@DriverD Trains #4.sc — Assemble a DCC-EX Command Station

Welcome to Driver D trains. Thanks for stopping by! I’m your host Driver D.

Joining us today is our conductor and brakeman, Scratchy-C. [Meow!]

Recently I completed a series of videos on how to assemble and configure a basic DCC-EX command station to run our trains. When I began work on this project in June 2023, I thought that I would be making 1 video about DCC-EX, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete. Little did I know that the project would grow to include 6 videos and several shorts, and take 7 months!

In order to assist both new and returning viewers, I have compiled all the videos from the series into this one “supercut”, so that you can have the complete set all together in one place.

Videos in this series:

Part 1: #4.a - Assembling a DCC-EX Command Station https://youtu.be/HatlU7A5S5s
Part 2: #4.b - Installing & Configuring DCC-EX https://youtu.be/jv_xfwLZJd8
Part 3: #4.c - Adding Wi-Fi to DCC-EX https://youtu.be/B08Qo0az-nI
Part 4: #4.d - Configuring DCC-EX Wi-Fi for Station Mode https://youtu.be/4pT273C0ozM
Part 5: #4.e - Adding and LCD Display to DCC-EX https://youtu.be/YmPgOU1dxrk
Part 6: #4.f – Correcting the Wi-Fi Firmware for DCC-EX https://youtu.be/gzbW55aBBkE

The resulting video is quite long. To assist with navigation through the various parts, I have included a table of contents at the beginning of the video, as well as individual chapter markers in the bottom left corner of the screen.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to Driver D trains!
02:51 Part 1 - Assembling a DCC-EX Command Station
20:02 Part 2 - Installing & Configuring DCC-EX Software
45:35 Part 3 - Adding Wi-Fi to DCC-EX
1:09:02 Part 4 - Configuring DCC-EX Wi-Fi for Station Mode
1:38:14 Part 5 - Adding and LCD Display to DCC-EX
1:59:23 Part 6 - Correcting the Wi-Fi Firmware for DCC-EX
2:48:07 Addenda – A Case for DCC-EX & Automation
2:49:49 What’s Next... Bonus Materials & JMRI
2:51:00 Credits

Links and Code:

DCC-EX: https://www.dcc-ex.com
Arduino: https://www.arduino.cc

EX-WebThrottle (Chrome browser only): https://dcc-ex.com/WebThrottle-EX/


See the following post on my community page for links to all products listed in the videos: https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxM2J-18_bF_WqKg6LjXlNGxxpe-IhFwwR

See the following post on my community page for links and code to upgrade or downgrade the Wi-Fi firmware: https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkxx7G_2R-TST_o0kEw6GOYHQry924iCGut


Python code to upgrade/downgrade the Wi-Fi Firmware:

Python command to install the firmware (Mac users copy and paste this on the command line in Terminal when instructed to do so - BE SURE TO COPY IT ALL):

python3 -m esptool write_flash --flash_mode dio --flash_size 2MB-c1 0x0 boot_v1.7.bin 0x01000 at/1024+1024/user1.2048.new.5.bin 0x1fb000 blank.bin 0x1fc000 esp_init_data_default_v08.bin 0xfe000 blank.bin 0x1fe000 blank.bin


Memory Offsets for Firmware Binary Files (Windows users enter these in the Flash Download tool when instructed to do so):
boot_v1.7.bin: 0x00000
user1.2048.new.5.bin: 0x01000
esp_init_data_default_v08.bin: 0x1FC000
blank.bin: 0xFE000
blank.bin: 0x1FE000


What’s next?

In my next series of videos, I will introduce you to the basics of JMRI, the Java Model Railroad Interface, and show you how to use JMRI with DCC-EX and the Wi-Throttle and Engine Driver apps to program your locomotives and run your trains. This initial series of videos will focus on JMRI’s Decoder Pro app, and JMRI throttles. I’ll come back to the Panel Pro app and turnout control later.

However, before we dive into JMRI, I have a few other deliveries to make, including some bonus materials from the DCC-EX series.

All aboard!

[Meow!]

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