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PRICOM Design DCC Pocket Tester Users Manual
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1. PRICOM Design Page 8 Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 2 Main Menu The Main Menu is a reminder that you navigate through all the subsequent screens with the and keys On some screens there is the ability to scroll through lists such as addresses and control which address is being displayed To scroll on these screens use the fand the keys Now to move to the next screen press the key 3 3 Quick Summary The Quick Summary gives an instant snapshot or picture into the health of your DCC System This screen simply gives a PASS or FAIL indication for each of the following measurements Figure 10 Quick Summary Measurements Measurement Reading Description Bit Errors Figure 11 Quick Summary Screen The PASS FAIL Limits chosen are a careful balance of readings performed on actual DCC systems that worked reliably Page 9 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester The timing thresholds used to determine bit length as well as PASS FAIL values are configurable in the General Setup screen The DCC Tester can use Booster Decoder or Relaxed timing thresholds This setup screen is described later in this manual 3 4 Bit Summary The Bit Summary gives a quick overview of the Bit and Voltage statistics Each of the measurements displayed are listed below Figure 12 Bit Summary Measurements Measurement Description Total nu
2. Mobile Address List Screen P FR ADAM 4 a M a rocket teste This screen gives a fast and accurate way to tell what DCC Mobile Decoders are being addressed Only addresses that are active will be shown on this list If you don t see a specific address on the ADR list as in ADR 004 above which is not there then there PRICOM Design Page 24 Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester are no packets being sent to that address This screen is sorted in order by address with ALL 2 digit addresses listed before any 4 digit addresses 3 19 Mobile Data Monitor The Mobile Data Monitor displays the most important values of a locomotive decoder in one easy to read screen The displayed Address is selected using the f and keys Once an Address is selected the following details are displayed Figure 42 Mobile Data Monitor Values Measurement Description Current Speed Step number being sent over the Rails Values are displayed as Stop S1 S28 and S1 S128 ans Speed Step Mode sent over the Rails for the selected Address P Values are displayed as 14 28 or as 128 Dir Current Direction of the selected Address Values are displayed as Forward or Reverse FL Lamp status for the selected Address this is Function 0 Values are displayed as ON or OFF Status of Functionl 4 each represented by a single digit in the F1 4 4 digit number F1 4 are displayed in order from left to right Values are displayed as I or 0 representing ON an
3. To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Analog Packets Figure 39 Data Summary Screen DCC Pocket Tester Page 23 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester In this example the system was not an NCE system which sends lots of Decoder Idle packets 3 18 Mobile Address List The Mobile Address List is a scrollable list of addresses that captures and displays the total number of Packets destined for each individual mobile decoder address on the list While viewing this Address List use the fand the keys to move the Address List up and down single addresses The list can only store 32 active addresses when you scroll past the end of the list of 32 the list is cleared and the whole list of 32 starts over where it left off Figure 40 Mobile Address List Field Description Field Name Description The ADR column shows the active loco address ADR A 2 digit loco address is displayed as xxx and a 4 digit loco address is displayed as xxxx Each ADR line has a Count column next to it The Count column displays the total number of packets sent to that specific address since it was last cleared with the SEL key or since the screen was scrolled past the 32 address on the list This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 41
4. 0 VAL Thrown R 0 N N N FF FF FF FF N N N N FF FF FF FF CMD ficcessry VRL Thrown R O Connected 0 01 36 Auto detect 115200 8 N 1 In the case of Digitrax when the closed or thrown button is pressed the ACTZON will display When the closed or thrown button is released the ACT OFF will display The NCE Pro CAB uses the N ON and R OFF terminology to select closed or thrown the DCC Tester displays both forms to be clear for both The word Accessry is misspelled on purpose to fit in the 8 character field space Page 41 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual P Section 5 Serial Port Data Dump Operation Now let s switch to an NCE Power House PRO system with a Pro CAB In the screen below several Mobile as well as General commands are listed An example of the general command is the Decoder Idle Packet To filter these general commands out so we only see the Mobile packets turn on the Mobile Only packet filter by pressing the M Mobile Only key on the PC keyboard Mobile Only will display just the packets speed and function directed to a mobile decoder address and not a broadcast to all decoders DCC Tester HyperTerminal File Edit View Call Transfer Help De o3 DS mte Decoder Idle Packet ADR 003 CMD Speed STP 14 28 DIR Fwd SPD S16 ADR 3124 CMD Speed STP 128 DIR Rev SPD S119 RDR 0003 CMD Speed STP 128 DIR Fwd SP
5. Addresses Address This measurement will display as a 3 or 4 digit integer Address This measurement will display as a 3 or 4 digit integer To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 35 Address Summary Screen The Low and High Address Displays will show a 2 digit address as xxx and a 4 digit address as xxxx The sample screen is using the 2 digit address 1 which is the lowest address The highest address in use on the rails is the 4 digit address 8888 Page 21 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 16 Address Detail The Address Detail Screen shows details of Total Addresses as well as how many were Valid and how many were Invalid Also included is the number of Broadcasts and unrecognizable Addresses Each of the measurements displayed are listed below Figure 36 Address Detail Measurement Measurement Description Total number of Addresses received Total Count Includes Valid Invalid and Unknown Addresses This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion Valid Number of Valid Addresses Addresses This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion Addresses This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Addresses This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC
6. Length Maximum Length Longest Back Half Length To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 21 Zero Bit Timing Screen The timing accuracy of the DCC Pocket Tester is within 2uS or 200nS If you are trying to do NMRA Conformance Testing the timing measurements offered are not a substitute for accurate measurements with a Digital Storage Oscilloscope DSO However the DCC Pocket Tester is significantly less money and it will get you REALLY CLOSE If you use ZERO STRETCHING to run a non DCC loco you will see the ZERO Stretching times displayed here PRICOM Design Page 14 Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 9 Bit Errors The Bit Errors screen shows the detail of what category a BAD BIT falls into We have divided them into the following categories which are listed below Figure 22 Bit Errors Measurement Measurement Description Total number of bits that had a measured time that was too Bit Too Short SHORT to qualify as a bit usually a short ONE bit This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion Total number of bits that had a measured time that was too Bit Too Long LONG to qualify as a bit usually a long ZERO bit This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Total number of bits that had a measured time that was too Bit Between LONG to be a ONE and too SHORT to be a ZERO This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion
7. are listed below Figure 14 Bit Totals Measurements Measurement Description Total number of bits received including ONES and ZEROS Total Bits and PREAMBLE bits only valid bits will be included This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Number of ONE bits received only bits recognized as a Ones ONE will be included in this total This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Number of ZERO bits received only bits recognized as a ZERO will be included in this total This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion To clear the counters on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 15 Bit Totals Screen The Bit Totals measurement gives a general look at the ratio of Ones to Zeros Page 11 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 6 Bit Timing The Bit Timing screen shows the accurate timing of the ONES and ZEROS The times displayed are the complete bit time the front half AND the back half of each bit A different screen will show the Front and Back half individually The measurements displayed are listed below Figure 16 Bit Timing Measurements Measurement Description Bit Length Current length of ONE bit The measurement is accurate to about 2uS or 200nS ONE This measurement is auto scaling in mS and uS Minimum Length Shortest ONE Bit Length Maximum Length Longest ONE Bit Length Bit Length Current length of
