Documentation Updates for Version 4.3.2

Transcription

1 Documentation Updates for Version A-Track Version is a minor update to Version 4.3 which was released in November The Reference Manual, User Guide, and Installation Notes have been amended to incorporate details of the updates but, if you do not wish to download the complete documentation set again, all of the significant changes which have been made are summarised below. 1 Operation with Windows 8.1 Reference Manual 2.2 and User Guide throughout the Reference Manual, any reference to operation under Windows 8 applies equally to Windows 8.1 Reference Manual 3.4, User Guide 2.1, and Installation Notes (Uninstalling A-Track) However, (for reasons known only to Microsoft) this option is not displayed directly on the Windows 8 Start Screen, but can be accessed by a right-click on the A-Track tile If an A-Track tile does not appear on the Start Screen, you can access the program by a rightclick on a blank area of the Start Screen, then on the All apps option (or in Windows 8.1 click the All Apps button on the Start Screen), and then locating the A-Track group of tiles JT Chamberlain, A-Train Systems Page 1 of 11

2 While you can click on Uninstall to go through the normal Control Panel process, it is quicker to click instead on the Open file location option and then double-click on the Uninstall A- Track option shown when the File Explorer window opens on the Desktop This window also gives you access to the A-Track Help file, although alternatively this can be reached from the Start Screen by a right-click on a blank area of the Start Screen, then on the All apps option (or in Windows 8.1 click the All Apps button on the Start Screen), and then locating A-Track Help in the appropriate group of tiles JT Chamberlain, A-Train Systems Page 2 of 11

3 2 Program Installation Reference Manual 3.2, and Installation Notes (Installation from the Distribution CD) The A-Track installation window which opens presents you with a set of simple options Installation Guidance View Notes opens a copy of these instructions in webpage format (.html), and displays them in the browser program installed on your computer. If no browser is found, then Windows will display an error message. Install A-Track Program Install will close the installation window and then run the A- Track SetUp process, as described for installation from the Setup File in Section 3.4 below. However, note that, if you have a previous version of A-Track installed on the PC, then it is recommended that you uninstall it before proceeding to install the latest version - most easily done by using the Uninstall A-Track option from the Start Menu or Start Screen (also described in Section 3.4 below). View User Guides Open Folder will open a folder containing the A-Track User Guide, Installation Guides, and Reference Manual in Portable Document Format (.pdf) which can be read using the Adobe Reader program Install Adobe Reader will install a copy of this free program (Version ) if you do not already have a suitable version installed on your computer just follow the prompts to complete the straightforward set-up. Close removes the A-Track installation window from the screen you can open it again by reinserting a copy of the Installation Package on CD-R into a DVD / CD drive, by plugging a copy on a USB drive into a USB socket, or by locating and double-clicking on the A-Track4_Install.exe file JT Chamberlain, A-Train Systems Page 3 of 11

4 3 Display of Connected Status Details Reference Manual 3.5 and User Guide 2.1 If a connection to the NCE Power Pro Command Station exists when A-Track is started, the program transfers the data representing the status of all Consists (sets of locomotives to be controlled as a single unit), as currently held in the Command Station, to the memory of the PC. Retrieval of the data block takes less than 10 seconds to complete, with progress displayed on the screen, as shown below. During the transfer period, you should not operate any of the NCE Handheld Controllers (Cabs) since there is a small risk that communications between A- Track and the Command Station can be disrupted. If you hover your mouse cursor over the status bar panels containing the NCE and COM indicators, pop-up labels will appear displaying, respectively, the Command Station Software Version, and which of your computer s COM ports is currently being used by A-Track to connect to the Command Station, together with the bit (baud) rate at which the serial link is operating, as shown below JT Chamberlain, A-Train Systems Page 4 of 11

5 However, when using an NCE Power Cab or Smart Booster as the Command Station, the third, middle indicator on the A-Track status bar will now be replaced by a small icon showing the type of connected unit reported by the NCE USB Interface, as shown below for an NCE Power Cab. Again, if you hover your mouse cursor over the status bar panels containing the NCE and COM indicators, pop-up labels will appear displaying, respectively, the NCE USB Interface Software Version, and which of your computer s COM ports is currently being used by A-Track to connect to the Interface, together with the bit (baud) rate at which the serial link is operating, as shown below JT Chamberlain, A-Train Systems Page 5 of 11

