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I was myself under the impression that I needed the Roco PC Interface (it is 10785 or something), but after some searching on the net I found some pages (unfortunately all in german) that were saying this is possible only with the 10761. I decided to give it a try, and it worked. The first step is of course to build the required cable. For this, I used a UTP cable of the required length (for no reason, this was the only type of cable that I had in my house at that moment). You only need two wires of it. The web page http://home.snafu.de/mgrafe/Anleitung_Server.htm describes this cable. On one end of the cable, you need a RJ11 connector that has all 6 pins (pay attention, usually RJ11 connectors are used for phone lines, but they have only pins 2-5, pins 1 and 6 missing, and you need exactly pins 1 and 6). What you have to do is connect pin 1 of this connector (1 is the leftmost pin when you are holding the connector with the pins upside, and with the cable hole towards you) to the TxD pin of a serial female connector - this is pin 3 if you are having DB-9 connectors (with 9 pins) on your computer, or with pin 2 of a DB-25 connector. Second, you connect pin 6 of the RJ11 to the GND pin of the serial interface (pin 5 of DB-9, pin 7 of DB-25). So the cable is: RJ11 pin 1 --- Txd DB-9 pin 3 or DB-25 pin 2 RJ11 pin 6 --- GND DB-9 pin 5 or DB-25 pin pin 7 All other wires/pins are not required. Connect this cable between a COM port of your computer and the Master Locomouse port (where your Locomouse is connected at this moment). I failed to use the Locomouse and the PC simultaneously using Master and Slave ports, so remove the Locomouse and connect this cable instead of it. Remove any slave Locomouse if present. Now, that you are done with the hardware (yes, that's all, and the hardest part will be to find a 6 pins RJ11 :D), lets go to the software. You have two options for the software. The first is DDL (for linux), and the second is DDW (for windows). I will skip the linux part because usually a linux user is skilled enough to do this alone. For the DDW, you need to download the following: 1. DDW-Server V072 - compiled program (Version 17.12.2004) from http://mitglied.lycos.de/mgrafe/download_en.htm 2. If you, as myself, are using WinXP or Win2000, download from the same page the software called: Driver and installer for Windows NT/2000/XP (for operation under Windows NT/2000/XP necessary) 3. From the same page, download the Railyplan -program 2.0 (Version 22.12.04) Now, what you have downloaded are: - a server program (1) that talks to the serial port via the driver that you have downloaded (2) and waits for orders on a TCP/IP port - a client program (3) that receives your orders via a graphical interface and sends these orders via TCP/IP to the server (2) Software installation; 1. Unzip DDW-Treiber.zip 2. Go to the directory where you unzipped the files, and run ddw_ntdriver.exe 3. In the window that will open, choose install driver, then start driver. When you will click Install, it will print an OKAY, but when you click Start, it will print OKAY again, so you will have no visual clue about the fact that you pressed the button. But if you will press the Start button again, you will get an ERROR_SERVICE_RUNNING, so you will know that you have started the service. Now, you can close the window. 4. Unzip Server072_exe.zip. You will get one file, called ddwserver.exe 5. Start ddwserver.exe 6. If you are using WinXP may be the Windows Security Alert will ask you if you want to keep blocking this program. Choose unblock (otherwise this will not work). 7. Probably you will get an error in german. Dismiss it with Ok. 8. You will have a locomotive icon in the tray. Right click on it and choose "Parameter einstellen" 9. A window wil appear with some settings. The first and most important step is to choose English at the Language pop-down menu and then press beenden. Now everything is in English as it shoud be :-) 10. Right click again on the tray icon and choose Setup 11. Configure these settings: a) Global Settings NMRA translation: 3 Protocols: Only NMRA/DCC SRCP-Protocol: 0.73 b) Connections Activate COM during start up: Yes Serial interface: choose whatever COM port you have connected that cable to. 12. Click Store. 13. Right click on the tray icon, choose exit, then start the program again to activate all the new settings. 14. Unzip railyplanv20.zip. 15. Run Setup_RAILYPLAN.exe 16. Click on Setup starten, then on Ja, ich stimme zu 17. After the install is over, click on Setup erfolgreich beendet (google says this means: setup successfully terminates) 18. Start RAILYPLAN from the Start menu. 19. Again choose Unblock if prompted by the Windows Security Alert 20. Select the english flag 21. Select File/New, and enter a name (mytrack would be a good choice) 22. Choose Component/Locomotives 23. In the lower side of the screen, select "New loc" 24. In the window that appeared, choose DCC at the protocol selection, then DCC N1. 25. If your locomotive has lights, click on the light symbol (those 3 yellow dots) then on the F0 blank area (usually lights are controlled by the Function 0, or * button). 26. Repeat step 25 for each function that your loco has, associating the function with the corresponding function button. 27. Set Vmax to 10 (I didn't play with other values yet) 28. Set Address to your loco's address (default is 3 for Roco); this is the address that is displayed on your Locomouse 29. Click on a picture then on the question mark, in order to set a loco picture. You can add your own pictures to the program folder if you like 30. Press OK, then Quit 31. Choose File/Save 32. Repeat steps 23-31 for each loco that you have, and for each other DCC-controlled device 33. When you are ready with that, choose Component/Operation 34. Select Connection / Connect 35. Click on the power on button 36. Click on the loco(s) that you want to control, then controll it using the slider and mouse clicks on the functions. This is all. Now, as a final comment, the last part of software (RAILYPROG) is optional. Any software that uses SRCP 0.73 is good. For example, i also had good results with TrackOne from http://www.reukauff.de/TrackONE/TrackONE.htm, but it is in German only. The main difference between RAILYPROG and TrackOne is that with TrackOne the locomotives move as configured by their decoders. With RAILYPROG the decoder settings I think that are ignored, because the loco moves too fast at the maximum slider position. There are also SRCP programs that will allow you to program your decoders. I am happy with the defaults (i feel that this is the most accurate reproduction of the real movement), so thats why I used TrackOne. The only bad thing about TrackOne is that it crashes sometimes and I have to restart it. Now, if you have a more complex layouts, with feedback systems and automatic turnouts, please tell me how it went, because I only have DCC locomotives, and the layout is manually controlled for the time being.
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