8. length This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion Total number of 3 Byte packets received The Error 3 Byte Check Byte is omitted from the length This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 31 Packet Length Screen This screen picture quickly tells that this DCC Command Station is sending a balanced blend of 2 3 and 4 byte packets So we have 128 speed steps 4 digit addressing etc Page 19 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 14 Packet Errors The Packet Errors Screen keeps a total of ALL Packets good and bad as well as breaking any and all bad packets into categories The measurements analyzed and displayed are listed below Figure 32 Packet Error Measurements Measurement Description Total number of all packets received Total Packets This total included both good and bad packets This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion Number of packets that are bad due to the Error Check Bad Checksum Byte not matching Decoders will discard these packets This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion Number of packets that are bad due to Preamble Errors The Preamble could be short or malformed Decoders will Bad Preamble always discard these packets This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Number o
9. not see this when connected to the Main Track only a Programming Track COUNT Total Packets sent to this ADR and CV combination To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 49 Ops Mode Address List Screen DCC Pocket Tester This screen gives a fast and accurate way to tell what the most recent 32 Ops Mode programming Address and CV combinations were addressed The list can only hold 32 active addresses and will keep a running list of the most recent 32 addresses and packet counts 3 28 Ops Mode Data Monitor New in v1 5 The Ops Mode Data Monitor is a scrollable list of address and CV groups that captures and displays the most recent CV access on the Main While viewing this list use the fand the keys to move the list up and down This screen is listed in chronological order with the most recent command at the BOTTOM The screen will automatically scroll to the bottom with each new packet received The list contains 32 entries so you can only see the most recent 32 Ops Mode commands If you scroll the screen up the automatic scroll to bottom will pause for 10 seconds to allow you to view any value on the list you Page 29 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester wish After 10 seconds of not pushing any keys the automatic scroll to bottom will resume Figure 50 Ops Mode Data Monitor Field Description Field Name Description The AD
10. of the selected item Each time you hit the SEL key the available settings will be changed Field Name Baud Rate Filter Figure 55 Serial Setup Field Description Description Available baud rates are 9600 19200 38400 57600 115200 When dumping packets in the Decoded Text mode we suggest you use the default 115200 to prevent port overload Selects the data format for the packets on the Serial Port Off Disabled No data is sent to the Serial Port Decoded Text Regular text is sent to the Port RAW ASCII Hex All packets are sent in hex format without any packet decoding Perfect for those strange or non NMRA packets RAW Binary The actual DCC packet bytes are sent to the Serial Port in native form Packet Binary The actual DCC packet bytes are placed into a formatted packet and send to the Port Provides a way to filter out undesired data from the port No Filtering AII data is sent out the Serial Port Mobile Only Only Mobile packets are sent Accessory Only Only Accessory packets are sent CV Access Only Will only send Ops Mode packets to the serial port Figure 56 Serial Setup Screen PRICOM Design Page 32 Section 4 Firmware Updates 4 Firmware Updates The PRICOM DCC Pocket Tester uses FLASH memory to enable in field upgradeability by the customer All that is required is a PC with a Serial Port RS 232 The DCC Pocket Tester will look for an att
11. powered back up you will see a progress box showing the status of the Firmware upgrade PRICOM Universal Uploader Reset Com Port 2 Exists Target Port 2 Open Firmware File Loaded Successfully Write Image Base 800 Size F5B2 Firmware Port COM2 TotalTX 452 TotalIRX 453 BadRX 0 PRICOM Design Page 36 Section 4 Firmware Updates Once the Firmware upgrade is complete the DCC Pocket Tester will restart When it does you should see a Greetings message such as the one shown below on your Universal Uploader screen PRICOM Universal Uploader Fie Port View Help Reset Com Por 2 Exists Target Port 2 Open Firmware File Loaded Successfully Write Image Base 800 Size F5B2 AAA ae Il PLEASE RESET THE TARGET HARDWARE NOW III ARABS Ee lt lt Waiting for Target Booter to Connect gt gt Booter V1 0 Update Firmware Started Wrote 62912 Total Bytes Sending Boot Command to Target Xx Update Firmware Complete Greetings from the PRICOM DCC Tester Version 1 5 Port COM2 TotalTX 384 TotalIRX 989 BadRXx 0 Notice that the BadRX display on the bottom of the screen shows 0 This is a good indication that all the data was sent to the DCC Tester without errors If for some reason you see a number other than 0 in this box it would be a good idea to check your connections exit the Universal Uploader and re start the Universal Uploader again If the Firm
12. tester itself is powered from the Track input it will draw about 100MA of current when measuring voltage Checking voltage of a OV battery is not very practical since the current drawn from the battery would defeat the reason to test it in the first place The displayed measurement is NOT RMS VOLTAGE but rather PEAK TO PEAK which is much more useful when determining the packet voltages and signal timings This will replace an oscilloscope needed to make this measurement 1 2 3 Bit Timing If you are building or testing a Power Booster the DCC Tester can be used to monitor and verify the 0 and 1 bit timings of the actual DCC signals The bit timing is also useful for debugging marginal decoders by checking to make sure the DCC signal the decoder receives is actually compliant and valid 1 2 4 Packet Timing Packet Timing shows the complete packet lengths and packet gaps or time between packets This measurement can be quite useful to make sure a DCC system is truly releasing the Track between packets for transponding or other control data requiring an idle time between packets Packet Timing and the packet rate is also affected by the presence of stretched 0 s used to control a conventional DC locomotive non DCC 1 2 5 Error Rates Both Bits and Packets can and usually do have some errors but how many Under several categories the DCC Pocket Tester will give a quick error total as well as an error PRICOM D
13. C packets The DCC Pocket Tester is powered from the actual Rails using a set of supplied jumper clips Additionally the DCC Tester can also be powered with an AC or DC wall transformer connected to the Track input connector The DCC Pocket Tester also contains RS 232 and PRICOM Network PNET interfaces Figure 1 Picture of the DCC Pocket Tester DCC Pocket Tester User Manual ie Section 1 Overview 1 2 Testing Capabilities With its unique combination of features the PRICOM DCC Tester is designed with the following testing applications in mind but can also be used for any variations that you can dream of 1 2 1 Quick Summary This test will give a single screen snapshot of the health of your DCC system Several aspects are summarized including Voltage Timing Errors and Packet Rate For each aspect a simple PASS or FAIL indication makes quickly finding difficult problems easy 1 2 2 Measure Voltage When 8V AC or DC or higher is supplied through the Track connecter the DCC Pocket Tester will display the measured voltage Primarily intended to measure the DCC Signal Voltage this measurement is also useful for any AC or DC signal up to about 30V In a pinch this can be quite useful Please be aware that the DCC Tester is not a full featured Multi Meter and so does not contain much for input protection If you attached the Track input to a wall outlet you will most definitely fry the tester Also since the
14. D S124 Decoder Idle Packet Decoder Idle Packet RDR 003 CMD Speed STP 14 28 DIR Fwd SPD S16 ADR 3124 CMD Speed STP 128 DIR Reu SPD S119 RDR 0003 CMD Speed STP 128 DIR Fwd SPD S124 Decoder Idle Packet Decoder Idle Packet RDR 003 CMD Speed STP 14 28 DIR Fwd SPD S16 ADR 3124 CMD Speed STP 128 DIR Rev SPD S119 fiDR 0003 CMD Speed STP 128 DIR Fwd SPD 124 Decoder Idle Packet Decoder Idle Packet ADR 003 CMD Speed STP 14 28 DIR Fwd SPD S16 ADR 3124 CMD Speed STP 128 DIR Rev SPD S119 ADR 0003 CMD Speed STP 128 DIR Fwd SPD S124 Decoder Idle Packet Decoder Idle Packet ADR 003 CMD Speed STP 14 28 DIR Fwd SPD S16 PRICOM Design DCC Pocket Tester Version 1 4 Connected 0 03 34 Auto detect 115200 8 N 1 As you can see there are a couple interesting things about the NCE system First the NCE can operate a loco at 2 digit address 3 at the same time as a separate loco with a 4 digit address of 0003 The other thing the NCE system does is send Decoder Idle packets to keep something on the rails at all times to power the locos There are other differences but those 2 are quite obvious on the screen above As you can see the loco at address 003 is running in 14 28 speed step mode and the other 2 locos 3124 and 0003 are running in 128 speed step mode Another interesting feature of the NCE system is that when your throttle down to a stop the Speed packet changes to 14 28 steps and will indicate SPD St
