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Offline PMPeter  
#1 Posted : 21 September 2014 20:13:36(UTC)
PMPeter

Canada   
Joined: 04/04/2013(UTC)
Posts: 1,273
Location: Port Moody, BC
I am considering automating my layout using TrainController or other software. I have downloaded the demo version of Bronze and wanted to at least see if it communicated with the CS2. I have the CS2 CAN setting set to Broadcast and I can see the CS2 information page on my PC when I set the CS2 IP address in the browser. So I know my LAN connection through the router is good.

However, when I try to find it using TrainController and the same IP address I get the system not found and offline error message. Where am I going wrong?

I'm sure this has been asked before, but what I can read on other forums or previous threads once you have established communication from the PC the rest should be easy. Apparently not so in my configuration. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers
Peter
Offline pederbc  
#2 Posted : 22 September 2014 16:14:36(UTC)
pederbc

Sweden   
Joined: 11/06/2007(UTC)
Posts: 180
Location: Eslöv, Sweden
Hi,

Try setting the CAN broadcast IP to the computers IP.

Br/Peder
Offline PMPeter  
#3 Posted : 22 September 2014 17:06:13(UTC)
PMPeter

Canada   
Joined: 04/04/2013(UTC)
Posts: 1,273
Location: Port Moody, BC
Originally Posted by: pederbc Go to Quoted Post
Hi,

Try setting the CAN broadcast IP to the computers IP.

Br/Peder


I already did that with no success. As per TrainController's Help suggestion I also tried changing the last digits of my PC address to 255 with the same result.

Cheers
Peter
Offline MikeR  
#4 Posted : 22 September 2014 23:01:43(UTC)
MikeR

United States   
Joined: 26/08/2012(UTC)
Posts: 263
Location: Denver
Hi Peter

I am running a CS2 with TrainController and also had problems getting the CS2 to talk to TC. The following are my current settings on the CS2 which work for me:

IP

Address assignment - Manual
IP Address 192.168.2.112
IP Network Template 255.255.255.0
IP Gateway 192.168.2.1
DNS Server 192.168.2.1

CAN

Start CAN Gateway - broadcast
Destination address 192.168.2.255

The IP Address is the one I use in TC when creating the connection. I have set mine to 'Manual' as this means that the address doesn't change each time I start the CS2 and it requests an address from my router. I just need to ensure that none of the other peripherals on my network are allocated this address. I think there is a way of reserving this IP address in my router but I have not had a problem and would need to find out how to do the reservation.

One thing I did battle with when I did my setup was I did not realise that when changing these settings it is essential that the CS2 is restarted for the new settings to take effect. Just changing the settings in the Setup screen did not change the internal CS2 settings. The changed settings only took effect when the CS2 was restarted. Maybe this has now changed as I did my setup some time ago. My current CS2 version is 3.6.2(2).
Mike
Digital - C track with CS2 and Railroad&Co TrainController; feedback using LocoIO via a Locobuffer
Analog - M track with solid centre rail (after C track layout is complete)
Collect all Eras - especially Crocodiles
Member of ETE
Previously a member of the Marklin Modellers' Group Johannesburg
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by MikeR
Offline PMPeter  
#5 Posted : 22 September 2014 23:11:08(UTC)
PMPeter

Canada   
Joined: 04/04/2013(UTC)
Posts: 1,273
Location: Port Moody, BC
Originally Posted by: MikeR Go to Quoted Post

One thing I did battle with when I did my setup was I did not realise that when changing these settings it is essential that the CS2 is restarted for the new settings to take effect. Just changing the settings in the Setup screen did not change the internal CS2 settings. The changed settings only took effect when the CS2 was restarted. Maybe this has now changed as I did my setup some time ago. My current CS2 version is 3.6.2(2).


That is vital information since I tried all of the combinations of settings without restarting the CS2. I will give that a go tonight when I get home from work.

Thanks
Peter
Offline PMPeter  
#6 Posted : 23 September 2014 04:52:48(UTC)
PMPeter

Canada   
Joined: 04/04/2013(UTC)
Posts: 1,273
Location: Port Moody, BC
Thanks Mike that did the trick. I had the correct addressing specified all weekend, but did not reboot. I kept retrying changing addresses to no avail and before I shut the CS2 down I changed all the settings back to what the CS2 showed originally. So I would never have figured this out without your advice.

So in the demo mode I was able to confirm that I can Power Off and On the CS2 so that was a good sign. However, the minute I tried to configure a train I got the "Thanks for playing with the demo please purchase a copy" message. So I guess I can't even test whether it does what I hope it will do.

