Tom, after much effort I have completed all the trackwork (all Kato track and turnouts) on my N scale layout, installed all my Digitrax DCC equipment (DB150, 3 DCS210s, 7 DS54s, PR4, and LNWI) and did all my LocoNet wiring. Got everything up and running under throttle control (DT402 and DT502). I have 3 buses (one for each power district) that is 14AWG and multiple feeders that are Kato 24-218s and am using suitcase connectors to tie them together. All of the above is working well electrically. The other day, I loaded JMRI on my HP laptop and made sure I had the driver for the PR4 correctly installed. I started using PanelPro to list all my turnouts (17) and completed the table and was able to switch each of my turnouts using JMRI. I had set my preferences to the Digitrax PR4 using COM3 and set the baud rate at 57600. All was still working well. I then started the Layout Editor to try to do the layout design with some limited success but never got to assigning my turnouts in the table to the layout. My issue at that time was trying to determine how big the grid could be. It seemed that the drawing area would not be big enough to describe my entire layout. Since I used AnyRail 6 for the track layout design, I exported the XML file from AnyRail to JMRI PanelPro and showed the entire layout. However, when I went to look at my Turnout table, all the values had changed and I could no longer assign my turnout table to the layout editor showing my turnouts. I turned off my entire layout and laptop after saving my JMRI files. This morning, I went back into PanelPro, made sure my Preferences were correctly set (they were) and proceeded to bring up my turnout table. Nothing there but a blank sheet and when I started to recreate the table, LocoNet was not reflected, only Internal. I am clueless at the moment. I've been an IT guy for 50 years and I am befuddled at the moment. I was wondering if I had to reset the PR4? Thanks, Paul
Paul, in the Layout Editor, if you place an object outside the grid, the grid will automatically expand. So you can always make the area larger if you feel you do not have enough room. I have never used ann AnyRail xml file in layout editor, so I can't address that except if your turnouts in AnyRail were named differently, your old table would most likely not work. Say you named your turnouts LT:01 and in JMRI it is LT01, those two designation are not the same. Whenever you have stored items in your table, you have to open your file when you load JMRI . You can do this in Preferences/Startup. Create an entry to open the file you stored your turnouts in. You can add as many file names as you like if you created multiple files to store different items, such as the file for your panel if it is different than the one you created for your tables.
Tom, resolved my issue but also found out about the AnyRail JMRI export function. I had misconfigured the PanelPro Layout Editor Preferences for the Digitrax PR4 I am using with my laptop. Turns out I had the PR4 Standalone Programmer selected rather than the DB150 Command Station I am using. Once I corrected the error in Connections I then checked the Defaults to ensure they were set for LocoNet. I was then able to build my Turnout Table and was able to close and throw my turnouts from the Table. I then did some drawing of a portion of my layout using PanelPro Layout Editor which included some turnouts and track. I was then able to go into Edit and assign the turnout its value from the table and was then able to close and throw the turnouts. I exported my layout drawing from AnyRail 6 and loaded that xml file into the Layout Editor. It showed an excellent representation of my entire layout and if I clicked on one of the layout turnouts, you could see the switch operate in the drawing. However, I could not go in and Edit the turnout representation and assign a turnout from my table. I think that AnyRail and JMRI need to do some interface work to get the imported layout drawing to operate in the same manner as doing the design in PanelPro.
Glad you got everything working Paul. Excellent information about AnyRail. I've made that same mistake with my PR3 and the DB150. Must be a common issue. As I recall, when I first set it up, I do not remember any selection for either the PR3 or the DB150. Maybe that is something that has to be done once the program restarts.
Ok when i was building my panel the size of the panel stayed. So now i got this huge panel that i have to shrink Each time i open it. How do i change that?
Go back into edit mode and zoom down to the next level if that is the size you want it. You can also drag the sides & bottom to get it closer to your track ends. Now store the panel and it should open back up to the size you stored it.
@@TomsTrainsandThings the zoom is ok. All the track i built fits on screen. But there is a bunch of empty space... thats what im trying to get rid of. Sorry i should have made that more clear.
@@FBMRR you can select the area you want to move, just drag your mouse over the area. Select Move from the menu, not at my computer right now. So not sure of what menu item it6under. You have to move it by x,y coordinates. I think each square is 10, so if you want to move it 5 squares, you would choose -50. Do that for each direction.
