Remote Train Control - WiFi version 5.0.0
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Mark C DiVecchio
Feb 26, 2024, 11:47:01 PM2/26/24
to Remote Train Control
(I've sent this to you because you have contacted me in the past about my Remote Train Control (RTC) program. If you don't want to receive these posts, you can click on the unsubscribe link or just email me.)
I have made changes to the Remote Train Control (RTC) program to break free of (almost) all wires. RTC now supports WiFi communications with the WIU & TIU combination now available and (hopefully) the new WTIU which is soon to be available. It supports WiFi communications with my RFID detectors - that really saves a lot of wires.
I'm sending this email to all of the people who have contacted me over the years asking about RTC or who are actively using it. I'm looking for a few beta testers. The program still supports CC1101E radio control over USB so even if you don't have a WIU, you can still try out the other new features.
If you already have a WIU setup, that is the best case.
You can read details and setup instructions here:
http://www.silogic.com/trains/WiFi.html
To use the new RTC beta version, you have to have a WIU, a home network with a router, and a Windows 10/11 computer connected to the router. The WIU is connected to the TIU using an RS232 serial to USB adapter cable (there is a DB-9 connector at the TIU end and a USB type A at the WIU end). You can get these cables most anywhere.
You have to setup the WIU & TIU following MTH's instructions. That includes connecting it to the router over WiFi.
I ask that you treat this confidentially as I don't want the program to get out if there are still problems. In any case, I don't want to generally announce it on the forums or chat room until the WTIU has been released and I can test RTC with the new WTIU.
Thanks for listening,
Mark DiVecchio
ma...@silogic.com
--------------------------------------------------------
From the V5.0.0 readme:
--------------------------------------------------------
V0.4.9.9 Internal and Testing Release Only ---> will become V0.5.0.0
The major change for V5 of RTC will be WTIU and RFID support over WiFi. Now it is no longer necessary to use a USB based CC1101E radio for the TIU connection or to use physical USB or serial cables for the RFID tag detection circuits. RTC supports both the WIU & TIU combination and the soon to be released WTIU. I've written an ESP8266 version of my RFID tag detectors which supports WiFi. Select the device on the Setup window. Look on this web page for setup instructions: http://www.silogic.com/trains/WiFi.html . Major internal changes to the program but other than setup, operation is the same.
The program will continue to support USB serial CC1101E communications and USB serial communications for PN532 based tag detection.
Here is a summary of the other changes to this version:
1. Add a window to display Signal aspects on a bitmap of your layout. I added 10 new PC Control Language functions to support Signals. I also added "Cab Signals" which reflect the home and distant signal aspects -- just like the big guys. Read about it on this web page: http://www.silogic.com/trains/RTC_Control_Language%20-%20Signaling.html .
2. Replaced the concept of "Run Time" in the Program Control window with "Elapsed Time". This counter measures the elapsed time from when the [Run Script] button is pushed until the Lua script stops (either on it's own or by a press of the [STOP] button. The time will increment and turn green when the script is running and will stop incrementing and turn red while the script is stopped.
3. In conjunction with item 2, the RunTime() function as been changed to return the number of seconds since the first Program Control window was opened. RunTime() will return the same value to all Program Control windows if it is called at the same time. (This is different than the previous operation which returned the run time of each individual Lua script.) With this you can compare time of operations between different PC windows.
4. Fixed a bug that prevented some Lashups, created with the Lashup window, from being saved correctly.
5. Embarassingly, there was a serious bug in the Quick Control window's support for Lashups. Hopefully, I've fixed it in this version.
6. The speed was not set correctly from the Operations window in the case of the speed going from 0 to 1 Smph with Auto Bell set.
7. The AIU Control Window now has a bitton to open the next or previous TIU. It already had buttons for the next or previous AIU.
8. The Debug Messages Window now has an AutoScroll check box. If this box is checked, the end of the messages (the previous mode of operation). If the check box is cleared, the window can be scrolled up or down manually.
9. The Debug Window now has a TimeStamp checkbox. If this box is checked, each message is prepended with the time it was processed. Because of the way that RTC handles these messages as lowest priority, the messages may appear out of order.
10. The Debug Window now has a line count display.
11. Added and improved the use of Lashups on the Quick Controls window. Lashups appear as engine numbers 101 to 120. These correspond to Lashups 1 to 20.
12. The Layout window has two new buttons, [Layout Copy] and [Window Copy]. The first attempts to copy the entire layout window to the Clipboard. This may not work as desired when the layout itself is too large to fit on the screen. The second copies only the part of the layout actually displayed to the Clipboard.
13. Had a lot of comments about the blowing of the whistle and ringing of the bell when an engine is started from 0 Smph. This was controlled on the Setup Window by one option [X] Auto Bell/Whistle Sounds. I broke this up into two options:
[X] Auto Bell : if set, this option causes the RTC program to ring the bell automatically when starting from 0 Smph. This option applies to all engines but on each engine's Operation Window, there is a corresponding LED, ¤ Auto Bell, to disable this feature for that particular engine. Click on the LED to change it from Red (disabled) to Green (enabled).