Pretty short lived demo in my opinion if you can only do 2 commands before it greys out the selections on you. Is this normal?

Thanks again.

Also thanks to Danlake who PM'd me information which confirmed that I had the correct addressing setup.

Peter
Offline MikeR  
#7 Posted : 23 September 2014 07:42:03(UTC)
MikeR

United States   
Joined: 26/08/2012(UTC)
Posts: 263
Location: Denver
Hi Peter

Glad to hear that the reboot did the trick.

I understood that the demo was a fully fledged version but limited the connectivity to the layout to 10 or 15 minutes. Maybe this has been changed. I am also surprised that you cannot create a loco and drive it from TC under demo mode. Perhaps you should query this on the TC forum.

My experience of TC is that it is an excellent train management system. I have been using it for some time and am looking forward to exploring its capabilities when my layout is completed. Hopefully in the next 6 months.
Mike
Digital - C track with CS2 and Railroad&Co TrainController; feedback using LocoIO via a Locobuffer
Analog - M track with solid centre rail (after C track layout is complete)
Collect all Eras - especially Crocodiles
Member of ETE
Previously a member of the Marklin Modellers' Group Johannesburg
Offline kiwiAlan  
#8 Posted : 24 September 2014 09:14:16(UTC)
kiwiAlan

United Kingdom   
Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC)
Posts: 8,082
Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
Originally Posted by: MikeR Go to Quoted Post


The IP Address is the one I use in TC when creating the connection. I have set mine to 'Manual' as this means that the address doesn't change each time I start the CS2 and it requests an address from my router.


The address shouldn't normally change unless you have more devices that attach to the router than the DHCP address pool. If the pool is say 50 addresses and you have only 10 devices attaching to the router then in my experience then address doesn't change.

Originally Posted by: MikeR Go to Quoted Post

I just need to ensure that none of the other peripherals on my network are allocated this address. I think there is a way of reserving this IP address in my router but I have not had a problem and would need to find out how to do the reservation.


The way to 'reserve' addresses is to use an address that is outside the address range of the DHCP address pool.

You will need to log in to your router to determine the start address and size of the DHCP pool. Then using an address outside this means you won't have a possible conflict.

Originally Posted by: MikeR Go to Quoted Post

One thing I did battle with when I did my setup was I did not realise that when changing these settings it is essential that the CS2 is restarted for the new settings to take effect. Just changing the settings in the Setup screen did not change the internal CS2 settings. The changed settings only took effect when the CS2 was restarted. Maybe this has now changed as I did my setup some time ago. My current CS2 version is 3.6.2(2).


This is often the case when dealing with network things ... Crying

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Offline H0  
#9 Posted : 24 September 2014 09:59:32(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan Go to Quoted Post
The address shouldn't normally change unless you have more devices that attach to the router than the DHCP address pool. If the pool is say 50 addresses and you have only 10 devices attaching to the router then in my experience then address doesn't change.
No. Addresses are reserved for a certain period (set in the router). After that period (1 day or 1 week or whatever) they can be re-assigned. If the CS2 was off too long, you may find that your daughter's smartphone now has this address while the CS2 was moved to address x+1.
If that period is 1 week and you use the CS2 at least twice a week, then it will always have the same address. But after a long holiday addresses will depend on the order in which devices will be turned on.

Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan Go to Quoted Post
The way to 'reserve' addresses is to use an address that is outside the address range of the DHCP address pool.
The clean way is registering the MAC address in the DHCP server for a fixed address - either inside or outside the address pool. This way the registered device will always get the reserved IP address
Manually assigning addresses outside the pool will also work - but by using the clean way you have a list of all reserved addresses in the DHCP server.
Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
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Offline MikeR  
#10 Posted : 24 September 2014 21:18:48(UTC)
MikeR

United States   
Joined: 26/08/2012(UTC)
Posts: 263
Location: Denver
Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan Go to Quoted Post
The way to 'reserve' addresses is to use an address that is outside the address range of the DHCP address pool.
The clean way is registering the MAC address in the DHCP server for a fixed address - either inside or outside the address pool. This way the registered device will always get the reserved IP address
Manually assigning addresses outside the pool will also work - but by using the clean way you have a list of all reserved addresses in the DHCP server.


Thanks Tom

I think you previously mentioned this as the clean way of router wifi address allocation. I have not got around to reserving the address as I have not had a problem and I need to read the router documentation and find my way to where I allocate the MAC address.