Hi Tom: Thx for all your work giving us great videos. Your timing of this subject is just right for me. I just finished installing DS64s & KATO turnouts. All are working fine - either throwing w/WiThrottls or JMRI turnout table. I just tried to "draw" a situation in Panel Pro & found a problem & need some guidance. I'll ask it here & maybe you'll just say "covered in next video" That would suffice. I have a passing sidings and to conserve "slots" in a DS64 I wire them together as one , wanting to always throw them together. Assigning a turnout to the 1st turnout in panel pro is fine. When I go to select the same turnout ID for the 2nd turnout, it is gone from the list. - So panel pro is probably telling me hey "already used"! I didn't see a way to "type" in that same TO#. Do you know of a way to make this work? OR do I have to make each turnout a seperate #? THOUGHT! Could I add "dummy turnout #s, somehow, in the TO table and just assign one of those to the 2nd end? Any thoughts? OK tried the "dummy" turnout number & that let me assign it to the panel - BUT can't find a way to (1) "connect the 2 so the track plan changes, and (2) can't throw from either end. OH well it was a thought! JB
Thanks for taking an interest. I have two locations on my layout where I have two Tortoise's hooked up to 1 output on my DS64, the way I showed it on the layout editor is use them as crossovers. One of them is actually a crossover, but the other is a set of turnouts that I have moving together. I haven't found a way to do it otherwise as yet. I'll let you know if I come up with something.
PanelPro isn't something I've spent much time on. The most I've done so far is design a layout in AnyRail, and import into PanelPro. Not quite setup to what I'm looking, but these videos may help.
Hi Tom The layout software is very similar to Microsoft Visio.? I use to use visio for software engineering design. Is JMRI a definitive of this? Regards James woods .uk
Thanks, Tom. This is something I've been thinking of doing eventually. Your 2 videos on Panel Pro will help me do it. ...Roy
Glad I could help Roy. I've been putting this part off for too long
I haven't the slightest clue about DCC, so these are quite instructional.
Thanks Joshua
This should be an interesting pair of videos Tom. Thanks for the demo. Art...
Glad you enjoyed it Art!
Interesting Tom, looking forward to part 2. Best, John
Glad you enjoyed it John
a speed and level I can grasp. Thanks Tom
Welcome Rob
Tom, after much effort I have completed all the trackwork (all Kato track and turnouts) on my N scale layout, installed all my Digitrax DCC equipment (DB150, 3 DCS210s, 7 DS54s, PR4, and LNWI) and did all my LocoNet wiring. Got everything up and running under throttle control (DT402 and DT502). I have 3 buses (one for each power district) that is 14AWG and multiple feeders that are Kato 24-218s and am using suitcase connectors to tie them together. All of the above is working well electrically. The other day, I loaded JMRI on my HP laptop and made sure I had the driver for the PR4 correctly installed. I started using PanelPro to list all my turnouts (17) and completed the table and was able to switch each of my turnouts using JMRI. I had set my preferences to the Digitrax PR4 using COM3 and set the baud rate at 57600. All was still working well. I then started the Layout Editor to try to do the layout design with some limited success but never got to assigning my turnouts in the table to the layout. My issue at that time was trying to determine how big the grid could be. It seemed that the drawing area would not be big enough to describe my entire layout. Since I used AnyRail 6 for the track layout design, I exported the XML file from AnyRail to JMRI PanelPro and showed the entire layout. However, when I went to look at my Turnout table, all the values had changed and I could no longer assign my turnout table to the layout editor showing my turnouts. I turned off my entire layout and laptop after saving my JMRI files. This morning, I went back into PanelPro, made sure my Preferences were correctly set (they were) and proceeded to bring up my turnout table. Nothing there but a blank sheet and when I started to recreate the table, LocoNet was not reflected, only Internal. I am clueless at the moment. I've been an IT guy for 50 years and I am befuddled at the moment. I was wondering if I had to reset the PR4? Thanks, Paul
Paul, in the Layout Editor, if you place an object outside the grid, the grid will automatically expand. So you can always make the area larger if you feel you do not have enough room. I have never used ann AnyRail xml file in layout editor, so I can't address that except if your turnouts in AnyRail were named differently, your old table would most likely not work. Say you named your turnouts LT:01 and in JMRI it is LT01, those two designation are not the same.
Whenever you have stored items in your table, you have to open your file when you load JMRI . You can do this in Preferences/Startup. Create an entry to open the file you stored your turnouts in. You can add as many file names as you like if you created multiple files to store different items, such as the file for your panel if it is different than the one you created for your tables.
Tom, resolved my issue but also found out about the AnyRail JMRI export function. I had misconfigured the PanelPro Layout Editor Preferences for the Digitrax PR4 I am using with my laptop. Turns out I had the PR4 Standalone Programmer selected rather than the DB150 Command Station I am using. Once I corrected the error in Connections I then checked the Defaults to ensure they were set for LocoNet. I was then able to build my Turnout Table and was able to close and throw my turnouts from the Table. I then did some drawing of a portion of my layout using PanelPro Layout Editor which included some turnouts and track. I was then able to go into Edit and assign the turnout its value from the table and was then able to close and throw the turnouts. I exported my layout drawing from AnyRail 6 and loaded that xml file into the Layout Editor. It showed an excellent representation of my entire layout and if I clicked on one of the layout turnouts, you could see the switch operate in the drawing. However, I could not go in and Edit the turnout representation and assign a turnout from my table. I think that AnyRail and JMRI need to do some interface work to get the imported layout drawing to operate in the same manner as doing the design in PanelPro.
