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JMRI Decoder Pro Disconnecting from NCE Power Pro

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JMRI Decoder Pro Disconnecting from NCE Power Pro
Posted by markie97 on Monday, March 7, 2022 3:07 PM

When I try to write a page to an engine on the programming track the first few items get written and then Decoder Pro disconnects. The only way that I found to reconnect is to shut down Decoder Pro and restart it. Shutting down the Power Pro and restarting does not reconnect. Windows 10 computer and latest version of Decoder Pro version 4.26.

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Posted by tstage on Monday, March 7, 2022 3:46 PM

Markie,

What version of Java are you using?  If it's Java 8 Update 311, there have been reported issues between it and JMRI.  My guess is that's what you are experiencing.

I would encourage you to go to the Azul website (from this JMRI webpage) and download Azul Zulu JRE Java 11 that's appropriate for your PC - i.e. 32- or 64-bit.  The .msi file is the easiest to install.  You'll need to scroll down the page for find it.

Note: BEFORE installing the new version of Java 11, perform the following:

  1. COMPLETELY uninstall Java 8 from you PC - This if VERY important because there will be conflicts between the two versions if you don't
  2. Reboot your computer
  3. Install Java 11
  4. Reboot your computer

The JMRI 4.26 you already installed on your PC should work just fine.  If it doesn't, uninstall JMRI 4.26, reboot your computer, then reinstall it again.  Uninstalling JMRI only affects the program files so you won't lose any of your roster entries.  I did the above on my Win 11 laptop about 3-4 weeks ago and Decoder Pro works great AND loads faster.

FWIW: The next big release of JMRI (4.99, which is due out this summer) is only going to work with Java 11.  So, now is a good time to make the switch to the newer version of Java.  Otherwise, you'll have to stick with JMRI 4.26 and an earlier release of Java 8.

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by CNR378 on Monday, March 7, 2022 4:01 PM

Tom

The Java bug only affected JMRI throttles and was corrected in 4.25.5. Updating to Java 11 is still a good idea.

Peter

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Posted by tstage on Monday, March 7, 2022 4:38 PM

Thanks, Peter.  I experienced a completely blank roster screen when I updated from 4.24 to 4.26 with Java 8 Update 311.  Once I uninstalled Java 8 and installed Java 11, 4.26 has worked great and loads noticeably faster, as previously mentioned.  Hopefully the upgrade will help Markie with his issues...

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by MrMe on Monday, March 7, 2022 4:44 PM

Markie,

What you REALLY need to do is post back to the thread you started on the jmriusers list, with LOTS more EXACT information about your JMRI/NCE setup, the console log from JMRI, etc.

If you view that list online**, there's a sticky post at the top titled " ADMIN: >>HOW TO ASK YOUR QUESTION<< - A general reminder for everyone" which contains the MINIMUM of what you need to provide in order for anyone to troubleshoot your issue and give you a meaningful response.

Dave Heap, a JMRI developer who is also an NCE expert, hangs out there and could probably easily diagnose your issue given enough information.

**I'd post a link to jmriusers, but the last time I did the moderators here removed it even though it's only a help list for software mentioned fairly often in their magazine, and not any kind of competitor.

P.S. JMRI 4.26, released on 12/16/2021 isn't actually the latest version, it's the latest Production version. The absolute latest would be the 4.99.3 Test version, released on 02/13/2022, and about to be superceded by 4.99.4 in maybe another week or so.

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Posted by markie97 on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 11:31 AM

tstage

Markie,

What version of Java are you using?  If it's Java 8 Update 311, there have been reported issues between it and JMRI.  My guess is that's what you are experiencing.

I would encourage you to go to the Azul website (from this JMRI webpage) and download Azul Zulu JRE Java 11 that's appropriate for your PC - i.e. 32- or 64-bit.  The .msi file is the easiest to install.  You'll need to scroll down the page for find it.

Note: BEFORE installing the new version of Java 11, perform the following:

  1. COMPLETELY uninstall Java 8 from you PC - This if VERY important because there will be conflicts between the two versions if you don't
  2. Reboot your computer
  3. Install Java 11
  4. Reboot your computer

The JMRI 4.26 you already installed on your PC should work just fine.  If it doesn't, uninstall JMRI 4.26, reboot your computer, then reinstall it again.  Uninstalling JMRI only affects the program files so you won't lose any of your roster entries.  I did the above on my Win 11 laptop about 3-4 weeks ago and Decoder Pro works great AND loads faster.