6 4 Update of Handheld Cab Allocation & Status In previous releases, if you are using an NCE Power Pro system, A-Track automatically re-scanned the status of the NCE Cabs attached to the Command Station every 6 minutes. The status of this scan is displayed using the middle indictor on the status bar (red, yellow or green). However, when you are actively transferring data to the Command Station, either when Restoring from a Backup File or in the course of using the Edit / Run Macros facility, this background scan can interfere with the data transfer operation. Hence, beginning with this release, A-Track will still read the status of attached Handheld Cabs when the program starts, or when you load a new Item List, but will no longer carry on with the automatic re-scan. You can update the status of all handheld Cabs, and their allocation to Items, at any time by clicking the Refresh ( ) button on the A-Track toolbar, and, if you wish, you can restore the automatic re-scan every 6 minutes by using the Refresh Item Allocation & Status option on the View menu. The relevant documentation changes are detailed below Reference Manual 3.5, 4.1, 7.4 and 10.3, and User Guide 2.1, 3.1 and 8.3 The third, middle indicator on the status bar, which is initially red, is used to show the progress of A-Track in acquiring the status of all NCE Handheld Cabs connected to the NCE Power Pro Command Station. After 15 seconds or so following retrieval of the Consist data, when A-Track has determined which Cabs have been connected to the Command Station, it will turn yellow, and eventually green when the full status of all connected Cabs has been retrieved. The time taken to complete this full scan is approximately 2 seconds per connected Cab. Note that the complete status for Cab Addresses 01 and 02 is always transferred to A-Track, whether or not Cabs with these addresses are actually connected, so that the minimum total scan period is about 20 seconds. Thereafter, A-Track will check every 10 seconds, or so, that the NCE Command Station remains connected and powered on. If you are using a USB-to-Serial converter which is fitted with one or more LED indicators, then the indicators may flash to show the transfer of commands and responses. You can update the displayed Cab allocation and status at any time by clicking the Refresh ( ) button on the A-Track toolbar (See Sections 4.1, 7.4, and 10.3) or by clicking on View on the A-Track menu bar, followed by Refresh Item Allocation & Status. When you use the View menu option, you will be asked whether you wish the periodic scan of attached NCE Cabs to resume Click Yes to enable future automatic scans of NCE Cab status, or No to leave the scans disabled. Leaving scans disabled is preferred if you want to adjust the setup of the NCE Power Pro Command Station or Cabs, or change Consist or Macro settings without being interrupted periodically. Further details of the way in which the NCE System Status data is handled can be found in Chapter JT Chamberlain, A-Train Systems Page 6 of 11

7 A tick mark next to the Refresh Item Allocation & Status option on the View menu will be displayed to indicate that periodic scans of attached NCE Cabs are enabled. In this state, every 6 minutes, A-Track will automatically re-scan the status of the NCE Cabs attached to the Command Station. The current Cab allocation and status will be cleared from the Item List, with the middle indicator on the status bar returning to show red, then changing to yellow and eventually back to green when the full re-scan has been completed. Your choice of whether to enable or disable periodic scans of attached NCE Cabs is saved by A-Track and will be applied each time the program is started. 5 Addition of MTH (PS3) to List of Decoder Manufacturers Reference Manual 3.7, 5.2, and 5.6, and User Guide 2.2 and 4.5 Next, click on the Pages Parameter Tab, where you should click the Specific Manufacturer option button in the Decoder Manufacturer section. If the make of decoder fitted appears in the drop-down list when you click on the down-arrow ( ) at the righthand end of the listbox, then click on that maker s name. Otherwise (or if you do not know the make of decoder) click the Basic / Other (NMRA) option button. Remember that full help with setting up Item details can be accessed by selecting the appropriate section of the A-Track Help Topics, displayed by pressing the F1 key again if necessary JT Chamberlain, A-Train Systems Page 7 of 11

8 6 Option to Set Speed Control Step Sizes in Operate Window Reference Manual 4.7 and User Guide 3.7 The Operate function opens a new window on the screen in the form of a soft controller with which, by using the mouse, you can toggle switches (on or off) or press pushbuttons (momentary on) to control the state of the Item s functions, FL (Headlight) and F1 through F8 - You can also rotate the speed control knob by clicking on the blue ring either side of the small yellow disc on the blue background. The maximum amount by which the speed can be changed with each click is limited, to prevent you going directly from stationary to maximum speed, or vice versa. If you click closer to the small yellow disc than the set maximum step, then the disc will move to the point clicked, adjusting the Item s speed accordingly. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can click on any of the four speed buttons to increase or decrease Item s speed in defined steps. It is also possible to click on the small yellow disc itself, hold down the left mouse button, and then drag the disc to the desired speed value. This generally works fine in Windows XP but, depending on your graphics controller, in Windows Vista, 7, and 8 you may see a trail of disc images as you drag the cursor round the dial. While this is a little distracting, it does not affect the speed control of the Item. The Item s speed is shown in the textboxes below the control knob as both a percentage of maximum and in speed steps. Note that, once the control knob is active (yellow disc highlighted), speed can also be controlled from the keyboard by using the Up and Down Arrow keys to increment or decrement in small steps, or the Page Up and Page Down keys to adjust by larger steps, providing the same functions as the four, on-screen speed buttons. There is also an Emergency Stop button ( immediate halt (see also Section 4.8). ) which, when clicked, will bring the Item to an Direction switches are provided to change the Item s direction of travel from Forward to Reverse, or vice versa. As well as altering the state of an Item function, by clicking on a toggle switch or pushbutton you also get visual feedback that the action has been recognised, as shown below JT Chamberlain, A-Train Systems Page 8 of 11