Glad you got everything working Paul. Excellent information about AnyRail. I've made that same mistake with my PR3 and the DB150. Must be a common issue. As I recall, when I first set it up, I do not remember any selection for either the PR3 or the DB150. Maybe that is something that has to be done once the program restarts.
That is really interesting, thanks for sharing. Dave
Glad you enjoyed it Dave
Great video something i have no clue about but like watching them lol
I appreciate that Dwight. maybe someday you'll look back on it when you're interested in JMRI
How do you add a three way turn out?
Add one turnout adolescent to the other. Not sure if the developers at JMRI have a 3 way switch on the works.
Very informative
Glad it was helpful!
Ok when i was building my panel the size of the panel stayed. So now i got this huge panel that i have to shrink Each time i open it. How do i change that?
Go back into edit mode and zoom down to the next level if that is the size you want it. You can also drag the sides & bottom to get it closer to your track ends. Now store the panel and it should open back up to the size you stored it.
@@TomsTrainsandThings the zoom is ok. All the track i built fits on screen. But there is a bunch of empty space... thats what im trying to get rid of. Sorry i should have made that more clear.
@@FBMRR you can select the area you want to move, just drag your mouse over the area. Select Move from the menu, not at my computer right now. So not sure of what menu item it6under. You have to move it by x,y coordinates. I think each square is 10, so if you want to move it 5 squares, you would choose -50. Do that for each direction.
@@TomsTrainsandThings ok ill check it out and email u some screen shots.
I have JMRI but have not found the time to learn it. So my question is can you use it to design a layout to build? love your videos.
That't not what it was intended for, but if you want to do it that way. Go for it! I sat on JMRI for years just looking at it, before I used it.
D O R I T O S and thx for the helpl!!!!
Glad to help. Love those Doritos
Hi Tom: Thx for all your work giving us great videos. Your timing of this subject is just right for me. I just finished installing DS64s & KATO turnouts. All are working fine - either throwing w/WiThrottls or JMRI turnout table. I just tried to "draw" a situation in Panel Pro & found a problem & need some guidance. I'll ask it here & maybe you'll just say "covered in next video" That would suffice.
I have a passing sidings and to conserve "slots" in a DS64 I wire them together as one , wanting to always throw them together. Assigning a turnout to the 1st turnout in panel pro is fine. When I go to select the same turnout ID for the 2nd turnout, it is gone from the list. - So panel pro is probably telling me hey "already used"! I didn't see a way to "type" in that same TO#. Do you know of a way to make this work? OR do I have to make each turnout a seperate #? THOUGHT! Could I add "dummy turnout #s, somehow, in the TO table and just assign one of those to the 2nd end? Any thoughts?
OK tried the "dummy" turnout number & that let me assign it to the panel - BUT can't find a way to (1) "connect the 2 so the track plan changes, and (2) can't throw from either end. OH well it was a thought!
JB
Thanks for taking an interest. I have two locations on my layout where I have two Tortoise's hooked up to 1 output on my DS64, the way I showed it on the layout editor is use them as crossovers. One of them is actually a crossover, but the other is a set of turnouts that I have moving together. I haven't found a way to do it otherwise as yet. I'll let you know if I come up with something.
@@TomsTrainsandThings Thx
I also posed my question to the JMRI user group and got some replies - FYI:
groups.io/g/jmriusers/topic/75807507?p=Created,,,20,1,0,0
JB
And here is the infrom the JMRI site:
www.jmri.org/help/en/package/jmri/jmrit/display/EditLayoutTurnout.shtml
JMRY. Why? Because it’s freeeee. One day Tom. One day.
Soon Mark, Soon!...And, It's Freeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
PanelPro isn't something I've spent much time on. The most I've done so far is design a layout in AnyRail, and import into PanelPro. Not quite setup to what I'm looking, but these videos may help.
Glad I could help!
JMRI panel pro opened once on my laptop then never again lol seems dead now
Have you contacted JMRI Forum with your issue?
1st comment
Congratulations, you won the distinction of being the first commentor on this video.
That's about the only thing that's king... certainly isn't your hair...lol
I'll agree to that!
Is Doritos a sponsor?
I quit Doritos over a year ago. was gaining too much weight
Hi Tom
The layout software is very similar to Microsoft Visio.?
I use to use visio for software engineering design.
Is JMRI a definitive of this?
Regards James woods .uk
JMRI is a Jave based program