# PR3 & JMRI Experience....so Far



## manchesterjim (Dec 30, 2011)

While at the Springfield show I found a DCS200 and a PR3 at Diesel Consignments for a GREAT price! I had to get it.

Spent a little time yesterday (Sunday) putting the 200 in place of my existing DB150 (to be used later as a booster), and setting up the PR3 to work with my Laptop. The LT runs Win7 with the latest service packs. The PR3 is connected to a 12VDC power supply, and my Loconet.

A note about installing the PR3 on a Windows7 machine.....you probably already know this, but Win7, unlike Win2000 or Vista, will default to looking for unrecognized drivers from the internet. It took me a bit of work to get to a point where I could load the driver from the supplied CD. (But that's another story altogether).hwell:

One thing JMRI doesn't do as intuitively as I think they should is the _initial_ start of the program after install. The windows installer puts an icon for DecoderPro3 on your desktop, but what they don't make clear is that you should go to the menu first and run "DecoderPro". (Note the absence of the "3"). This gets you into the initial config as they describe in their documentation.

What follows are a few observations about how things work:

1. Its best to have the internet available while installing and configuring JMRI as their help resources are all online.

2. When everything powers up, you really only need to make sure the device is in MS100 mode (the green LED is on with a "wink"-off every one second), regardless of what you are about to do...(Operations or decoder programming).

3. Maybe I missed something in the documentation, but it turns out that when using JMRI (DecoderPro) to set up locos, you _must_ have a program track hooked up _to the PROGRAM track outputs on the DCS200_ and work from there. I'm not intimately familiar with the command station firmware but it seems to be smart enough to know that when in programming mode...you should be on the program track. (I'm still experimenting with this....I could be wrong).

4. Once I figured all that out....making the WiThrottle work was pretty darn easy...and it works much better than when I first tried it over a year ago. You basically tell JMRI to start WiThrottle, then open the app on your cell phone (or tablet). All you have to do then is tell your app to use the server that "should" pop up in the list.

I'm excited about this.....! Now I need to build out the rest of the layout so that I can "make the choo-choo go"!

:smilie_daumenpos:


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## xrunner (Jul 29, 2011)

manchesterjim said:


> 3. Maybe I missed something in the documentation, but it turns out that when using JMRI (DecoderPro) to set up locos, you _must_ have a program track hooked up _to the PROGRAM track outputs on the DCS200_ and work from there.


I don't understand this - shouldn't you be programming with the programing outputs from the PR3 using JMRI?


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## manchesterjim (Dec 30, 2011)

xrunner said:


> I don't understand this - shouldn't you be programming with the programing outputs from the PR3 using JMRI?


That's what I thought! 

However it didn't seem to work that way. (I hooked the program track directly to the program track output of the PR3 and put it in the correct mode.).

As I said though, I may have missed something while I was tinkering!


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

xrunner said:


> I don't understand this - shouldn't you be programming with the programing outputs from the PR3 using JMRI?


nope. AFAIK the programming output on PR3 is there to be used with their soundloader software only. you still need command station to program CVs


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## manchesterjim (Dec 30, 2011)

tankist said:


> nope. AFAIK the programming output on PR3 is there to be used with their soundloader software only. you still need command station to program CVs


Thanks Tankist......I knew someone would have the correct explanation! 

In any case....this system seems to work well!


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## cabledawg (Nov 30, 2010)

Actually it has to do with the PR3 mode selected in DecoderPro. Interface mode will let you use the command station and the layout track to program as well as run trains, Programming mode uses the PR3 outputs and can be used for any programming. Look for this under the "Loconet" tab and then "Set PR3 Mode".


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

When you open Decoder Pro you are given the option of using the programing track or programing on the main. You cant change modes once you start you have to close decoder pro and open it back up to change modes. The PR3's programing track outputs are only for the soundloader software. It sounds like you got everything else down good.

I took the time one day to load all of my engine's decoders into a profile and saved each one just in case I ever needed to reload that decoder for any reason. Doing this did take a couple of hours and I dont know how much time it has saved me since. Now if I ever need to reload a decoder or if I have to replace a decoder all the settings are saved and it takes a matter of minutes to return the engine to the settings it had before.

Massey


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## xrunner (Jul 29, 2011)

Massey said:


> The PR3's programing track outputs are only for the soundloader software.


I asked about this in another thread and was given incorrect information. So the fact is, even with JMRI, you have to use the programming track out of the DCS100. You _cannot_ use the programming track off the PR3, to program engine CVs. Correct?


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

It looks like there may be an update to JMRI that allows the PR3 program outputs to be used now. Cabledawg just posted a reply about it. I dont know, I use a locobuffer and I dont see any PR3 options on the version of JMRI I am using but I think I have missed an update or 3. Im just going off what my interface says. I have settings for the Locobuffer and the PR2 serial port interface.

Massey


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

I've run JMRI and a PR3 for 5+ years now and have never had a problem programing from my command station outputs or the PR3 outputs.
The only thing I've found is that you can not program sounds on the command station outputs it has to be from the PR3 outputs.
I've also probably programed over 2000 engines over the years!


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