15. D Speed DIR Fwd SPD S081 CMD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S063 CMD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S036 CMD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S039 CMD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S125 CHD Speed STP 128 DIR Fwd SPD S065 Connected 0 00 30 Auto detect 115200 8 N 1 As you can see the decoder address is displayed the command category and some function information is displayed for each and every packet received by the DCC Tester The ADR section will displayed a 3 character number when the address is a 2 digit loco address and a 4 character number when the address is a 4 digit loco address CMD Function indicates a mobile decoder function control change command FO F12 CMD Speed indicates a mobile decoder speed packet STP indicates the speed steps sent to this loco address 14 28 or 128 speed steps DIR indicates the direction of travel the loco is instructed to travel in SPD displays the speed step and not the actual speed the loco is directed to run at PRICOM Design Page 40 Section 5 Serial Port Data Dump Operation 5 3 Filtering the Data Dump With all the data that is passing along the DCC Rails it is quite difficult to see and read a message addressed for a specific Accessory decoder The ability to Filter the packets so that only the ones we are looking for are displayed would be a useful feature The DCC Tester implements this Packet Filtering function and allows 3 different modes e Filter off by pressing the F key on the PC keyboard In thi
16. DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 5 Serial Port Data Dump Operation 5 2 Starting and Stopping the Data Dump Now that we are connected and talking to the DCC Tester using the Serial Port there are several commands we can issue directly from the PC keyboard without even touching the DCC Tester itself This makes the DCC Tester a useful front end acquisition tool for in depth DCC Packet display and diagnostics plus it s just plain fun to watch all the data on the rails To start the Data Dump in decoded packet mode simply press the G key on the PC keyboard It doesn t matter whether it is an upper case G or a lower case g the DCC Tester will accept either one After pressing G GO you will see lots of information scrolling on the screen To stop the data display simply press the S key STOP In our example with a Digitrax DCS200 and DT400 we have the following display DCC Tester HyperTerminal File Edit Yiew Call Transfer Help CMD Function VRL 00000 CMD Function VAL 00000 CHD Function VRL 00000 CMD Function VRL 00000 CMD Function VRL 00000 CMD Function VRL 00000 CHD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S095 CHD Speed DIR Fwd SPD 120 CHD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S127 CMD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S127 CMD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S047 CHD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S072 CHD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S085 CMD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S056 CHD Speed DIR Fwd SPD 122 CMD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S123 CHD Speed DIR Fwd SPD S033 CH
17. Length of current Packet being received This measurement is calculated by adding up all the Packet individual bit times that comprise the packet Duration This measurement is auto scaling in mS and uS Shortest Packet Duration Longest Packet Duration Time Length of delay or gap between the previous 2 packets received This measurement is obtained by timing the delay from the final bit of the first packet and the first preamble bit of the next packet This measurement is auto scaling in mS and uS Shortest Packet Gap Longest Packet Gap To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Packet Delay Gap Figure 29 Packet Timing Screen The Packet Timing can be quite useful for testing compatibility with add on equipment that transmits data over the rails between DCC Packets Transponding signaling systems and some other applications use these communications methods Knowing the delay between packets or the Packet Gap can help diagnose problematic interoperability PRICOM Design Page 18 Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 13 Packet Lengths The Packet Lengths screen shows the distribution of packets by length The measurements analyzed and displayed are listed below Figure 30 Packet Length Measurements Measurement Description Total number of 2 Byte packets received This indicates 1 2 Byte Address Byte and 1 Command Byte The Error Check Byte is omitted from the
18. R column shows the address whose CV was accessed ADR Short addresses are listed as xxx and long addresses are listed as xxxx Displays the CV that was changed Operation performed on the CV at this Address Possible commands are Write Verify and ChBit Of course in Ops Mode you can not Verify read so you will not see this when connected to the Main Track only a Programming Track Each ADR line has a VAL column next to it to display the last value written or modified at that specific address and CV combination To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 51 Ops Mode Data Monitor Screen E no o oPZ MODE MOF ES aede are de zc e 34778 enn pa l am f amt J It ETT NN e Phak ee ee EUR ds i s e M i This screen gives a fast and accurate way to tell what the most recent 32 Ops Mode Programming Commands were and their current value The list can only hold 32 active addresses and will keep a running list of the most recent 32 addresses and CV values 3 24 General Setup The first setup and configuration screen The General Setup screen allows the timing thresholds used for bit length detection to be adjusted Now you can also change the LCD contrast in the Setup screen The Contrast setting is saved in non volatile memory so that it will be retained even after power is removed PRICOM Design Page 30 Section 3 U
19. Signal Signal Ground 6 Power Bus Power Input 8 12VDC DCC Pocket Tester User Manual ie Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester The following pages detail the measurements that are available using the DCC Pocket Tester Since this User Manual and the Firmware loaded in the DCC Tester are not attached to each other it is possible for this documentation to deviate slightly from the actual product To clear the accumulated statistics in each screen separately simply press the SEL key while in the screen you want to clear We have also added Auto Repeat to the keys when pressed After holding any key for about 1 second the key will repeat at about 5 per second until you release the key This makes scrolling long lists of locos or addresses much more convenient 3 1 Startup amp Initialization When the DCC Pocket Tester is attached to the rails it will be turned on and operating Since there are no batteries to wear out you can leave the DCC Tester attached to the rails indefinitely Capturing long term statistics on your railroad can be a useful exercise With the DCC Tester first starts it will display an Initialization Screen This screen simply shows the Firmware Version Number and the progress as the DCC Tester clears and resets all accumulated statistics Figure 9 Initialization Screen Once Initialization is complete the Main Menu will automatically be displayed
20. Support 6 Problems amp Support Our goal is a product that is robust and trouble free for you however in the real world problems unfortunately do arise Below is some guidance to solving some of the problems we encountered during the testing of the DCC Pocket Tester 6 1 LCD Display is Fuzzy or Blurry An LCD display literally is Liquid so if the LCD is exposed to low temperatures under 40 F the display will act sluggish It is best to let the display warm up to room temperature before using the DCC Pocket Tester Once the temperature of the LCD has reached normal the display will function as expected 6 2 Front of Keypad feels warm This is normal It shouldn t be hot enough to burn or melt plastic but you will feel a warm spot around the left arrow button The voltage regulator used to reduce the DCC Rail voltage is mounted under this key so you will feel more heat the higher the DCC voltage gets In any case there should be no problem operating the DCC Pocket Tester on a DCC System using up to 24V as the Rail Voltage 6 3 Why is the battery compartment empty We chose to use an enclosure that had a battery compartment because it would provide some storage space for the DCC Track Leads or other accessories However the DCC Pocket Tester is powered from the DCC Track Rails and does not require batteries at all 6 4 Help broke the plastic overlay or the LCD If you are not happy then we are not happy If yo
21. Tester Idle Number of Idle Packet Addresses decoder Idle received Addresses This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Figure 37 Address Detail Screen You can see there were MANY Accessory Addresses in this sample screen that is a LOT of turnout packets When testing we use some scripts under JMRI to hammer packets at the DCC Testers This script is aptly named AccessoryBarrage y PRICOM Design Page 22 Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 17 Data Summary The Data Summary gives a quick overview of the DCC Data packet types Each of the measurements displayed are listed below Figure 38 Data Summary Measurements Measurement Description Total Count Total number of Data Packets received This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion Speed Number of Speed Command Packets received E is This includes both 14 28 Step and 128 Step Speed Commands This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Number of Mobile Decoder Function Set Packets received This includes FO F12 This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion Function Packets Number of Analog whistle Packets received This includes any Analog Function number This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion
