LEGACY System Utility v1.0

Downloaded on to my laptop tonight. I'll have to pick up a USB to serial adaptor.

 First impressions are good. Version 1.5 mentioned in the manual, any ideas of the updates it contains?

Nick

I don't have a serial cable that long.  I have seen where you can use cat 5e up to 50' with a usb converter on each end but I don't know of anyone who has tried that.

Ken M

Trust me, the plain serial cable will easily do that.  I just dug out my 100 foot serial cable and connected to the Legacy using a Vantec USB-Serial adapter model CB-USB20SR.  Works perfectly through the cable, no expensive converters required.

Could one just bring the Legacy Base to the computer and hook it up without running 50 or 100ft. of extra cable?

Yep.  MY second base is on my desk next to the computer where I've been playing with it and the LSU software.

I have begun to play with the LSU.  Overall, it is a pretty fun program.  I think it would be cool to customize the Speedo screen.  I never use the pre-set RR speed buttons.  I would love to substitute those buttons with the optional buttons in the LSU.

Hey Marty, I read your reply to my suggestion for an engine note text box to document service.  Do you think that this feature could be contained within the program installed on the computer's hard drive?  This would preserve the limited memory available on the base.

I don't know how you would sync that up with the base especially if you have multiple base back up files. 

Does the base have to be powered up to use the software?

Ken M

Yes

Count on it!

Rudy

For those of us that spend days or weeks on the road without our trains, perhaps there could be a way of offline editing.  That way, while traveling with a laptop, we could tinker with the setup (probably using the most recent back up file) and then, when we get home, we could connect to the base and sync it up with the new changes.

Just a thought!

I asked about "off-line" editing.  I was told that there would not be that option at this time to prevent the chance corruption of database files.

Also this is only the first REV so they are watching for feedback for added functionality.

The LSU seems to be a pretty impressive advancement for Lionel.  I wonder why it is not featured prominently on the Lionel homepage.  If I did not follow the OGR forum, I would be completely unaware of this software.  Surely, only a minority of Lionel train enthusiasts participate on the forum.  I just find this strange.

It is odd that it's not mentioned anywhere unless you search for it.  It is a nice utility, and it'll be even better when the black modules are available.  Perhaps they're waiting until they have those in the supply pipeline to announce the whole package?

It would be my guess as well that they are waiting for the modules to be ready and make an announcement about the utility then.  Just a guess.

Thanks all for your interest and excellent suggestions! We chose this forum for our initial roll-out of the LEGACY System Utility because we knew you'd put the software through its paces--thank you! As we get closer to availability of the black module (aka the LEGACY Writable Utility Module), you'll see a second, wider round of promotion for LSU including more visibility on the Lionel website. Stay tuned.

rudy

railsounds, thanks for the info straight from Lionel.

Makes sense to me, I figured it would be based on the black modules somehow.

Rudy,

I too appreciate Lionel releasing info directly on the OGR.  It will be interesting to see to what extent comments and feedback from this forum shape the development of the LSU.  I am sure that the non-OGR Forum users that are as of yet unaware of the LSU will really appreciate it once they learn about it!

I have a question. I downloaded the program and backed up my base at home on my laptop. Can I take my laptop to the club and back up the club base with a different name(Legacy Club)? Will it replace my home base or will I have 2 seperate bases backed up?

Thanks

Jim D.

Jim, You can have multiple bases backed up with different file names or multiple backups of the same base, again each with different file names.

Dan

Thanks Dan.

Jim D.

After more time with it. 

1.  Need to do another backup after making engine changes.  Doesn't ask on exit from program.

2.  The R100 setting does not work with v1.3 at all.  Some what random settings appear on the remote for that engine.  Can set a K-Line engine for 32 - 128 - 256 speed steps.

Dan

REL is a 1.4 feature. 

It would be good if it could prompt you to save on exit if there was a change made to the data base.  Good suggestion.

Dumb question, what is REL?

My USB to Serial lead arrived from Amazon (£7.50) today.

 Went to pick one up from PC World the other day but here in the UK they have merged the stores with Currys so they sell everything from TV's to toasters. Needless to say there is now a very limited choice. Used to be racks of diffrent cables, now you would be lucky to pick up a normal USB or Cat 5! Anyway I digress. 

 Tried a base back-up and it worked great have also tried playing with altering the hot keys.

LSU up and running here in the UK

Looking forward to 1.4/1.5

Nick

REL = Relative.

got my usb to serial adapter and downloaded my home legacy files to my lap top. made some changes and saved them to the legacy base.  fired up the handheld and there were the changes.  why would you need a black module?  is it so you can then download the changes to you club or?

I was installing a convenient DB9 port on my layout connected to the Legacy base, and only used pins 2,3,and 5. Didn't work. Apparently there is some rts-cts handshaking so I had to connect 7 and 8 as well. Also did 9 but don't think it was necessary.

Just FYI.

Yep.  Pretty much an easy way to bring your engine setup to another layout or club.

The black module (aka LEGACY Writable Utility Module) is also necessary to perform software updates on the CAB-2 and LEGACY Base.

rudy

Probably a dumb question, but do you have any idea when these modules will be available?

Finally got home and tried to backup my base.

Got a cheap-o USB to Serial cable.  Plugged it into the Serial Comm Y cable.

Launched the software.  Changed to Com port 4 and the status went to base connected.  Selected Backup Database button.  Backup seems to start but very quickly get a message: "Communications Error - Incorrect Response from base.  Make sure the correct COM port is selected.  Refer to help guide".

Help guide says something about garbled data or wrong port or USB adapter.

I only have the option to select COM 3 or COM 4.  Com 3 will not get a Base Connected message.  Com 4 does connect but get the above error.  It looks like my cable is on COM 6 but I don't have that selection available.

Any ideas?

Here's a Vantec cable that several of us have purchased and works well, it's only $10.99 with free shipping: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...Item=N82E16812232006

It works flawlessly for me on two different systems, I bought another one for my laptop so I didn't have to pull the one off the desktop.

Windows? Not really sure just what the problem, but if it's ports and what the computer is using for another device, this is the way to change them.

Go to Control Panel, Device Manager, Ports, USB (the one you have connected to the base and the cable), Port Settings, Advanced, click on the port button and see what is in use and if you can use # 4. Sometimes if you have other devices using the one you need to use, you can change them to free up the one you need.

I had a similar problem.  the disk with the driver was crupt.  went on-line and down loaded driver and then re-booted computer to get it to work.

I don't think there's any way, I couldn't get that to work.

My answer to the issue of "chance corruption of database files" is that #1 it is BETA software and #2 we obviously WANT to be able to edit the files.  I think in this case, though well-intentioned, Lionel trying to protect us from ourselves really limits the potential of this tool.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it very much!  I just wish they would let us do more with it.

Regards,

Eric S.

Saline, MI

It could be well intentioned to protect us fromourselves, but I took it to mean that a file could be corrupted because of the nature of the software and programming thus far.