TrainTech Smart Screen Configuration

[St1ngr4y]

Those of you who have purchased one of these devices will probably agree with me that it is a wonderful new accessory for a layout. However, the configuration of such a device, especially the entry of the messages, is an exhausting experience. A few weeks ago, I developed a piece of software which acts as a front-end configuration program, allowing the user to type the required messages using the pc keyboard, then hit a button and sit back and watch the device being configured automatically. I have placed this software, along with a user guide in both Word 2016 format and a PDF document, into a folder on my OneDrive cloud storage. These items can be accessed and downloaded by means of this link...

 

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhG7bX4H0NOtty4fwkowVg7rR2LX

 

The name of the program is TTSS5.exe, and this name may need to be added to your AV permitted programs list to allow it to work. The easiest way to handle the program is to download it into your Railmaster folder, then to create a shorcut to it on your desktop, with the Advanced option of "Run as Administrator" being ticked.

 

When the program is executed, it communicates with the Smart Screen device via either a Hornby Elite or eLink controller, so Railmaster must NOT be running at the same time.

 

After configuration of the device, the method of controlling the device needs to be chosen. My choice was to use accessory decoder addresses. I will be starting another thread in the Railmaster sub-forum, describing how I configured my two Smart Screens in Railmaster.

 

Ray

 

[Chrissaf]

Thank you Ray.

.

I was aware of this collaboration from Rob. And I know just how much effort you have put into writing and debugging this utility. I haven't purchased any TT Smart Screens yet, but they are on my 'wish to do' list. So I have downloaded your files to be ready whilst they are still available from your cloud service. I assume that if the utility is updated or expanded in function, you will post new updated files and info here.

.

I know from my prior research of the TT Smart Screen product just how laborious they are to programme and configure manually......as it has to be done one character at a time. Your semi-auto utility will be an absolute 'god send' when creating extensive and long screen messages, when using the full capability of the Smart Screen product.

.

Absolutely well done.....and I mean that most sincerely.

.

Chris

[96RAF]

I will also put the required files on my website as another route for folk to download from, but at present I cannot access my Train-pc as the room is being used a storage for a kitchen refit. I will do it next week and repost when they are available.

 

Ray’s front end is a boon and encourages one to change the screen messages more often than maybe they would have been.

[St1ngr4y]

@Chrissaf

 

Hi Chris,

 

Thank you for your kind remarks. The DCC information going between the controller and the Smart Screen is uni-directional, which means that neither the controller nor any pc software can know whether there is a Smart Screen physically attached. In turn, this means that there is no reason why you can't try out the program to get a feel of what it is capable of. As long as you don't have any existing locos which have addresses 55 or 56, then you should be OK. It should work as long as there is a port with either an Elite or an eLink attached.

 

Ray

[2e0dtoeric]

Very interesting - but what happens if a potential user does NOT have Railmaster installed? (I don't, for one!)

[St1ngr4y]

Hi,

 

Do you have DCC and if so, which controller do you use ?

 

Ray

[96RAF]

I have used Ray’s Writer App from a USB stick when I demonstrated it away from home.

You could park it on your desktop if necessary.

[2e0dtoeric]

St1ngr4y hasn't watched any of the operating videos I've put on various places!  😛

[St1ngr4y]

St1ngr4y hasn't watched any of the operating videos I've put on various places!  😛

 

Not until just now. I am summising that that was WiFi DCC ? I didn't notice a computer being used.  😉 Very interesting video.

 

The computer program which I created was designed specifically around the Elite and eLink controllers. I'm afraid any other manufacturers' DCC controllers, even if they have the capability of connecting to a computer, will probably not work with the program.

 

Ray

[2e0dtoeric]

No, hard-wired Elite. No Railmaster, no other computers (except what's in the plastic clop-clop box).  😛

Points are digital, too ( the pink kind with fingernails on, right now!)

[AncientMariner]

Nice program, and MUCH easier to edit messages than repeated punching of Fn buttons. Thank you.

But I'm having difficulty after saving the new A and B messages, in getting them to display under control of Railmaster.

These were the steps I followed:

Downloaded the program .exe file and moved it into C:/Program Files (x86). 

Then connected my laptop to the Railmaster eLink controller, connected the DCC power leads to the screen, and started to program the screen via your TTSS5.exe program, run as Administrator to allow it to save the .txt file in the same Railmaster program folder.

I used Write Current Message for the messages for A and B in turn, and they appear being slowly 'typed' into the Smart Screen, for the default ID number 0055. 