22. To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 23 Bit Errors Screen These errors can be caused by a Booster releasing the Rails for Transponding but when it begins to drive the RAILS again its timing is influenced by the Load on the Rails In any case a decoder will see the same problems as the DCC Tester and have no choice but to discard the bit as bad In the case of Transponding the result will be a shorter than normal preamble As long as the preamble is long enough to start with loosing a couple bits at the beginning won t cause any problems Please see the next section on PREAMBLE Page 15 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 10 Preamble DCC uses a preamble to discern when a new data packet begins You could think of them as packet start bits Each valid packet needs to begin with a preamble of at least 10 ONES a booster should send at least 14 ONES as a preamble Please see the DCC Standard and Recommended Practices from the NMRA S9 2 This screen shows the breakdown of Preamble length and a counter tracking when the Preamble was too short Figure 24 Preamble Measurement Measurement Description This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion The Shortest Preamble received Minimum must be 10 bits or greater to be recognized as a Preamble This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion This measurement is aut
23. Track Voltage TV which is 13 095 VDC at this time 5 7 Binary and Packet Dump Modes So far we have described the Decoded Data Dump mode where the DCC Packets are converted to nice readable text This requires some intelligence inside the DCC Tester to decode and print the packet data An external program could also be used to decode the DCC Packets In order to allow an external program to do the DCC Packet Decoding the Binary and Packet modes are available Page 43 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual i j Section 5 Serial Port Data Dump Operation The Binary mode is selected by pressing the B key on the PC keyboard or sending it from the external program automatically The data supplied from the DCC Tester when in binary mode looks like this DCC Tester HyperTerminal rae oe coe aH The format of this data is Data bytes count end marker CR For a Decoder Idle Packet OxFF 0x00 OxFF 0x03 OxFF OXOD adr data checksum count end marker CR This will pretty much look like gobbledygook on the HyperTerminal Screen Auto detect 115200 8 N 1 The Packet mode is selected by pressing the P key on the PC keyboard or sending it from the external program automatically The data supplied from the DCC Tester when in packet mode looks like this DCC Tester HyperTerminal File Edit View Call Transfer Help Dew soe os More gobbledygook on the screen nen MOV nCC
24. ZERO bit The measurement is accurate to about 2uS or 200nS ZERO This measurement is auto scaling in mS and uS Minimum Length Shortest ZERO Bit Length Maximum Length Longest ZERO Bit Length To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 17 Bit Timing Screen The timing accuracy of the DCC Pocket Tester is within 2uS or 200nS If you are trying to do NMRA Conformance Testing the timing measurements offered are not a substitute for accurate measurements with a Digital Storage Oscilloscope DSO However the DCC Pocket Tester is significantly less money and it will get you REALLY CLOSE PRICOM Design Page 12 Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 7 One Bit Timing The One Bit Timing screen shows the accurate timing of the ONES The times are displayed as separate Front Half and Back Half of the pulse The state change of the track signal is used to detect the front and the back of the waveform absolute polarity is not necessary In other words the front is still the front whether it is a negative or positive going pulse The measurements displayed are listed below Figure 18 One Bit Timing Measurements Half Measurement Description Length Current length of ONE bit Front Half Only The measurement is accurate to about 2uS or 200nS Front This measurement is auto scaling in mS and uS Minimum Length Shortest Front Half Length Length Current length of ONE bit Back Hal
25. ached PC every time it Powers On The BOOT CODE is stored in Protected FLASH and is not erasable That means that even if the PC were to crash or there was a problem loading a Firmware Image Update the process can be started over without risking anything 4 1 Updates Check on our web site www pricom com for updates to the DCC Pocket Tester Firmware We suggest putting all your downloaded updates and Firmware into a folder called C PRICOM but you can put it anywhere that makes sense for you Once you have downloaded a Firmware Update you will need to write the Firmware to the DCC Pocket Tester using the following procedure If you would like to be notified of any updates please send us an email to help pricom com with the model and serial number of your unit and we will be happy to notify you when there is a new firmware file available You will need the PRICOM Universal Uploader available from our www pricom com web site You may also need the Microsoft NET Framework installation This is a rather large download from Microsoft so we have a copy in the Downloads area of our web site You can also obtain the NET Framework using Windows Update select Custom and click on Optional Updates 4 2 Connect a PC to the DCC Pocket Tester Connect the Serial Cable as described in Section 2 Connections You will also need a power source for the DCC Tester You can connect the DCC Tester to the Track Rails or use a 9V Power S
26. ates When using extended accessory decoders 32 signal aspects can be sent instead of just Closed and Thrown The aspect will be displayed when an extended accessory packet is received 3 22 Ops Mode Address List New in v1 5 The Ops Mode Address List is a scrollable list of addresses that captures and displays the total number of Packets destined for each individual address and CV on the list While viewing this Address List use the fand the keys to move the Address List up and down This screen is listed in chronological order with the most recent command at the BOTTOM The screen will automatically scroll to the bottom with each new packet received The list contains 32 entries so you can only see the most recent 32 Ops Mode commands If you scroll the screen up the automatic scroll to bottom will pause for 10 seconds to allow you to view any address on the list you wish After 10 seconds of not pushing any keys the automatic scroll to bottom will resume PRICOM Design Page 28 Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester Figure 48 Ops Mode Address List Field Description Field Name Description The ADR column shows the address whose CV was accessed Short addresses are listed as xxx and long addresses are listed as xxxx Displays the CV that was changed Operation performed on the CV at this Address Possible commands are Write Verify and ChBit Of course in Ops Mode you can not Verify read so you will
27. ben pedea de aM a apre uas 21 Figure 35 Address Summary S Cree ccc sdoncastccharesiosssdediy ostucsosdsevensadsine Gacandendsocablensenses 21 Figure 36 Address Detail Measurement 2 22c5sncesecvsucecsvecusdedduvecacodeccdebeavsucedecdvenctendaceses 22 Figure 37 Address Detail Screen i cussieiic ise plc a HERE REEH ENORMI RE KORR EUR erne 22 Figure 38 Data Summary Measuremplifs uuscoocec to ecran ten Fe tcu eph EA reen su tau ee e oaes 23 Figure 39 Data Summary SOIOOID oe diris itc eidean Voi Enden deiade eu 23 Figure 40 Mobile Address List Field Description esee 24 Figure 41 Mobile Address List Screen iuste eio ipte Debt bad esta ciue bee pa renen erne renere pua 24 Figure 42 Mobile Data Monitor V al esu iode tocco niin i aui ci Epla redu en Re en Vn Rz CUP Edd euas 25 Figure 45 Mobile Data Monitor SCPEBIL a rientro tores Fen Cun id bR C eei e inte en s au aes 26 Figure 44 Accessory Address List Field Description eee 26 Figure 45 Accessory Address List Screen aee istestc o teodu SR bete Eon tabe da PUE epe ERE MP epe UAR 27 Figure 46 Accessory Data Monitor Field Description eee 27 Figure 47 Accessory Data Monitor Screen siiis meet ose PRA Ie SER d ek nS RR e Pee eua E 28 Figure 44 Ops Mode Address List Field Description esee 29 Figure 45 Ops Mode Address List Screen tert tent toten Le eiu 29 Figu
28. creen will automatically scroll to the bottom with each new packet received The list contains 32 entries so you can only see the most recent 32 accessory commands If you scroll the screen up the automatic scroll to bottom will pause for 10 seconds to allow you to view any address on the list you wish After 10 seconds of not pushing any keys the automatic scroll to bottom will resume Figure 44 Accessory Address List Field Description Field Name Description The ADR column shows the active accessory address All accessory addresses are listed as xxxx Each ADR line has a Count column next to it The Count column displays the total number of packets sent to that specific address since it was cleared with the SEL key or since the accessory address was added to this list This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester PRICOM Design Page 26 Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester Figure 45 Accessory Address List Screen This screen gives a fast and accurate way to tell what the most recent 32 DCC Accessory Decoders are being addressed The list can only hold 32 active addresses and will keep a running list of the most recent 32 addresses and packet counts 3 21 X Accessory Data Monitor The Accessory Data Monitor is a scrollable list of addresses that captures and displays the current state for each individual accessory a
