Digitrax Programming Track, JMRI, and LocoBuffer-USB Not Working

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

I recently installed a new Digitrax Evolution DCS210 command station on my layout and it works fine except I cannot get it to work properly with my laptop, LocoBuffer-USB, and JMRI DecoderPro to use the programming track. I have Programming Mode set to Direct Byte and the Programming Track radio button is selected.

In DecoderPro in the Preferences under Connections, I have the System manufacturer set to Digitrax, the System Connection set to “LocoNet LocoBuffer-USB,” Settings set to COM3 for the Serial Port, DCS210 (Evoution Command Station) for Command Station Type, Connection Prefix is L, and Connection Name is LocoNet.

When I start up DecoderPro it starts as usual and I can click the Identify button and see that it slightly moves the locomotive and correctly identifies it. If I click the New Loco button, then I get a programming window and can read, enter, write, and save values. I can also open the Turnout Control panel and throw and close turnouts.

What I cannot do is highlight one of my already defined locomotives, click the Program button, and then edit the profile. An empty small window opens in the upper left of the screen, I can expand the window, but there is nothing there except some very defualt tab options (File, Reset, Window, and Help). The main part of the screen is empty. I am then unable to close this window. If I click on the profile for the new locomotive I just defined, then I get the same blank window.

After I hit the Program button, I not only cannot close the blank window that open, but I cannot close DecorderPro either. I have to use the Task Manager to shut down Java and DecoderPro to close the application.

I installed the newest version of JAVA, ver. 8, build 1.8.0, I downloaded the newest LocoBuffer-USB drivers and installed them, and I downloaded JMRI 4.20 and installed it. Same results.

I verfied the wiring and have continuity from the DCS210 to the programming track. And I can program on the programming track if I use the

2

Hello All,

First, go to the DecoderPro website, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to “JMRI Setup And Installation”, above that is “Supported Hardware”.

There is also a DecoderPro forum. Check them out.

Hope this helps.

3

That it can read the address from the loco means that the communications between the computer and the DCS210 and program track are all working fine. Also that the turnout panel works, means the computer is communicating with the system. If you had the wrong system setup in preferences, or the wrong COM port, or other such things, none of this would work.

Was this an upgrade installation? What version of JMRI did you have previously? Some upgrades over time have required some additional things done with the rosters to update them.

–Randy

4

Randy, you gave me the clue I needed. The problem was with the roster. Even when I did a complete new install, Decoder Pro was still finding the old and apparently incompatible roster folder. I deleted the roster folder. Uninstalled DecoderPro, reinstalled it, and then tried to create a roster entry for a single locomotive. It worked, I was able to close the roster entry, reopen it, modifiy it, and close and reopen it again.

I then went to me desktop computer and copied the roster folder to a network drive, went back to the laptop and removed the roster folder there, and then copied the desktop’s roster folder over to the laptop. That solved the problem. I have my complete roster and I am able to modify locomotive entries.

Thanks for the clue!

5

I have been using the free Dropbox “cloud” storage for my JMRI roster. It allows me to access the roster from the layout computer (Digitrax) or the workshop computer (Sprogg) and any changes I make get saved to the Dropbox location that I can access anywhere.

https://www.jmri.org/help/en/html/setup/Dropbox.shtml

It is also reassuring to know there is an off-site backup roster always available. It could really be helpful for club members as their DCC rosters are easily accessed at home or the club.

Good Luck, Ed