Then use the Edit/Controls menu to set the Loco ID to 0060, then Save.

Close your program. The screen cycles automatically between the A and B messages. 

Try again, to edit and re-write the A message, slightly differently, and Write Current message again.

It seems to append the new second line message, not replace it, so the display cycles through message A then B, and the B message shows  'Calling at X, Y, Z,    Calling at Y, Z, ' etc. instead of the changed 'Calling at Y, Z'.

Leaving that as it is, I open Railmaster, and choose Loco 0060. Click Forward |>. Nothing happens. Try Reverse and |> again. Still nothing.

So try to start all over using F8 from Railmaster, and get the screen to enter Edit mode and hopefully blank out the screen text.

Close Railmaster. Open your program.

Retype (slightly different) messages into the A  and B message lines. and Write them. 

I then start Railmaster, but can't get them to display in response to Forward or Reverse for either loco 0055 or loco 060.

And when I look in the TTSS5.txt file, I don't see any reference to the 0060 loco number, but lines A and B appear correct. Although in the course of repeated experiments, I find that what's in that file isn't necessarily what's showing on the screen cycling between A and B messages, and sometimes changes are appended to the text, instead of replacing it.

And occasionally words on the screen are misspelled - e.g., Watfopd Junction instead of the (correctly typed) Watford Junction. 

Have I a faulty screen? Does Railmaster need an actual loco running? What else can I try?

[St1ngr4y]

Hi,

 

First of all, you have exposed a deficiency in the program whereby you have entered the messages and sent them to the Smart Screen using the default programming address of 0055. When TTSS5 saves the messages in its .txt file, it saves them against this 0055 address. If you then change the programming address from the default 0055 to, as you have done, 0060, then the messages will have to be re-entered into the TTSS5 program, and these will be added to those already stored against 0055. I will attempt to add a facility to the program to change existing messages to a different programming address. In the mean time, you can edit the text file with Notepad to replace all occurrences of 0055 with 0060, if you wish, before re-opening the TTSS5 program. You may get the odd character which doesn't get through to the Smart Screen properley. You will usually find that this character is two characters lower in the alphabet than the intended character. This happens due to the odd communications error between the PC and your controller.

 

The second point I would make, hiowever, is that I think you have misuderstood the purpose of this address. The 0055 default address is used for configuring the device only. You can change the address if you wish but it still only configures the device. To actually operate the device via, say, Railmaster, you need to choose, not only a completely different unique address, but you also need to choose whether you are going to use loco decoder functions to operate it or accessory decoder left/right commands. If you have a look in the Railmaster sub-Forum, you will see a complementary post which I created which describes how I implemented my two devices in Railmaster.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Ray

[St1ngr4y]

For anyone who hasn't yet downloaded the software, I have moved the program and user guides to a different folder for which this is the new link .....

 

 

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AhG7bX4H0NOt_VTPajMM54kI0dUt?e=SfCkf2

 

Also, I use Windows 10, and the program was developed using that OS. I have been told that there may be problems running the program under earlier Windows OS's such as XP. or 7.

 

Ray

[96RAF]

You said you lodged the TTSS5.exe file in C:Program Files (x86) area.

If you want to use it in conjunction with RM it should go into the RM folder.

[96RAF]

To explain how the loco address is linked to the screen messages make sure you have read the comprehensive text or pdf files that Ray has provided with the download. Page 5 & 6 shows how you link the loco address to the smart screen and illustrates clearly that Messages A and B are linked directionally with the loco and the other 8 messages can be linked to operate from F-keys 1 to 8.

 

A similar procedure is provided to link screen messages to points operation and described on Page 7.

 

It is essential that you get your head round the screen addresses - as Ray has explained - the default 55 is for screen configuration and management. The default 56 is for the clock and if you have more than one screen they can all have the same clock address and then when you set one clock you set them all in synch. The only time you need to change the default addresses is if they conflict with an existing loco or point address (Class 55 or 56 loco for instance).

 

Ray has covered all the bases in his program and it works 100% accurate everytime for me on Win10 using either Elite or eLink. The only glitch I have seen was when running the linked message screens via an RM timed program when the dodgy RM - PC to Elite Comms can miss an instruction, as has often been seen in running any RM progrsm, e.g. a missed loco command or a missed point, etc.

 

It has been suggested on another forum that it should work with any controller using Xpressnet comms and connecting to a PC via USB, but without such an alien controller to try it on testing was limited to Hornby kit.