29. d OFF Same as F1 4 Same as F1 4 Analog Packet Function number The current DT400 throttle sends a 127 for this Function number Any value is allowed from 0 127 If no Analog packet has been seen on this address a no will be displayed Analog Packet Value number The current DT400 throttle sends 0 127 depending on the pressure on the F2 key If no Analog Packet has been seen on this address a no will be displayed Total number of Commands this Address has received since Power On or when the selected Address was changed This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion The Currently Selected Address for receiving Commands ADR This field will display as a 3digit number when using 2 digit addressing or a 4 digit number if using 4 digit addressing Current Speed Pkts Received To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Page 25 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual g Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester Figure 43 Mobile Data Monitor Screen DCC Pocket Tester 3 20 Accessory Address List The Accessory Address List is a scrollable list of addresses that captures and displays the total number of Packets destined for each individual address on the list While viewing this Address List use the fand the keys to move the Address List up and down This screen is listed in chronological order with the most recent command at the BOTTOM The s
30. d received from the DCC Rails If you have a TRACK OUTPUT from your DCC Booster connected to ground you could cause a nasty short circuit across the DCC Tester and your PC If your booster has its chassis grounded but the TRACK OUTPUT is floating this is the normal configuration then there is no problems Figure 5 DCC Tester Serial Port Figure 6 Serial Cable Connected to PC To load the firmware updates please see Section 4 entitled Firmware Updates PRICOM Design Page 6 Page 7 Section 2 Connections 2 3 PNET PRICOM Network Port The last modular jack on the DCC Pocket Tester is for connection into the PRICOM Network or PNET This RS 485 based networking port enables the DCC Pocket Tester to communicate and control any Model Railroading products from PRICOM 2 4 Connector Pinouts For your reference we have included the pin connections for each of the ports below Figure 7 PC Serial Connection Modular Jack Pinout Pin Name Description 6 NC Donotconnect If you inadvertently wire the Modular Connector backwards no damage will be done but the TxData and RxData leads will be reversed If you can not get the PC to talk to the Train Controller check to make sure you have the Modular Plug attached to your cable the correct way Figure 8 PNET Modular Jack Pinout Pin Name Description Bus Power Input 8 12VDC Signal Ground Data Bus Positive Signal Data Bus Negative
31. ddress on the list While viewing this Address List use the fand the keys to move the Address List up and down This screen is listed in chronological order with the most recent command at the BOTTOM The screen will automatically scroll to the bottom with each new packet received The list contains 32 entries so you can only see the most recent 32 accessory commands If you scroll the screen up the automatic scroll to bottom will pause for 10 seconds to allow you to view any address on the list you wish After 10 seconds of not pushing any keys the automatic scroll to bottom will resume Figure 46 Accessory Data Monitor Field Description Field Name Description The ADR column shows the active accessory address All accessory addresses are listed as xxxx Each ADR line has a State column next to it The State column displays the last command sent to that specific address This will display Closed Thrown or a signal aspect To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Page 27 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester Figure 47 Accessory Data Monitor Screen DCC Pocket Tester This screen gives a fast and accurate way to tell what the most recent 32 DCC Accessory Decoders are being addressed and their current position state The list can only hold 32 active addresses and will keep a running list of the most recent 32 addresses and position st
32. e1 8v rogo wgvt tT C ch eer fal aU er Canv8v 1 C v8v 2pw8v t FACx n Or ye veer t ACE overt 1 C 6 1508v 3C H v6v t C tevertt Lic ei vene qe st Hoe fT i teccenwerr teris t 1 C gt 2 rin toBce ev t00 Evel This format is useful as it has 2 ft wt vi ttam Spey tel eee MN Rant tro launen h d d h d Dacus mcos E NETSTED oC ccna sceo dors Dresd v M w M Y w w0v TMI VM n ie 2 G7 s ageing sion Mart tle Mert 16 bit CRC to ensure data integrity AMET tn R 8v r i saver T4 r Iow8v a 182N00v t 7 Ge v8vt t I T Tz Wert X ilz vOv t Hr ive ty eLGYOY 1T 7n aavertt 72 aq ev 1 p w8v11371 p071 2o Muvert ot evevtt SCENE yey peret sterio deer niin tos oV6v 1107 2 08 1 tH My evt If you have interest in this data MPOY n2 R POY r ci 08v T4 P Lower Ja7 BA Won tt rr diy 8n t t C Hz 98v 1 t n ilz wav 1 Hn i VOY ty eL GYOv 1 hn aawer format please contact us 2 ad p w8v11371 v8vtt Bis HOP Mu MAD Us MEE el vevttoc LE dn ar 17751890 1082 098v110 7 2 88v I so WEY 142977 Wert th 7 MYOY tn R VOY r i V Connected 0 02 48 Auto detect 115200 8 N 1 NUM To exit the Binary or Packet gobbledygook modes just press the S key STOP on the keyboard and the default of Decoded Text will be selected and the output will STOP PRICOM Design Page 44 Section 6 Problems and
33. esign Page 2 Page 3 Section 1 Overview rate percentage or ratio With this information you can quickly see if there are troubles at the Bit or Packet level and how often those errors occur 1 2 6 Address Utilization The DCC Pocket Tester will give you a quick indication of the lowest and highest address being sent over the DCC Rails In addition the actual number of packets being sent to each utilized address is captured and displayed With this information you will quickly be able to tell who is hogging all the DCC bandwidth Maybe your loco or accessory is not responding as you would like How often is it actually being addressed 1 2 7 Instant Packet Decoding What speed is your throttle sending to your loco What Functions FL F1 F12 are on or off What speed is the Loco being told to go Is it using 14 28 128 speed steps Using the Packet Decoding functions of the DCC Pocket Tester will instantly tell you the answers to these and other questions A single screen will show all the parameters listed here you merely scroll or select the address you want to decode and the DCC Tester does the rest The display is updated in real time so you can even find out how fast your commands are actually sent on the rails 1 2 8 Serial Port Data Dump New in Version 1 4 is the capability to decode and send all packets out through the RS232 Serial Port This feature allows an external software package or a simple Termina
34. f this writing is DCC_Tester_v1_5 pdi Version 1 5 Depending on where you saved this file on your system you may need to use the Look In menu bar at the top of the screen to find the necessary firmware file Once you have selected the Firmware file click the Open button A message box will show the data and time the Firmware Image was created such as this PRICOM Universal Uploader File Loaded Successfully PRICOM Design Image File For_The_PRICOM_DCC_Tester Created 11 21 2005 5 12 54 AM Click OK to open the selected firmware image file Page 35 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 4 Firmware Updates The Universal Uploader Software will send a message to the screen saying RESET THE TARGET HARDWARE NOW This can be accomplished by unplugging the power or Track from the DCC Pocket Tester and then plugging it back in This causes a full hardware reset of the DCC Pocket Tester PRICOM Universal Uploader File Port View Help Reset Com Part 2 Exists Target Port 2 Open Firmware File Loaded Successfully Write Image Base 800 Size CE90 ARAB II PLEASE RESET THE TARGET HARDWARE NOW III GRIS SISSE eset Cancel lt lt Waiting for Target Booter to Connect gt gt Firmware Update Por COM2 TotalTX 0 TotalRX 0 BadRX 0 If for any reason you want to stop this Firmware Update just click on the Cancel Firmware Update button that now appears Once the DCC Pocket Tester has
35. f Only The measurement is accurate to about 2uS or 200nS Back This measurement is auto scaling in mS and uS Minimum Length Shortest Back Half Length Maximum Length Longest Back Half Length To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 19 One Bit Timing Screen The timing accuracy of the DCC Pocket Tester is within 2uS or 200nS If you are trying to do NMRA Conformance Testing the timing measurements offered are not a substitute for accurate measurements with a Digital Storage Oscilloscope DSO However the DCC Pocket Tester is significantly less money and it will get you REALLY CLOSE Page 13 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 8 Zero Bit Timing The Zero Bit Timing screen shows the accurate timing of the ZEROS The times are displayed as separate Front Half and Back Half of the pulse The measurements displayed are listed below Figure 20 Zero Bit Timing Measurements Half Measurement Description Length Current length of ZERO bit Front Half Only The measurement is accurate to about 2uS or 200nS Front This measurement is auto scaling in mS and uS Minimum Length Shortest Front Half Length Maximum Length Longest Front Half Length Length Current length of ZERO bit Back Half Only The measurement is accurate to about 2uS or 200nS Back This measurement is auto scaling in mS and uS Minimum Length Shortest Back Half
