DS64 turnout control not working, finding how the JMRI system works to be very VERY confusing. Am I mistaken or are settings found in multiple menus? The feedback for turnouts, it says they are direct control and that the software should show closed or thrown and not even try to read feedback from a sensor, yet JMRI is showing 'inconsistent' like its looking for feedback from a sensor loop to the switch, when it's set to not look for that. Just sort of annoyed and confused it seems like the software is actually in a very alpha half done state with zero user ability. I found I could change the setting for direct control in multiple places and now it seems like its broken from not going and changing that in every instance, which if that is the case it should be one setting with maybe the ability to affect that setting from multiple menus, not the ability to make conflicts and error loops. I dunno, its just so 'weird' and hard to use, the interface itself just this little window to be lost behind many others, when its just drop down menus anyway? why not have one window with menus like Photoshop or Solidworks or Maya or Rhino or... dang you get the idea, like software that isn't confusing as heck just in remembering what little weird window had the particular menu I was looking for. So my brand new DS64, not sure if its working or broken, JMRI same thing not sure if I made a setting conflict or what, its not saying what its supposed to even be able to with the direct mode and then looking for sensor feedback. Anyone been through this and know whats going on?
I am getting an error trying to open panels which seems related, unfortunately its long error message and it wont let me copy paste the text (!#!#!). Parse error while parsing file/C/...testpanelset.xml Exception: org.jdon2.input.JDOMParseException: Error on line 22: cvc_identity_constraint.4.2.2: Duplicate key value [DT1] declared for identity constraint "turnoutName" of element "layout-config". I am boggled that this software prevents copy pasting error messages, especially that length. I am not the best typist, I am guessing model railroaders are a mixed bag. JMRI seems intent on making it as cryptically weird and software engineer only as possible. edit:and the board software changed some of it to emoji faces, my positive vibe from before, totally gone I am steaming right now
wow, that was a struggle but I got a few switches operating at least. still occasionally getting indications the software expects feedback when it's set to not look for it in prefs and settings but at least the switches move now, yay I can run trains again! the DS64 cmos factory settings switch addresses were/are wrong or corrupted, setting addresses worked to give the switches addresses I could communicate with. resetting to factory was putting them on unknown numbers but not the 01 02 03 and 04 specified in the manual and online guides. sorry for the drama, me and electronics have a love hate relationship.
yep factory reset should be called "factory scramble data"... pretty much unusable until you set addresses...
I bought another DS64 unit, once working it seems to work reliably. I have a DIY arduino Uno and motor shield base station but am thinking of commiting to a loconet base station and system. Not sure still looking into it. I am $100 into the digitrax direction with the 2 DS64 but it's not so far I can't change course yet. I only need the 8 switches to start, so I can set up my yard, 2-3 industries, and mainline, and then think about better ways to control layouts. Digitrax and JMRI seem like awesome things a bit restrained by just bizarre linguistics and concepts of what a user should already understand. Sort of a secret handshake club right now, on one page of the JMRI website it actually says along the lines of 'dont even try this yourself, you need an in person instructor, someone who has used JMRI before' but elsewhere it indicates the exact opposite while failing to explain how. It feels like some developers want it to be widely used, some just want to use it, and the later set things up just enough for a software/hardware engineer that is fluent in real railroad operations to understand the interface and functions even close to 'intuitively'. My background and education is industrial design and manufacturing and lots of blue collar manual labor, instead of the function of railroads and transit systems, which are actually pretty complex and industry specific when it comes to actually making realistic train operations. With JMRI you have to know how an actual freight system works somewhat just to know what to ignore till later when you are ready. Things like 'trains' tables and filling out the car list, and just what is where. there are 2 or 3 places to start the wiThrottle server as an example of confusing as heck. It is utterly unfriendly and opposed to attracting a new railroad modeller as opposed to railfan that is fluent in operations. I want to learn all that stuff, but I need the trains running to be inspired to then learn it.