[X] Auto Horn/Whistle : if set, this option causes the RTC program to sound the whistle/horn automatically when starting from 0 Smph.This option applies to all engines but on each engine's Operation Window, there is a corresponding LED, ¤ Auto Horn/Whistle, to disable this feature for that particular engine. Click on the LED to change it from Red (disabled) to Green (enabled).
14. I also had a request to add an option to turn off the bell automatically after 5 seconds. I added a option on the Setup Window. If [X] Auto Bell Off is checked, the bell will turn off automatically after 5 seconds. If it is not checked, you must manually turn off the bell. For the Auto Bell Off feature, I add a spinner so you can set the automatic off time to any value between 1 and 60 seconds.
15. I added a new function to the RTC Control Language (http://www.silogic.com/trains/RTC_Control_Language.html) "InputDropDown()". This function makes it easier to request the user to choose an item from a list.
16. In the Program Control Window, the button font changes to Bold when pressed.
17. I added the ability for RTC to play some engine/environment sounds automatically. Right now, the only sound support is a relay clicking sound when the aspect of a signal changes. This feature is enabled in the Setup Window by the [X] AutoSound Controls check box.
18. Added a "No Sleep" option to the Setup window which prevents the PC from sleeping when RTC is running.
19. The Track Signal window now shows a bar graph of the pings returned from the engine under test. This better enables you to visualize the track condition.
V0.5.0.0 coming soon!
The program is out to beta testers.
I have made changes to the Remote Train Control (RTC) program to break free of (almost) all wires. RTC now supports WiFi communications with the WIU & TIU combination now available and (hopefully) the new WTIU which is soon to be available. It supports WiFi communications with my RFID detectors - that really saves a lot of wires.
I'm sending this email to all of the people who have contacted me over the years asking about RTC or who are actively using it. I'm looking for a few beta testers. The program still supports CC1101E radio control over USB so even if you don't have a WIU, you can still try out the other new features.
If you already have a WIU setup, that is the best case.
You can read details and setup instructions here:
http://www.silogic.com/trains/WiFi.html
To use the new RTC beta version, you have to have a WIU, a home network with a router, and a Windows 10/11 computer connected to the router. The WIU is connected to the TIU using an RS232 serial to USB adapter cable (there is a DB-9 connector at the TIU end and a USB type A at the WIU end). You can get these cables most anywhere.
You have to setup the WIU & TIU following MTH's instructions. That includes connecting it to the router over WiFi.
I ask that you treat this confidentially as I don't want the program to get out if there are still problems. In any case, I don't want to generally announce it on the forums or chat room until the WTIU has been released and I can test RTC with the new WTIU.
Thanks for listening,
Mark DiVecchio
ma...@silogic.com
--------------------------------------------------------
From the V5.0.0 readme:
--------------------------------------------------------
V0.4.9.9 Internal and Testing Release Only ---> will become V0.5.0.0
The major change for V5 of RTC will be WTIU and RFID support over WiFi. Now it is no longer necessary to use a USB based CC1101E radio for the TIU connection or to use physical USB or serial cables for the RFID tag detection circuits. RTC supports both the WIU & TIU combination and the soon to be released WTIU. I've written an ESP8266 version of my RFID tag detectors which supports WiFi. Select the device on the Setup window. Look on this web page for setup instructions: http://www.silogic.com/trains/WiFi.html . Major internal changes to the program but other than setup, operation is the same.
The program will continue to support USB serial CC1101E communications and USB serial communications for PN532 based tag detection.
Here is a summary of the other changes to this version:
1. Add a window to display Signal aspects on a bitmap of your layout. I added 10 new PC Control Language functions to support Signals. I also added "Cab Signals" which reflect the home and distant signal aspects -- just like the big guys. Read about it on this web page: http://www.silogic.com/trains/RTC_Control_Language%20-%20Signaling.html .
2. Replaced the concept of "Run Time" in the Program Control window with "Elapsed Time". This counter measures the elapsed time from when the [Run Script] button is pushed until the Lua script stops (either on it's own or by a press of the [STOP] button. The time will increment and turn green when the script is running and will stop incrementing and turn red while the script is stopped.
3. In conjunction with item 2, the RunTime() function as been changed to return the number of seconds since the first Program Control window was opened. RunTime() will return the same value to all Program Control windows if it is called at the same time. (This is different than the previous operation which returned the run time of each individual Lua script.) With this you can compare time of operations between different PC windows.
4. Fixed a bug that prevented some Lashups, created with the Lashup window, from being saved correctly.
5. Embarassingly, there was a serious bug in the Quick Control window's support for Lashups. Hopefully, I've fixed it in this version.
6. The speed was not set correctly from the Operations window in the case of the speed going from 0 to 1 Smph with Auto Bell set.
7. The AIU Control Window now has a bitton to open the next or previous TIU. It already had buttons for the next or previous AIU.
