Date: February 18, 2008
From: Bob Jacobsen
Subject: Test version 2.1.2 of JMRI/DecoderPro is no longer available for download.
JMRI 2.1.2 was replaced by JMRI 2.1.3 on February 21st, 2008. If you have JMRI 2.1.2 installed, please replace it with 2.1.3 or later.
This is a test release. Please post a note if you encounter any new or old bugs! And please back up your JMRI files before installing this, in case you want to go back to an earlier version.
This is the next in a series of test versions. It contains many new features, including:
Some of the changes involved are quite extensive. They may require a certain amount of experience before they are working well. Therefore, this test version should be considered experimental.
JMRI is now only available under the GNU General Public License. For more information, please see our copyright and licensing page.
In JMRI 2.1.1, when you went to load a panel file, only files with a ".xml" filename suffix were shown by default. To see all files, you could select "All Files" in the window. This caused some confusion because many people hadn't added the ".xml" suffix to their panel file names. We still think having a suffix like that is valuable, but to reduce confusion in JMRI 2.1.2 when you save a panel file an ".xml" suffix is added automatically to the filename if you haven't already provided it. This makes the filename filter work better when loading a file. If you want to provide another suffix, or none at all, select the "All Files" option in the window before saving the file.
JMRI 2.1.1 and earlier had a bug where the owner name for a locomotive was not stored in the individual locomotive file, but only in the roster index. This meant that if you recreated the roster index, the owner information was lost. This is fixed in this JMRI 2.1.2 version, but your locomotive files are still missing the owner information. To make sure it's not lost sometime in the future when you might have to rebuild the roster index, please open each of your locomotives (roster entries) in DecoderPro and click the "Save" button on the roster entry pane to rewrite the file with the proper owner name.
JMRI is moving toward requiring Java 1.4 or later. Certain new features may not work if you are using an earlier version of Java. To see JMRI's future plans for this and other compatibility issues, please see the JMRI technology roadmap.
JMRI no longer supports NCE AIU broadcasts. This change was needed so that JMRI could reliably read certain CV values. We recommend that if you use NCE AIUs, that you upgrade the command station EPROM to version 2007 or newer and turn off AIU broadcasts. Code has been added to detect if AIU broadcasts are enabled, and a warning message will appear at startup requesting that AIU broadcasts be turned off for proper operation of the JMRI programs.
Indexed CVs will not be included in any printouts for this release.
QSI CV 56.129 Engine ID Access is not supported in this release.
While programming QSI decoders in Ops mode, it is necessary to disable CV 62 QSI Control (Verbal Acknowledgement), otherwise the writes will fail.
QSI CV 64 CV Numeric Verbal Readout currently does not work for indexed CVs.
The beginnings of support for the QSI Programmer device are present, but it's not complete yet
Initial support for Powerline connections, e.g. X10.
More updates to Grapevine and SECSI access; this version is highly recommended for people that use those.
Many additions to the help files, which have unfortunately made the download even larger.
Mark Waters provided decoder definitions for the various versions of the Zimo MX620 decoder.
Fixed bug that would misposition the license and context windows on small screens.
Dan Boudreau fixed a problem where a backup file wasn't being properly created when the main roster file was changed.
The list of decoder manufacturers has been updated with all the recent additions to the official NMRA list
Dan Boudreau create a new feature that allows users to manage their NCE consists using a roster. What is really neat is that it virtually eliminates the 127 consist restriction that some of the larger layouts have been complaining about. The user can define as many consist as they wish and the program will keep track of the ones loaded and allow the user to suspend the ones that aren�t needed at the moment. For the rest of us with reasonable consist sizes, it allows us to define a bunch of consists and with a single pull down select, reload the desired locos with a consist number and desired loco directions. The program uses the lead loco as the consist ID.
Stephen Williams added a command station definition to the LocoNet TCP connection method.
Stephen Williams improved the LocoNet slot monitor's handling of consists. The "speed" column in the slot monitor isn't really speed for some consisted locomotives, and the monitor now properly shows that. If the user presses the stop button, it's now only send to the correct engines in the consist; an attempt to stop a mid-consist engine will give a warning. An attempt to free a slot that's in a consist will give a warning.
LocoNet throttles would occasionally go into a loop if a locomotive was addressed by two JMRI throttles or a JMRI throttle and a physical throttle. Stephen Williams has fixed this.
Paul Bender added support for the Hornby Elite command station.
Stephen Williams made it possible to build the code via Ant on AMD-64 processors.
Added some screen size and inset information to the "Context" report.
Dan Boudreau added a facility for putting connection status on the main window, and put in a first version for NCE connections. If there are problems with the communication with the command station, the status line in the main window will turn red and the message will change.
David Duchamp added new action types to Logix/Conditionals to reset or cancel previous "delayed set sensor" and "delayed set turnout" actions.
Simon Reader updated the throttle to show the locomotive address in the title bar.
David Duchamp improved the display of fast-clock status in the LocoNet Monitor.
Dan Boudreau improved the throttle so that it can now control JMRI consists, too.
David Duchamp cleaned up the LocoNet clock monitor.
Many updates to the RPS support.
Ken Cameron updated the advanced preferences window so that JMRI can have up to four layout connections.
Paul Bender and Dan Boudreau continue to improve the Lenz and NCE consisting support.
Jeff Schmaltz provided updated decoder definitions for the Zimo MX65 decoder, the Massoth LGB and LGB 55027, and the Massoth decoders. The updates include default values, model information, and factory reset definitions. He also provided new definitions for the ESU LokPilot Basic 1.0, the ESU LokPilot 2.0, the ESU LokPilot 3.0 and the Massoth function decoder.
Paul Bender updated the Lenz "Stack Monitor" tool.
Cmd-W now closes most windows.
X10 support is starting to work quite nicely. In particular, Lights and Turnouts are now available if you have a CM11 or RCA adapter for your X10 system.
Michael Mosher provided a decoder definition for the Digitrax SFX sound-only decoders.
Simon Reader updated Routes so they can set a sensor when all the turnouts in the Route are set properly. This works regardless of whether they were set by the Route or separately, so can be used to check whether a particular path is lined through a set of turnouts.
Dan Boudreau adjusted the timing in the NCE interface.
Dick Bronson contributed new sounds for CTC panels.
Dan Boudreau fixed problems in the support for Wangrow command stations.
A message about "LocoNet not ready to receive" was causing some confusion, so was made into a debug statement that most users won't see.
Robin Becker helped debug and fix a problem where certain text-based panel icons, e.g. memories, lost their formatting.
With Jim Thompson's and Robin Becker's help, a new jython/PM4Announce.py sample script was written to show how to listen to and announce short-circuit messages from LocoNet
Matt Harris updated the roster entry pane of the DecoderPro programmer so it can be used on small screens
Simon Reader added the "invert" option to LocoNet turnouts.
Courtesy of Dan Boudreau, when you save a panel file an ".xml" suffix is added automatically to the filename if you haven't already provided it. This makes the filename filter work better when loading a file. If you want to provide another suffix, or none at all, select the "All Files" option in the window before saving the file.
The decoder index now carries the dates when it was updated from the NMRA manufacturer list.
The owner information on roster entries was lost (replaced by the default) when recreating the roster index. This is now fixed, but the information is still list; people should save their entries again once they're using 2.1.2 to make sure the information is stored properly.
Ken Cameron added a "Simple Light Control", similar to the Simple Turnout Control.
Team Digital provided a DecoderPro definition for their SMC4 stationary servo decoder.
Simon Reader figured out how to add "invert" to C/MRI turnouts.