36. f packets that are bad because they exceed the Packet Too Long maximum packet length specified This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Number of packets that were discarded by the DCC Tester because its own internal buffers could not handle the data Ring Overrun present on the Rails This is an indicator to the health of the DCC Pocket Tester and has no meaning to DCC inself This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 33 Packet Error Screen PRICOM Design Page 20 Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 15 Address Summary The Address Summary gives a quick overview of the DCC Addressing statistics In addition the Address Summary also shows the Lowest and Highest Address utilized in the DCC System Each of the measurements displayed are listed below Figure 34 Address Summary Measurements Description Total number of Addresses received including broadcast Total Count Addresses This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Total number of Broadcast Packets received A Broadcast Address is intended for AII devices of a Broadcasts specified type to receive without having to individually address each and every one This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Percentage display of Broadcast Addresses divided by Total Ratio Addresses Ratio Broadcast Addresses Total
37. gure 4 PRICOM Serial Cables zones ro ete Ea eorr Ope etel aepo e eni Con eed 6 Figure 5 DCC Tester Serial Pott uiceecies tp hoe MERERI aseesinaine isas 6 Figure 6 Serial Cable Connected to PC Lie renerne seerne nid nup le pk Pcr be ME UL ennen ner 6 Figure 7 PC Serial Connection Modular Jack Pinout eee 7 Figure 8 PNET Modular Jack Pinout u sssereererrererrne serne nerne serene ennen Ute aus taa d 7 Figure 9 Imtialization Screen 2 geo dose epe eti aen Seen petat ME Codi es de ei su itat SATSER ba 8 Figure 10 Quick Summary Measutements uiis qa etel a ttt trmi etas Fede cite te ennen decease 9 Figure 11 Quick Summary Screen uuo ioancesiic es eecuis pec iso tt veas Ru E as enc b esne ssa dus 9 Figure 12 Bit Summary Measurements oic ter e pe reduc renen eee ispn td eduandesaiogen 10 Figure 13 Bit Summary Screen oie e rete bte tob tet Ebo ener renen de erii erne renere renee 10 Figure 14 Bit Totals Measurements cuida tt t les renne ener ene enee renees Denies as bad Ue ded 11 Figure 15 Bit Totals Screen aiios odio dei treten uiu dac rp aUe eiim E D Rue NM EE 11 Figure 16 Bit Timing Measurements Erebi b ket ote tea eee ie Ep d Ei RA Des ERd 12 Figure 17 Bit Dorn Screen crescere iiaii anaoa 12 Figure 18 One Bit Timing Measurements esseeeseseseseesessreeresressersrerrerseestrsrresersseseeesee 13 Figure 19 One Bit Timing Screen esseeeseesesrrssesrresressrseresre
38. l Emulation program such as Hyper Terminal in Windows to view the DCC Data Filters are included to only send Accessory Packets Mobile Decoder Packets and ALL Packets The output is formatted in a simple to read format that will give new insight into what is actually being sent over the rails Version 1 5 adds additional packet type decoding including the Analog Whistle packet 1 3 Updates The PRICOM DCC Tester utilizes state of the art FLASH memory technology to allow the software firmware to be updated by the customer without even opening the case Simply attach a PRICOM RS 232 Serial Cable to your PC and using our PRICOM Universal Uploader you can quickly update the FLASH Image file As features are added or updated you can obtain an updated FLASH Image file from the PRICOM Web Site and program it into your DCC tester DCC Pocket Tester User Manual ii Section 2 Connections 2 Connections The following section provides an overview of connecting your PRICOM DCC Pocket Tester 2 1 Track or Rails The DCC Pocket Tester is unique in that all power is derived from the DCC Rails No external power source is required no batteries and nothing to go dead If after connecting the DCC Pocket Tester to the Track you do not obtain a display on the LCD then try connecting to the Track again If you still can not obtain a display on the LCD then there is less than 7V on the track and the DCC Tester will not operate Even with the s
39. lty equipment This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Ratio Percentage display of Bad Packets divided by Total Packets Ratio Bad Packets Total Packets Current Packet reception rate Packet Rate The Packet Rate is displayed as Hz which is the same as packets per second To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 27 Packet Summary Screen DCC will resend and resend packets to provide redundancy and recovery from drop outs or missed packets If a packet is bad or missed the decoder will not respond and requires that the packet be sent again The Packet Rate will give a good indication of how fast the Command Station is sending out its DCC packets Generally the faster the packet rate the sooner a decoder will be capable or recovering from a missed or bad packet Page 17 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 12 Packet Timing The Packet Timing screen shows the elapsed time consumed on the DCC rails of the Packets being sent by the Boosters to the Decoders The Length of the packet will vary depending on the ratio of ONE bits and ZERO bits as well as the number of bytes in each packet If Zero Stretching is being used to control non DCC locomotives the Duration will increase significantly as the ZERO s that comprise the packet are stretched Figure 28 Packet Timing Measurements Type Measurement Description Time
40. mallest of scales the NMRA specifies a minimum track voltage of 7V Figure 2 Track Wire Connection To connect the DCC Pocket Tester to the rails begin by plugging in the supplied wire set as shown above The RED and BLACK wires are not significant there is no polarity You can connect either lead to either rail of your track PRICOM Design Page 4 Section 2 Connections Once the wires are connected to the Track the initialization screen will appear as shown below Figure 3 Initialization Screen UA Complete operational instructions for the DCC Pocket Tester are detailed in Section 3 entitled Operation Page 5 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual E Section 2 Connections 2 2 RS 232 Serial Port Software updates are loaded into the DCC Pocket Tester using the RS 232 Serial Port and a connected PC The updates can come from a floppy disk a CD or downloaded from the PRICOM web site Now you can also send decoded DCC Packets over the RS 232 Serial Port for display and capture by a PC or Macintosh computer To connect the DCC Pocket Tester to your computer first use the PRICOM Serial Cable Sold separately A picture is shown below First connect one end of the Serial Cable to the DCC Pocket Tester the LEFT Modular Jack Then connect the other end to an available Serial Port on your computer as shown below Be aware that the RS232 Serial Port of the DCC Tester is NOT electrically isolated from the Groun
41. mber of bits received including ONES and ZEROS Total Bits and PREAMBLE bits This measurement is auto scaling from I to 4 29 billion Total number of bad bits received A bad bit is one that does not meet the minimum or maximum timing Bad Bits du i specifications set in the General Setup screen This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Ratio Bad Bits Total Bits Track Voltage reading With a DCC Signal this reading is Track Voltage accurate for Peak To Peak measurements NOT RMS Absolute voltage reading accuracy of about 1 Figure 13 Bit Summary Screen The Bad Bits measurement is quite useful to determine the quality of the signal that the decoders are trying to listen to If you give a decoder a high bad bits ratio it will not PRICOM Design Page 10 Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester respond quickly and might seem sluggish If you put garbage data into a decoder it will not seem to be working very well when in fact the decoder is NOT at fault Connecting the RS232 Serial Port to a computer can cause a ground loop that may affect the accuracy of the Track Voltage Measurement If you are making DCC Track Voltage Measurements start with the Serial Port Disconnected to verify the accuracy 3 5 Bit Totals The Bit Totals screen merely gives total number of valid bits received then breaks them down by how many ones and how many zeros The measurements displayed
42. nect using i Settings screen shown below Using the Connection Properties menu set the values as shown here to the right By default the DCC Tester will use 115200 for the Bits per second baud rate setting You can set this value differently but it must match the setting on the DCC Tester itself We recommend that you use the default setting of 115200 which will help the Serial Port to keep up with the large number of messages sent from the DCC Tester The flow control selection is important as the DCC Tester only uses the data wires or leads to connect to the PC Be sure to set the flow control to None When finished click OK to open the Serial Port and display the HyperTerminal screen DCC Tester HyperTerminal File Edit View Call Transfer Help Da 6 DEB E COM2 Properties Port Settings Bits per second 115200 Data bits E Parity Stop bits Flow conto v Cancel Apply Once the port is configured and the HyperTerminal screen x Greetings foe the PRICOM DCC Tester Version o is displayed power on the DCC Tester You should see a Greetings message like the one shown here If you don t get anything on the screen or if you get some garbage characters check the connections and the port settings especially the bits per second baud rate Connected 0 02 46 Auto detect 115200 8 N 1