8. The Debug Messages Window now has an AutoScroll check box. If this box is checked, the end of the messages (the previous mode of operation). If the check box is cleared, the window can be scrolled up or down manually.
9. The Debug Window now has a TimeStamp checkbox. If this box is checked, each message is prepended with the time it was processed. Because of the way that RTC handles these messages as lowest priority, the messages may appear out of order.
10. The Debug Window now has a line count display.
11. Added and improved the use of Lashups on the Quick Controls window. Lashups appear as engine numbers 101 to 120. These correspond to Lashups 1 to 20.
12. The Layout window has two new buttons, [Layout Copy] and [Window Copy]. The first attempts to copy the entire layout window to the Clipboard. This may not work as desired when the layout itself is too large to fit on the screen. The second copies only the part of the layout actually displayed to the Clipboard.
13. Had a lot of comments about the blowing of the whistle and ringing of the bell when an engine is started from 0 Smph. This was controlled on the Setup Window by one option [X] Auto Bell/Whistle Sounds. I broke this up into two options:
[X] Auto Bell : if set, this option causes the RTC program to ring the bell automatically when starting from 0 Smph. This option applies to all engines but on each engine's Operation Window, there is a corresponding LED, ¤ Auto Bell, to disable this feature for that particular engine. Click on the LED to change it from Red (disabled) to Green (enabled).
[X] Auto Horn/Whistle : if set, this option causes the RTC program to sound the whistle/horn automatically when starting from 0 Smph.This option applies to all engines but on each engine's Operation Window, there is a corresponding LED, ¤ Auto Horn/Whistle, to disable this feature for that particular engine. Click on the LED to change it from Red (disabled) to Green (enabled).
14. I also had a request to add an option to turn off the bell automatically after 5 seconds. I added a option on the Setup Window. If [X] Auto Bell Off is checked, the bell will turn off automatically after 5 seconds. If it is not checked, you must manually turn off the bell. For the Auto Bell Off feature, I add a spinner so you can set the automatic off time to any value between 1 and 60 seconds.
15. I added a new function to the RTC Control Language (http://www.silogic.com/trains/RTC_Control_Language.html) "InputDropDown()". This function makes it easier to request the user to choose an item from a list.
16. In the Program Control Window, the button font changes to Bold when pressed.
17. I added the ability for RTC to play some engine/environment sounds automatically. Right now, the only sound support is a relay clicking sound when the aspect of a signal changes. This feature is enabled in the Setup Window by the [X] AutoSound Controls check box.
18. Added a "No Sleep" option to the Setup window which prevents the PC from sleeping when RTC is running.
19. The Track Signal window now shows a bar graph of the pings returned from the engine under test. This better enables you to visualize the track condition.
V0.5.0.0 coming soon!
The program is out to beta testers.
Tomix
Feb 27, 2024, 3:43:54 AM2/27/24
to remote-tra...@googlegroups.com
Hi Mark,
This is a great leap forward! I have been meaning to write to you about potential WIU implementation, and here we are!
I'd be willing to give it a go at testing and provide feedback. Based upon your guide, it appears you need the WIU set up in the "Home" configuration. Would RTC not work under the default "MTH" network? The WIU is essentially a router itself, and any device should be able to find the WIU at 192.168.1.1 (as it's the router) over the network.
Kind regards,
Brendan
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John De
Feb 27, 2024, 7:08:09 AM2/27/24
to remote-tra...@googlegroups.com
Mark,
Thanks for all you do!
I would like to be a beta tester.
I’ll review the links and get setup in the next few days and share any feedback
Thanks,
John
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/remote-train-control/CAN0wEAB6zW07OyH%3D775sMUxuzY5KEQL7EWmCA4n%2BeZ4ZYLJ9FQ%40mail.gmail.com.
John De
Feb 29, 2024, 9:14:11 AM2/29/24
to remote-tra...@googlegroups.com
Hi Mark,
Just want to make sure you got my email to beta test the latest WiFi version.
I am excited to see it and give you any testing feedback too
I apologize if this a a duplicate message, as I have some email messages stuck in my sent queue, that I had to delete :)
Let me know when you’ll send me the newest version
Thanks,
John DeSanto
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 27, 2024, at 3:43 AM, Tomix <tomixn...@gmail.com> wrote:
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/remote-train-control/CAN0wEAB6zW07OyH%3D775sMUxuzY5KEQL7EWmCA4n%2BeZ4ZYLJ9FQ%40mail.gmail.com.
Mark C DiVecchio
Mar 1, 2024, 12:54:59 PM3/1/24
to Remote Train Control
Thanks to the 5 of you that volunteered to test out the new V5 RTC.
Steven Tom
Mar 2, 2024, 8:29:32 AM3/2/24
to remote-tra...@googlegroups.com
Hi Mark,
If it’s not too late, would love to help you test as well. Still have my original RTC setup from the very first round of testing we did way back.
Steve
Henry Rose
Mar 3, 2024, 7:33:04 PM3/3/24
to remote-tra...@googlegroups.com
Hi Mark I'm in if you still need some testers. Thanks henry
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