FWIW: The next big release of JMRI (4.99, which is due out this summer) is only going to work with Java 11.  So, now is a good time to make the switch to the newer version of Java.  Otherwise, you'll have to stick with JMRI 4.26 and an earlier release of Java 8.

Tom

 

Tom;

I followed your instructions down to uninstalling and re-installing decoder pro. Still did not work. I reloaded Java 8 321. Everything seems to work fine. No clue why but I suspect that someway the Azul app is working with Java. Thank you for your help.

Mark

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Posted by tstage on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:47 PM

Mark,

Bottom line: I'm glad Decoder Pro is working for you again. YesCool

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by MrMe on Thursday, March 10, 2022 12:10 PM

tstage

Markie,

What version of Java are you using?  If it's Java 8 Update 311, there have been reported issues between it and JMRI.  My guess is that's what you are experiencing.

I would encourage you to go to the Azul website (from this JMRI webpage) and download Azul Zulu JRE Java 11 that's appropriate for your PC - i.e. 32- or 64-bit.  The .msi file is the easiest to install.  You'll need to scroll down the page for find it.

Note: BEFORE installing the new version of Java 11, perform the following:

  1. COMPLETELY uninstall Java 8 from you PC - This if VERY important because there will be conflicts between the two versions if you don't
  2. Reboot your computer
  3. Install Java 11
  4. Reboot your computer

The JMRI 4.26 you already installed on your PC should work just fine.  If it doesn't, uninstall JMRI 4.26, reboot your computer, then reinstall it again.  Uninstalling JMRI only affects the program files so you won't lose any of your roster entries.  I did the above on my Win 11 laptop about 3-4 weeks ago and Decoder Pro works great AND loads faster.

FWIW: The next big release of JMRI (4.99, which is due out this summer) is only going to work with Java 11.  So, now is a good time to make the switch to the newer version of Java.  Otherwise, you'll have to stick with JMRI 4.26 and an earlier release of Java 8.

Tom

 

 
A couple issues here:
 
1) As mentioned by CNR378, the Java/JMRI bug referenced here affected JMRI throttle function keys only, and not any connection properties. And it was limited to JMRI 4.20 through 4.25.4 (fixed in 4.25.5 - See the release notes for that version). Since the OP was using 4.26, and since he was having connection issues, it could not have been the referenced bug.
 
2) The next Production release of JMRI will be 5.0, not 4.99! The 4.99.x Test series is already in progress, with 4.99.3 out now and 4.99.4 expected in a few days now.
The Production releases always have EVEN sub-version numbers (4.20, 4.22, 4.24, 4.26, 5.0), and the Test series always have ODD sub-version numbers (4.19.x, 4.21.x,  4.23.x, 4.25.x, 4.99.x).
The jump in version numbers is because from the 4.99.x Test series onward, JMRI (including Production releases) will require Java 11. The JMRI Technology Roadmap outlining this can be found here.
 
In the absense of any JMRI console logs, settings info, etc. we'll never know what the OP's actual issue was caused by. But it wasn't the "4.20/u311 bug" because the combination of 4.26 and u311 are known to not have that bug!
 
His gyrations with his Java installs are unfortunate, not only because they made the problem disappear without knowing if it's truly "fixed", but also because he didn't get Java 11 installed and will need it for anything past the 4.27.1 Test release. 
 
MrMe - A 19+ year JMRI user
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Posted by wrench567 on Thursday, March 10, 2022 1:18 PM

I'm a fairly new user of JMRI and connect using the NCE USB for Power Cab. Sometimes I have connection issues. I've had to uninstall the driver and reinstall it. That usually fixes it. There was one time that a windows update that was needed to install and I had to wait until it was done. For what it's worth. I have disconnected the jumpers on the USB interface to get it to work properly. I am running the 4.26 version on a Lenovo netbook that was in my opinion downgraded to Win 10 from XP or NT I can't remember which one it had. It was way faster, booted up in less than a minute and didn't have Cortana bothering me all the time. Now it's slow and can only accomplish one task at a time, where before I could have several programs running at once and still surf the net.

   Pete.

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