43. o scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Total count of how many times a Preamble was received Short Errors that was less then 10 bits long This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion To clear the values on this screen press the SEL key on the DCC Tester Figure 25 Preamble Screen These errors can be caused by a Booster releasing the Rails for Transponding but when it begins to drive the RAILS again it s timing is influenced by the Load on the Rails In any case a decoder will see the same problems as the DCC Tester and have no choice but to discard the bit as bad In the case of Transponding the result will be a shorter than normal preamble As long as the preamble is long enough to start with loosing a couple bits at the beginning won t cause any problems PRICOM Design Page 16 Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 11 Packet Summary The Packet Summary gives a quick overview of the DCC Data Packet statistics Each of the measurements displayed are listed below Figure 26 Packet Summary Measurements Measurement Description Total number of Packets received including good packets Total Packets bad packets and broadcast packets This measurement is auto scaling from 1 to 4 29 billion Total number of Bad Packets received A bad packet is one that was received but had an incorrect Bad Packets Error Check Byte This usually indicates packet corruption due to interference reflections or fau
44. ons No Serial Port Serial COM Port1 iv Serial COM Port 2 Of course if you set the port to No Serial Port you can t load the firmware into the DCC Tester Please let us know if you have any issues with the Universal Uploader i j PRICOM Design Page 34 Section 4 Firmware Updates 4 4 Write Firmware Update To update the Firmware click on the Write Firmware button on the main screen You will receive a confirmation box to make sure you want to write the Firmware to the DCC Tester Then you will see a typical Windows File Open dialog box such as this PRICOM Universal Uploader Firmware Update Look in O bin e ff Er EC E DCC Tester pdi E DreamPlayer vi 1 pdi x5 E DCC Tester V1 0 pdi E DreamPlayer_v1_2 pdi DCC_Tester_V1 1 pdi E Little Mixer pdi DCC Tester V1 2 pdi E Mixer_Console pdi DCC Tester V1 2b pdi E ThreeS_Incubator_v1_0 pdi DCC Tester V1 2c pdi esi Train Controller V1 0 PDI DCC Tester V1 2d pdi DCC Tester V1 2e pdi DCC Tester V1 3 pdi DCC Tester v1 4 pdi DCC Tester v1 4beta2 pdi DCC Tester v1 4beta3 pdi DCC Tester vl 4beta4 pdi _Tester_v1_5 pdi DreamPlayer_v1_0 pdi EL Ei My Recent Documents el Pa 9 G 3 lt e Ei Eb E E E E Ei E e My Computer My Network File name DCC Tester v1 5 pdi Places Files of type PRICOM Image File pdi Cancel Locate and select the appropriate Firmware file you downloaded the current version as o
45. op no matter what mode it is running in the rest of the time 5 4 Reading the DCC Tester Version The V Version command causes the current firmware version from the DCC Tester to be sent out the Serial Port Pressing the V key on the PC keyboard will display the current version from the DCC Tester This is shown in the above screen at the bottom PRICOM Design Page 42 Section 5 Serial Port Data Dump Operation 5 5 ASCII Hex Packet Dump Mode New in v1 5 If you are more interested in the hard core side of DCC we have included a ASCII Hex dump mode This mode will simply take any and all DCC packets and send them out the Serial Port as Hex values You can use these to decode your own packets or use an external program to do it asdasd HyperTerminal File Edit View Call Transfer Help Hex C9 07 61 RF TV 0000013095 Auto detect 115200 8 N 1 5 6 Statistic Query New in v1 5 The DCC Tester acquires many statistics and packet counts as well as the current Track Voltage Several new commands have been added to enable an external program to request these values from the DCC Tester The numbers 1 through 8 will each request the DCC Tester to send a specific set of values These formats are described in a separate document titled Statistics Packet Format which is available from the www pricom com web site downloads section In the screen above we have typed the letter Q to ask for the current
46. ort circuit across the DCC Tester and your PC If your booster has its chassis grounded but the TRACK OUTPUT is floating this is the normal configuration then there is no problems 5 1 Getting Connected If using Windows XP click the following menus to start HyperTerminal Start gt All Programs gt Accessories gt Communications gt HyperTerminal Connection Description New Connection Enter a name and choose an icon for the connection Eon DCC Tested Icon Bossen Auto detect Auto detect Give the connection a name The name is not important at all but this allows you to save the settings for future sessions of HyperTerminal In our example we have called our new connection DCC Tester You can also select a handy dandy icon to represent the new connection or just use the default Telephone Then Click OK to create the connection and bring you to the Connection screen shown below PRICOM Design Page 38 Page 39 Section 5 Serial Port Data Dump Operation Connect To B DCC Tester Select the appropriate value under Connect using to match the Serial Port in your PC that is Enter details for the phone number that you want to dial connected to the DCC Tester Country region Area code For our example we are using COM2 on our PC Click the pull down menu to select the proper port oe and then click OK This will bring up the Port Con
47. re PRICOM DCC POCKET TESTER User Manual Thanks to the JMRI Development team especially Bob Jacobsen http jmri sourceforge net Portions of this product use and or interoperate with software from the JMRI project For more information on JMRI including its source code please see http jmri sf net Thanks to Stefan Trachsler for his LocoNet Checker software http homepage hispeed ch trachsler index htm DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Version 1 5 Copyright 2005 PRICOM Design Ea cR 1 1 1 FEatures MT MHP 1 1 2 Testing Capabilities T aa Eei 2 1 2 1 infe diii eget Tc 2 1 2 2 Measure Teiln RT 2 1 2 3 Bt TIMING oii RELSE JERES asa DUE RR edu uit E O RTE SEEDEDE REER Mea 2 1 2 4 Packet TIMIDE E 2 1 2 5 looge orker hr seeded ieaiaia ae renees 2 1 2 6 Address Wr AOU asi rage 3 1 2 7 Instant Packet Decoding uiuis triti eler i belio guapas 3 1 2 8 Serial Port Data DUMP eei bee ee etie ie Ded tuia ken Eun sa ibn in deceit 3 1 3 Updates scrolle eean 3 2 Connections camo tos eee E 4 2 1 Trackor Rails NE E E 4 2 2 RS 232 Serial PO say 6 2 3 PNET PRICOM Network POM 2 cancssedacen ities eeinuateciennekaees 7 48 Connector DIBOBUS aee ces ere E E poetis faroe EE 7 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester ivcaiiisssonsncatsavannntsnonderoaecontssnuneniactns 8 3 1 Startup amp InttialiZalloll cuni
48. re 46 Ops Mode Data Monitor Field Description eeeeeee 30 Figure 47 Ops Mode Data Monitor Screen eese ener 30 Figure 48 General Setup Field Description Laudo etre tarea tr detis eese iepan 31 Figure 49 General Setup Screen sschassancsacenasatpeasinsaredeiasboratvacesdsetiapnnceiaauseddesepenianacspneass 31 Figure 50 Timing Mode Pbresbol d LISE assecose ete fe prre eon eR EQ REIN MEN rugis 31 Figure 51 Serial Setup Field Description uiii eie ti speciei idest utei 32 Figure 52 Serial Setup Screen iem epre eben Eie pns i itm tarda Eo esse baren essensen esse sn istat 32 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Page 1 Section 1 Overview 1 Overview Congratulations on your purchase of the PRICOM DCC Pocket Tester We are sure that you will enjoy the unique combination of options and features available to you with this tester With the ability to update the software in this tester we have many additional features planned for the future You can be sure that your investment was a wise one Additionally if there are any features you can think of or options that you would like to see please let us know Hearing from real customers in the real world is the best way to improve any product This Version 1 5 is a direct result of your input 1 1 Features The PRICOM DCC Tester is a completely self contained tester for analyzing the voltage bit timing packet timing and decoding DC
49. s mode noting is filtered and ALL DCC Packets are sent to the Serial Port e Accessory Only by pressing the A key on the PC keyboard In this filter mode only the Accessory Packets are sent to the Serial Port e Mobile Only by pressing the M key on the PC keyboard In this filter mode only the Mobile Decoder Packets are sent to the Serial Port e CV Access Only by pressing the C key on the PC keyboard In this filter mode only Ops Mode packets will be sent to the Serial Port The current filter mode can be changed at any time with data dumping running G or even when it is stopped S In the following screen shot the Accessory Only A filter mode has been selected and some turnout commands have been issued by a Digitrax DT400 with a DSC200 command station DCC Tester HyperTerminal File Edit View Cal Transfer Help STP 128 STP 128 STP 128 STP 128 STP 128 STP 128 STP 128 DIR CMD Speed SPD S063 CMD Speed 1 CHD Speed CMD Speed CHD Speed CMD Speed CMD Speed CMD Accessry CMD flccessry CMD Accessry CMD Accessry CMD Accessry CMD Accessry CMD flccessry CMD Accessry CMD Accessry CMD flccessry CMD Accessry CMD flccessry CMD Accessry CMD Accessry CMD Accessry VAL Closed N ON VAL Closed N 0 VAL Closed N 0 VRL Closed N O VAL Thrown R 0 VAL Thrown R 0 VAL Thrown R 0 VAL Thrown R 0 VRL Closed N O VRL Closed N O VAL Closed N 0 VAL Closed N 0 VAL Thrown R 0 VAL Thrown R
