire system to go haywire until the locomotive was removed from the layout and the system reset.
When you are done making changes to the settings, you need to click on the "Write Changes on Sheet" button to post the changes to the locomotive's decoder.
First Tab - I changed to the long address and turned off the DC Analog Mode.
Click either Write Page Changes or Write Full Page to post the changes to the locomotives decoder.
Second Tab - I like to change the acceleration and deceleration to "1". It adds a little momentum to when you throttle up and throttle down the locomotive.
Third Tab - You can use this to set your start, mid-range and max voltage. I used to use this before DecoderPro in an attempt to speed match. It works ok, but not the best method.
Fourth Tab - Speed Table. This is more involved. I highly suggest you reading Allen's blog post regarding this subject. He is much more educated on this than I am.
Fifth Tab - Lighting Functions. These are different for each decoder, but pretty self explanatory.
Sixth Tab - More advanced lighting functions.
For example you can select a Mars Light as Allen did on my Kato E8 he sent me.
Seventh Tab - Only has the repetition of turning on/off the DC Analog Mode.
Eighth Tab - Advanced Consisting Information. This is used in NCE, but not sure on Digitrax.
Ninth Tab - Advanced Settings. Evidently this one you can set something regarding the brakes.
The first locomotive logged in the database.
I repeated this for the remaining locomotives until I had read them all in to the DecoderPro application. Tonight, I didn't do any speed matching, but did get them all logged into the database and turned off the DC Analog mode. I also changed all the acceleration and deceleration to 1 for now. Allen does that with his locomotives and I like that little bit of delay on the throttle. So, I guess that is progress for tonight. :-)
All the locomotives logged into the Decoder Pro application.
Well, that's enough for tonight. I didn't get started until late, but it only took me about an hour to read everything in and setup the database roster. That included the time to download and install the JMRI software and such.
Good job Steven.
ReplyDeleteNow that you're a bit more familiar with JMRI and DecoderPro things will go a lot easier since you will be able to see the effect of a CV change right away and you won't have to remember each CV or what it does.