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RPi Running JMRI: Gone Sour?

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  • Member since
    September 2003
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RPi Running JMRI: Gone Sour?
Posted by mlehman on Monday, December 26, 2022 3:31 PM

Several weeks back, I started having issues when using my programming track. I have a NCE Power Pro system and have been using the RPi from a SCROG system to program decoders and manage macros/routes. The first signs of trouble was JMRI refusing to allow editing of certain CV and config variables on a couple of newly installed Econami decoders. Then it ate the entire decoder list and all my macros. in the process of apparently melting down the micro SD card.

Hmmm, did some inconclusive trouble shooting and built a new SD card image and got JMRI back up. Just went with a new build, given the called-for upgrade through about three versions of JMRI was more of a project than I can handle and retain my sanity.

Guess what? Right back to where this started now that it's ate both versions, old and new, of my macro and consist data. Seemed to be some sort of comm issue to the command station, which I also swapped out since I had a spare on hand. I extracted the Soundtraxx PTB-100 that was in the path to my programming track from the command stataion and swapped out the USB to serial convertor that linked the RPi to the command station. One other consistent clue is the darn thing keeps going back and forth between 28 and 128 speed steps.

When the RPi is connected to the command station, my NCE hammerhead starts showing gibberish. When using the lower left button to try to step through the various pogramming options it offers, it will only get through the first couple of options before defaulting prematurely back to the loco control screen. Disconnect the USB to serial link from the RPi to the command station and everything is OK, except no JMRI.

As far as I can tell, the RPi is working OK. I'm doubting that it's a config issue, because once that's sorted out, things are usually OK not randomly intermittent, but could I be wrong about that? Could there be some hardware or driver issue with the RPi itself? It seems to be the root of the problem as the one thing that sets off the issue when connected and doesn't when it's not - but only sometimes. Currently, it's a problem, but next time I plug it in, who knows?

Mike Lehman

Urbana, IL

  • Member since
    October 2005
  • 1,047 posts
Posted by betamax on Tuesday, December 27, 2022 7:17 AM

You would have more success asking the question on JMRI's email list (jmriusers) on Groups.IO.

Many of the developers are on the list and can help you troubleshoot and solve the issue. The creator of the RPi image is also a participant.

Read the instructions on how to post your question first, and be ready to provide any log files requested. Also important: Ensure you have the right version of Java installed as JMRI recently changed the requirements for their current version. 

Tags: JMRI
  • Member since
    August 2020
  • 84 posts
Posted by MrMe on Tuesday, December 27, 2022 9:13 AM

betamax

You would have more success asking the question on JMRI's email list (jmriusers) on Groups.IO.

Many of the developers are on the list and can help you troubleshoot and solve the issue. The creator of the RPi image is also a participant.

Read the instructions on how to post your question first, and be ready to provide any log files requested. Also important: Ensure you have the right version of Java installed as JMRI recently changed the requirements for their current version. 

 
As a long-time (20+ year) user of JMRI, I agree completely with betamax's advice here about posting on jmriusers
 
There is no better troubleshooting help than you will find there. As betemax has pointed out, the folks who write the code, and the guy who put the RPi image together, all hang out there and are active participants.
 
Here's a link to the sticky post that outlines the minimum required info when asking for help. The details are important, because JMRI changes often and covers so many hardware combinations. 
 
Good luck getting it sorted out!
 
  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 10,582 posts
Posted by mlehman on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 12:47 AM

MrMe
Read the instructions on how to post your question first, and be ready to provide any log files requested. Also important: Ensure you have the right version of Java installed as JMRI recently changed the requirements for their current version. 

Ummm, that's a hurdle that makes things pretty much all Greek to me. I'm a user, not a developer, which seems to be the assumption that's what you aspire to. I just want the train ti run like it did yesterday. If it's not in a GUI, I don't stand a chance even being able to describe what's going on.

The thing is haunted. I'd managed to isolate things more or less and had taken eveything off the track in staging, except the one F-unit with it's slowly blinking headlight mocking my efforts to isolate the problem. Then I went to bed.

After working all day on other things, I went in to find that diesel with a brightly shining headlight. And I could run a train through staging under it's own power! Even the tiurnouts that weren't working did so, after some crankiness.

But the decoders still couldn't decide if they were 28 steps or 128.

OK, I'll figure that out after dinner. Then I returned to find that F-unit blinking it's mocking headlight at me and things had reverted to perverted again. Didn't do anything but run a train through and worked a few turnouts and that was OK when I walked away...

What's most likely to happen barring some solution popping up is that JMRI will be restricted to the Programming track, where the damage posed by any of the periodic meltdowns will be limited. The operational conveineces it offers are outweighed by the hours of frustration trying to keep it working.

Mike Lehman

Urbana, IL

  • Member since
    August 2020
  • 84 posts
Posted by MrMe on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 7:04 PM

mlehman

  

MrMe
Read the instructions on how to post your question first, and be ready to provide any log files requested. Also important: Ensure you have the right version of Java installed as JMRI recently changed the requirements for their current version. 

 

Ummm, that's a hurdle that makes things pretty much all Greek to me. I'm a user, not a developer, which seems to be the assumption that's what you aspire to. I just want the train ti run like it did yesterday. If it's not in a GUI, I don't stand a chance even being able to describe what's going on.

Firstly, I'm not sure why you quoted text written by betamax, but attributed it to  me. That can be quite misleading to anyone reading this thread.

Secondly, although I'm a long-time JMRI user, I an assuredly NOT a developer. I gave up on that thought many years ago, after I was unable to reliably get "Hello World" to work.

Thirdly, if you did a few simple searches on jmriusers (you don't have to join to view it), you'd see that there are many "How do I find this info?"-type of questions that are cheerfully answered. Actually, with some judicial searching, you could even find if anyone had a similar issue, and if so, how it was resolved! You won't get anything out of it if you don't put anything into it.

Finally, "If it's not in a GUI, I don't stand a chance even being able to describe what's going on", then why on earth did you even try a headless, DIY RPi image? You can pick up a used laptop on the bay with more processor and memory for less money than the Pi, and run JMRI on that!

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