50. s pactio got tio aei d beses E 8 32s M n AV Fez MR eats 9 3 3 Quick Sum mdt easier cere erica roger ladere dune sav ades uud EE ERE AS ESEE aai 9 34 BitSummiaty TET 10 3 5 Bit peri m P M 11 3 6 Bit TMINE MR EE CHER 12 3 7 Words MD EES 13 3 8 Leto Bit roi E Sieis 14 3 9 Iib TO aso ohh ar eee Eee lee IMPR eM NEM AME 15 310 Preamble cec me 16 SOLD Packet Summary 2oiscisebudete Due aeai e aa ddp a incead utu 17 3 12 Packet Timing c 18 3 13 Packet Lensths eres erne 19 3AA Packet EtrOTS dr 20 3 15 Address Summat MR 21 SN NE uc Abril 22 3 197 Data Sum m Ne a 23 3 18 Mobile P ANI s 24 319 Mobile Data M GHIUOE 2222304 sd Urine e apibus te iR pO Mua unt bes paca premia SaS 25 3 20 Accessory Address List eU ERAS IU MA UM I enter ennen sner erne 26 3 21 Accessory Data Monitor NETT 27 3 22 Ops Mode Address List por UTERE REESE 28 3 23 Ops Mode Data Monitor New in v1 5 esee 20 3 24 General s Pr Oben 30 329 Sena Seb gessisse R oda ums tmd D PM NIME eee 32 4 Firmware Updates ETE 33 Page i Table Of Contents DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Table Of Contents Continued 4 1 Updates eek cease 33 4 2 Connect a PC to the DOC Pocket Te
51. sing the DCC Pocket Tester To change values on this screen use the tand the keys to move the highlighted selection Then use the SEL key to change the state of the selected item Each time you hit the SEL key the available settings will be changed Keep pressing the SEL key until you get the setup value you desire Figure 52 General Setup Field Description Field Name Description The Timing Mode can be set to e Relaxed wider timing margins e Booster NMRA Booster timing specifications e Decoder NMRA Decoder timing specifications The DCC Tester will default to Relaxed mode The LCD Contrast can be set to any value between 22 and 42 with 32 being the default value To change the contrast setting select it and press the SEL key Timing Mode LCD Contrast Figure 53 General Setup Screen Figure 54 Timing Mode Threshold List Mode One Bit Front Half One Bit Back Half Zero Bit 20uS 70uS 20uS 70uS 55uS 61uS 52uS 64uS 52uS 64uS 46uS 70uS These time values are derived from the NMRA DCC Standard S9 1 Page 31 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 3 Using the DCC Pocket Tester 3 25 Serial Setup The Serial Setup screen allows configuration of the RS232 Serial Port and the Packet Decode Data Dump Mode and Filtering functions To change values on this screen use the fand the keys to move the highlighted selection and use the SEL key to change the state
52. ssersterrensesstesreesteseneeeste 13 Figure 20 Zero Bit Timing MeasUrermietils Lea rete ren nen seeren renees ennen e DERE 14 PRICOM Design Page ii Page iii Table Of Contents Figure 21 Zero Bit Timing Screen Loi iet ieri Ite Pere tede a been Eau dU pee biLdSd 14 Figure 22 Bit Errors Measurement asso esecaecccaeatcoleucednsec tnsekerncystaaseaneoseteadeataanioreeaneee 15 Figure 23 Bit Errors Screen S s diei capte eee ere er E 15 Figure 24 Preamble Measurement eis iee cece stsceeesbcdsccssascbeeeta epe turo eL Ie Eb Apes h EE se renere nerne 16 E1sute 25 Preamble Screen oue Doass ee en ches ietesspeseecsavctuaresudadaabesteuedteutiacesseniaccenncadeeeeae 16 Figure 26 Packet Summary Measurements L2 opes see buzs iUe EXER se ren reen eres REPE esserne 17 Figure 27 Packet Summary Screen iiie pie itn iue bte indus eue Ua unb ennen D esed aas 17 Figure 28 Packet Timing Measurements cocoa o elg tee een renen pnt ista tica up dass PUE 18 Figure 29 Packet Timing SCEeBeQ uuo oreet ere n tet inepte bebes bt Sedi lk pape M e pe AER 18 Figure 30 Packet Length Measurtemelis 2 nee iediessa teas de coda eere deis tad UniGE 19 Figure 31 Packet Length Screen uae narrans o PE eue episc EID b I a 19 Figure 32 Packet Error Measurements ihe te bee ec ope en ERE aa Ep EE ILE pea Des enn 20 Etbute 33 Packet Error SELBE cecinisse ainai ubt dd ub lu ui mM esa uU 20 Figure 34 Address Summary Measurements uices rti ice erho
53. ster eiui to th a et tig UE n t t IRE 33 4 3 Start the PRICOM Universal Uploader 1 Wu Gu u u seenserverreeee rense e cete eese rn enneene 34 AA Write Firmware Update iiie rea Eti erupit ener ennen nerne nen en ne sneen seeren enes 35 5 Serial Port Data Dump Operation ken 38 5 1 Gettine Conn cted 2 ETT 38 5 2 Starting and Stopping the Data Dump eee 40 5 3 Filtering the Data DIE ooi tr te ER rene EROR ds sees sieisen siaa 41 5 4 Reading the DCC Tester Version a ostedtaco ipei nq bi udisp aa rue Ra ieri tudine dis 42 5 5 ASCH Hex Packet Dump Mode New in v1 5 sss 43 5 6 Statistic Query New in v1 5 uuu 43 5 7 Binary and Packet Dump Modes gs c ceds onata cuore ceadecesd diss Potes snb esta supe temi dps 43 0 Problems Oe DUD 45 6 1 LCD Display ts Fuzzy or Blutty iion dicere rte ptis denas 45 6 2 Front of Keypad feels warm 4e treni bep E XEey Te renser renser ren renerne 45 6 3 Why is the battery compartment empty seessessseseeeeeeeeeeneneeennene 45 64 Help I broke the plastic overlay or the LCD ierit tennis 45 63 Sonic p 45 60 Web co Pm 45 List Of Figures Figure 1 Picture of the DOC Pocket l e8ter uiu eem ette ttd backed tute siiis 1 Figure 2 Track Wire Connection W Gu u ssesesereerereee renen ennen renen RE oen ener erne GE LI bx RU dece esser 4 Figure 3 Initialization Screen assisi ieioea anai aaa seer ce dene 5 Fi
54. u have a mishap with the DCC Pocket Tester please let us know We would be happy to repair it for you Depending on the amount of damage we can repair it quite economically 6 5 E mail If you are experiencing trouble with your DCC Pocket Tester please let us know We are here to help you and want your experience to be creative and fun If you need help of any kind please contact us via e mail The support e mail address is Help amp pricom com We will make every effort to get your situation solved as rapidly as we can 6 6 Web Site The PRICOM web site is where we will post any upgrades updates and improvements Please be sure to check for Hardware and Software updates http www pricom com Page 45 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual k j DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Version 1 5 Copyright 2005 PRICOM Design
55. upply or wall wart to power the DCC Tester Be aware that the RS232 Serial Port of the DCC Tester is NOT electrically isolated from the Ground received from the DCC Rails If you have a TRACK OUTPUT from your DCC Booster connected to ground you could cause a nasty short circuit across the DCC Tester and your PC If your booster has its chassis grounded but the TRACK OUTPUT is floating this is the normal configuration then there is no problems Once the Serial cable is connected run the PRICOM Universal Uploader PC Software The screen shots that follow are taken from the Universal Uploader Version 1 1 Page 33 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual d 2 Section 4 Firmware Updates 4 3 Start the PRICOM Universal Uploader Start the Universal Uploader program in Windows by clicking Start gt All Programs gt PRICOM Design gt Universal Uploader You should see a screen like the one shown below PRICOM Universal Uploader File Port View Help Reset Com Part 2 Exists Target Port 2 Open Write Firmware Port COM2 TotalTX 0 TotelIRX 0 BadRX 0 You can easily change the Serial Port used to communicate with the DCC Tester by clicking on the Port gt Setup menu item If you have never run the Universal Uploader the Port Configuration screen will load immediately when you start the program PRICOM Universal Uploader Port Configuration x Selectthe COM Port to use for Uploader Communicati
56. ware Update process is interrupted in any way power outage or other issue it is advisable to re write the Firmware Image again It s a good idea to keep your old firmware versions in case you want to go back to an older version We will keep the prior versions on our web site as well so that if you encounter problems with a new version you can always put it back to what you had before Now that you have updated the firmware you can disconnect the Serial Cable and go do some testing Page 37 DCC Pocket Tester User Manual Section 5 Serial Port Data Dump Operation 5 Serial Port Data Dump Operation This section outlines and describes the operation of the Serial Port Data Dump We will walk through how to use HyperTerminal on a PC using the TEXT Based Packet Decode functions of the DCC Tester HyperTerminal is a Terminal Emulation program that comes with Windows You can use any such program to use the Serial Port features of the DCC Tester but since Windows comes with HyperTerminal for free we have used it in the examples If you are on a platform other than Windows the information is basically the same but you will have to translate the commands to the Terminal Emulation program you are using Be aware that the RS232 Serial Port of the DCC Tester is NOT electrically isolated from the Ground received from the DCC Rails If you have a TRACK OUTPUT from your DCC Booster connected to ground you could cause a nasty sh
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