I guess when nothing works I will be forced to do the address reservation.
Mike
Digital - C track with CS2 and Railroad&Co TrainController; feedback using LocoIO via a Locobuffer
Analog - M track with solid centre rail (after C track layout is complete)
Collect all Eras - especially Crocodiles
Member of ETE
Previously a member of the Marklin Modellers' Group Johannesburg
Offline PMPeter  
#11 Posted : 24 September 2014 21:28:13(UTC)
PMPeter

Canada   
Joined: 04/04/2013(UTC)
Posts: 1,273
Location: Port Moody, BC
Now that I have communication between the PC and the CS2 and have been able to do 2 functions, or 10 minutes, in the demo version before it automatically stops, it occurred to me that this may be a Bronze edition restriction.

So I wonder what do most people use for their personal layouts - Bronze or Silver? There is quite a cost difference between the two and having just purchased the CS2, my hobby budget is already in trouble let alone a further allowance for a new laptop and possibly $500 for a Silver edition software.

I've read the Bronze, Silver and Gold comparison table and I think the more affordable Bronze will do the trick as long as the "more advanced knowledge" smiley faces refer to techniques the average person will be able to do.

If you use TrainController and don't mind sharing which version you use that would help me make up my mind.

Cheers
Peter
Offline waorb  
#12 Posted : 24 September 2014 21:47:41(UTC)
waorb

Brazil   
Joined: 31/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 868
Location: Brazil
Originally Posted by: PMPeter Go to Quoted Post
There is quite a cost difference between the two and having just purchased the CS2, my hobby budget is already in trouble let alone a further allowance for a new laptop and possibly $500 for a Silver edition software.

Hello Peter.

Maybe you need to try RocRail.

http://www.rocrail.net/

Free, open source, regularly updated, flavors for Mac/Linux/Windows.

Cheers,

Walter
Offline PMPeter  
#13 Posted : 25 September 2014 05:17:12(UTC)
PMPeter

Canada   
Joined: 04/04/2013(UTC)
Posts: 1,273
Location: Port Moody, BC
Thanks Walter.

Yes I considered that until I actually went to the Rocrail site and found it rather intimidating to try and figure out what to do. With the various warnings regarding open source software, possibly untested and being in 2 parts Server and Rocview, I wasn't even sure I downloaded the correct files. Then when you get to the setup for the CS2, the Properties screen suddenly deals with Ports and other information that I couldn't relate to the CS2 IP address and I gave up.

Rocrail looks very interesting, but I get the feeling it is for someone who has more than just a basic computer and networking knowledge. Perhaps I need a "Rocrail for Dummies" manual to borrow the phrase from popular North American help books.

Cheers
Peter
Offline MikeR  
#14 Posted : 25 September 2014 09:00:35(UTC)
MikeR

United States   
Joined: 26/08/2012(UTC)
Posts: 263
Location: Denver
Hello Peter

I use TC Gold which I purchased many years ago when it was a lot cheaper. I have paid for the annual updates, so my cost has been spread over time. There are a number of TC Gold users in our Marklin Modellers' Group in Johannesburg who have followed the same route. I cannot comment on whether the Bronze version is adequate as I have never used it and have not been able to compare functionality. One of the other TC Gold users in the MMG is helping a railroader with TC Bronze and his comment is that it is adequate but he often misses the full functionality available in the Gold version. I guess that this is part of the marketing to try and persuade Bronze users to upgrade. Crying Crying

The software is easy to install, and the support on the TC forum, when I have had issues, has been outstanding. The functionality is comprehensive, especially in TC Gold, and the software is very easy to set up and use.
Mike
Digital - C track with CS2 and Railroad&Co TrainController; feedback using LocoIO via a Locobuffer
Analog - M track with solid centre rail (after C track layout is complete)
Collect all Eras - especially Crocodiles
Member of ETE
Previously a member of the Marklin Modellers' Group Johannesburg
Offline waorb  
#15 Posted : 25 September 2014 16:33:30(UTC)
waorb

Brazil   
Joined: 31/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 868
Location: Brazil
Hello Peter.

Because of the price, I didn't even tryed to download TrainController. RocRail was for free, so I gave it a real try.

The installation was flawless, and the Wiki explains step-by-step the connection between the desktop and the CentralStation (I use a Mac for instance). The separation of RocRail Server and RocView isn't that monster. RollEyes
Just basic steps of networking and configuration... just followed the instructions...
I think that TC isn't that complicated also.

Good luck in your choice!

Cheers,

Walter

thanks 1 user liked this useful post by waorb
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