9 The behaviour of the function switches and the speed control knob can be programmed to suit the requirements of the Item and your personal preferences. To adjust the settings, first Stop the Item by clicking on the red/white cross ( ) in the centre of the speed control knob, then click on the Options button. If you click Options without first stopping the Item, then you will receive a warning - click Yes to continue, or No to abandon the action. With the Item stopped, the Operate window changes to reveal the options which are available for you to customise Each function switch can be enabled (or disabled) by ticking the Use checkbox (by default, F1 to F5 are enabled), and can be made to act as a toggle switch by ticking the Latch checkbox, ie. it changes from off to on, or vice versa, each time it is clicked (by default F2 and F4 are set as latched). With the Latch checkbox unticked, the switch behaves as a pushbutton, ie. when clicked it only stays on as long as the left mouse button is held down, otherwise it returns to the off state. You can also change the caption for each switch from the default Function names, as shown, to any description which you will find more meaningful. Just click in the relevant textbox, to JT Chamberlain, A-Train Systems Page 9 of 11

10 highlight the current name (as shown for Function F1 above), and then type in your own title. Note that FL, the Headlight function, is always operated by a toggle switch and cannot be reprogrammed as a pushbutton nor renamed. The amount by which you change the Item s speed when clicking on any of the Minor or Major Step buttons, or on the blue speed ring can be adjusted by clicking on the down-arrow ( ) at the righthand end of any of the three listboxes, and then clicking on the whichever value you would like from the drop-down lists, as shown above on the right. Step values are given in terms of speed control knob divisions, with available values as follows Minor Step 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 Major Step 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 Disc Click Step 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 The speed control knob can be set to operate as a centre-zero control by ticking the appropriate checkbox. An example with Function F1 set to operate as a toggle switch for the Bell, Function F2 set as a pushbutton to sound the Whistle, the Minor Step value left at 0.1 divisions, the Major and Disc Click Steps set at 1.0 and 2.0 divisions, respectively, and the Speed knob set for centrezero operation, is shown below Once all the controls are set as required, click OK to return to an operational mode with the new set of controls JT Chamberlain, A-Train Systems Page 10 of 11

11 The settings will be retained as part of the Item s parameters if you choose to save them when you cease using this Operate soft controller 7 Revision History Reference Manual 12 Release Following reports from several users of the Startup Tutorial failing to run, corrected error in specifying the path names for the various Tutorial files Corrected serious error which resulted in a program crash (fatal error 13) if the user attempted to access either of the Register or Support options from the Help menu if A-Track had never been connected to an NCE system The automatic scan of the status of attached Handheld Cabs every 6 minutes will no longer be enabled by default, in order to avoid interference with data transfer operations to and from the Command Station, such as when Restoring from a Backup File or in the course of using the Edit / Run Macros facility. The user still has the option of enabling the automatic re-scan via the View menu Timing of data transfers between Power Pro and A-Track revised, with particular regard to Restore operations and Command Station Setup, in order to improve reliability and reduce the number of failed transfers Fixed handling of locomotive headlight commands when using an on-screen controller (Operate) in response to a fault report from Dave Cooper where the reverse headlight comes on when loco is stopped in a forward direction with the front headlight on forward and reverse headlights now operate as expected Following a suggestion from Dave Cooper, extra options have been added to the Operate window to set the size of step for the speed increment and decrement buttons, and for each click on the speed disc, in terms of speed-dial divisions (equivalent to rotation angles) four step values are now available for each of Minor (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4), Major (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0), and Speed Disc Click (1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5) Steps selected step values are stored in the Item to which they apply In response to a request from Tony Leighton, MTH have been included in the list of Decoder Manufacturers, together with the corresponding lists of manufacturer-specific CVs for their Proto-Sound 3 decoders Users can now view the COM port and baud rate in use by the serial link to the Power Pro or USB Interface, by moving the mouse cursor over the COM indicator at the righthand end of the status bar, and the NCE software version by similarly hovering over the NCE indicator, following a suggestion from Tony Swanborough JT Chamberlain, A-Train Systems Page 11 of 11