A Sunday Arvo Project

Setting up WiThrottle using my old Digitrax DB150 DCC system and a PR4

So, I am using “JMRI WiThrottle” software on a Raspberry Pi 3 B hardware base.  I even bought the cute official case for the Pi.

 

The OS I am using is the Raspberry Pi OS version 3.5.23

JMRI, and hence PanelPro, is version 5.4+R9005ecb4ac.

The DB150 has a 16 volt AV power supply (3 amps capable) as it’s power supply.  By the way, this is the same power supply I am using to power my NCE SB3 when it is connected up to this type of setup.

 

Output from the DB150 is connected to the tracks via my normal plug/socket method.  Hey, I bought a hundred from somewhere once – they’ll last me a looong time.

 

The 6 wire Data Cable is connected from the “A” port on the DB150 to the left hand port of the PR4.

 

The PR4 is powered by a 15 volt DC wall wart type power supply, which happens to also be what I power my SPROG II and my ESU Lokprogrammer with.  The PR4 is also sometimes connected direct to my PC so I can use JMRI to push sound files to Digitrax decoderes and program them.

And of course the Raspberry Pi is powered by a 5 volt DC wall wart type with 2 amp capacity.

          

So there is nothing much different in getting the Digitrax DB150 and PR4 going compared to the NCE SB3.  Plug it all together and once you have the JMRI software on the Pi, bring up the preference page and make sure that you set these settings under the “Connections” page:

“System Manufacturer” to “Digitrax”

“System Connection” to “LocoNet PR4”

“Serial Port” to “ttyACM0”

“Connection Prefix” to “L” – auto sets anyway.

“Connection Name” to “LocoNet” – auto sets anyway.

And that pretty much is all I needed to do.  The Raspberry Pi has been set to connect into my normal WiFi at home, so I then connect my phone into that network and can then play with Engine Driver on the phone and drive my trains on the test track.  So now I can use either my NCE SB3 or this old Digitrax DB150 to test drive large trains and consists via WiThrottle.