[AncientMariner]

Hi Ray

Thanks for your explanation. Since my last post, I have changed over to my PC running Windows 10 with my Elite rather than RailMaster. Much better - the spelling errors have been eliminated (so far), I presume that the slower bit rate helps. Now to tackle the control issues. I'm trying to get the Smart Screen mounted in a carriage and controlled by DCC.

I have tried on another PC with XP, and your excellent program doesn't appear to run.

Thanks again. I'll post any progress/results I get.

AM

[AncientMariner]

Hi Ray,

Hard work here. Several program crashes and the text file is generated but not filled: am I missing some component?I have opened up all permissions After about five tries I managed to insert the messages correctly (my bad), change the programming address, and the loco address - I have ne explanation as to why it failed repeatedly, then just worked.

 

Nice program but needs a bit of refinement.

 

All's well that ends well.

 

Thanks

AM

 

[St1ngr4y]

Hi,

 

If there are faults in the program, I would like to know what they are, so that I can put them right, but I need a bit more detail on the things you have tried and the results.

 

Ray

[96RAF]

...Nice program but needs a bit of refinement....

 

In defence of Ray, I think it is quite slick as is, very intuitive and easy to use. The instructions provided are very clear and on my Win10 PCs it writes 100% accurate every time. Configuration to associate the messages with a loco, direct to an address or to link with points all works as expected.

 

A Visual Basic screen user interface will never be as flash as those generated in some other programming languages, but it is clear, well laid out and provides all the controls and information necessary to program the smart screen.

 

Edit - as AM is still having problems from within RM can he confirm he has lodged the programin the RM  folder as earlier he said it was lodged in the ‘C’ drive Programs(x86) area.

[AncientMariner]

Hi,

 

If there are faults in the program, I would like to know what they are, so that I can put them right, but I need a bit more detail on the things you have tried and the results.

 

Ray

 Hi Ray

 

Not sure that I can help much here. The program did throw up an error, but it closed before I could note down what it was and the program closed down. I restarted the program and it seemed to run OK, except that it has never saved any data.

 

I have an old Railmaster folder on this machine (which I don't use to run my layout). I have tried the program in there, in its own folder in programs and on the desktop. I'm running through an Elite.

 

I run my layout with an old XP machine. I have tried running the program on that machine but AFAIKS it doesn't run.

 

I'll try some more and let you know. Bottom line is that it worked in the end and I got my 2 Smart Screens programmed>

 

AM

[AncientMariner]

...Nice program but needs a bit of refinement....

 

In defence of Ray, I think it is quite slick as is, very intuitive and easy to use. The instructions provided are very clear and on my Win10 PCs it writes 100% accurate every time. Configuration to associate the messages with a loco, direct to an address or to link with points all works as expected.

 

A Visual Basic screen user interface will never be as flash as those generated in some other programming languages, but it is clear, well laid out and provides all the controls and information necessary to program the smart screen.

 

Edit - as AM is still having problems from within RM can he confirm he has lodged the programin the RM  folder as earlier he said it was lodged in the ‘C’ drive Programs(x86) area.

Ray needs no defence, the program is a godsend and prevents a keystroke nightmare. If only I could save the text file, and avoid the crashes it would be very good indeed. I appreciate that I'm pushing the envelope here.

 

I have tried the program in a variety of locations, amongst which is an old trial Railmaster folder. That might be the issue of course since the program has long since expired.

 

AM

[St1ngr4y]

Hi AM,

 

Failure to save the data file would occur in Windows 10 if you are not running the program "As Administrator". Could this be the problem?

 

Ray

[96RAF]

As I think I said earlier I have run the program on a USB stick also and operating it from there it automatically saved the text file on the USB stick also.

 

As Ray said you can list messages in the file against a chosen address and they will pull up on screen as you select that address.

 

Another bonus of using the program is it not only saves wear and tear on the operators fingers but also on the controller buttons.

[AncientMariner]

Hi AM,

 

Failure to save the data file would occur in Windows 10 if you are not running the program "As Administrator". Could this be the problem?

 

Ray

I thought I was but I'll check that. Thanks

 

AM 

[AncientMariner]

Hi AM,

 

Failure to save the data file would occur in Windows 10 if you are not running the program "As Administrator". Could this be the problem?

 

Ray

I thought I was but I'll check that. Thanks

 

AM 

Yup running as administrator. Program is failing with "transmit buffer full"

 

AM