I have downloaded Decoder Pro, using Digitrax Super Chief and PR-3, PC with Windows 10, connected to an isolated program track. Programmed the first loco (made lighting fuction changes). Then, I assume, did something wrong before trying the 2nd loco. Now I'm seeing, in the Decoder Pro preferences box, in the serial port drop down, "Com3" highlighted in red and messages at the bottom of the Decoder start page saying "Service Mode Programmer LocoNet is Offline" as well as "Operations Mode Programmer LocoNet is Offline. On the PR3, the red stat light is flashing on and off about every second and the green usb light is doing the same. Hope someone can suggest what to try next. Thanks, john
to the forum. I'm giving your post a bump because of moderation your post is way down the list.
I don't use Decoder Pro, but it's a pretty safe guess that Com 3 is not the right port and your computer isn't communicating. The manual lists Com 4, but I'm just guessing. Lots of people use it here, so someone will be along shortly
https://www.jmri.org/help/en/manual/JMRI_OPS_UsersGuide/Start_Preferences.shtml
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Two suggestions (from a long-time JMRI user who has a PR3):
1) Ask your JMRI questions on, well, the jmriusers list on groups.io. Nothing against this forum, but the folks who write the actual JMRI code hang out on the jmriusers list so you'll get authoritative answers.
2) The PR3's USB chip does not have a serial number, so if you unplug it and replug it into a different USB port, Windows will assign it a new COM port (Because Windows assigns the next available COM port to each "new" device it detects.)
So in Win10, right-click on the Start icon, select Device Manager, and expand the Ports (COM and LPT) branch. While watching that, plug and unplug your PR3 from the SAME usb port and see which COM port comes and goes. That's the one to use in JMRI. And of course, always plug your PR3 back into that same USB port.
Thanks for your advice, I will try what you've suggested and will ask in the JMRI user group, hadn't thought about this. The part that has me most puzzled is that it connected to COM 3 and worked, after I downloaded. Then after closing the program and reopening to try a 2nd loco, that's when the connection failed. Since my first post last night, I redownloaded Decoder Pro a 2nd time. Again, the connection to COM 3 worked but not after closing and reopening the program??