Post by roge on Nov 7, 2015 8:16:00 GMT -5
Good afternoon everyone.
Paul has suggested that others may find what I've got set up useful. I'm guessing that a lot of what I write will come as nothing new to a lot of you, but it was certainly a step out of the comfort zone for me and maybe will be of some benefit to some.
My layout is run with an NCE power cab, linked via a serial port/PC card adaptor to an ancient laptop, which in turn uses JMRI. I've managed to get the JMRI to act like an NX panel with sensors to at the start and end of potential routes. Click on the sensor at eNtry, then the one at the eXit and the points fire (traintronics motors) and the route is set.
Next thing was to try and add signals to this...
I opted for CR signals, who provided an incredibly rapid turn round time and were significantly cheaper than Absolute Aspects who also had a long lead time. Both suppliers were very helpful at the enquiry stage. I think the AA signals come with a circuit board, so may be easier to install, hence the increased cost. When the CR signals turned up, I was not disappointed. Excellent.
Down to the set up, with the SC1...
The format I needed was to have a 3 aspect stop signal with position lights call on occupying the first four outputs, then two ground position lights occupying two each of the remaining four.
After seeking advice from Paul, I knew I was aiming for setting CV38 to 8. But how to do it? I initially set the base address using the automatic programmer function and the jumper. Then detached from the main line and attached to the programming line. As sometimes happens with rolling stock fitted with decoders but no motor (DMU cars, etc) the SC1 couldn't be read by either the power cab or decoder pro on the laptop. I tried direct, paged and register, still no luck. I then set up a new roster entry (NMRA raw CVs) and wrote 8 to CV38. Still unable to read whether this had worked, but I knew that each of the outputs should work as an on/off with the new setting. Hook back up to the main line and the signals, sure enough each LED is working individually. Progress. Tea and biscuits.
Next task to try and get this to work with my diagram on JMRI. Again following advice I started with the main aspect plus call on. The four lamps were added to the signal table as single outputs. 'On' should be the relevant colour, or 'lunar' for the position lights. 'Off' should be 'dark'. You then create a signal mast, in my case using the perfect pre-programmed one in the BR 2003 library. In the boxes for each aspect, put the addresses of the signal heads you've just entered in the previous part. The order is as they appear on the actual signal head, so from the top; green, yellow, red, pos. lights.
For the GPLs, it is a little more complicated and I would never have figured this out without some help! Back to the signal table and start a quad output head. Make up some 'ghost' addresses for the green and yellow outputs (these aren't used) and put the address for the red and the lunar (top white lamp) in the relevant boxes. Now create another mast, in my case again from the same BR 2003 library and there should be only 'on' and 'off' available despite the four possible outputs (this is what the ghost addresses for green and yellow are for).
You can now add signal masts at block boundaries or signal boundaries on the layout editor. Just clicking on them should cycle through the available aspects; 'off' and 'on' for the GPLs and green, yellow, red or red plus call on for the main aspect. Right clicking on the main aspect allows you to select which aspect you want, rather than cycle through.
More progress. More tea and biscuits.
That's where I'm at with it now. Future developments would be to combine the signal clearing with the route setting automatically, which I think should be relatively straightforward. But I'm pleased with it for now.
I hope this is of some interest to someone. Thanks again to Paul for all his assistance.