If you have Rocrail setup, and one of my WiRocS nodes working, then when you select {rocrail}Programming/Rocnet/Setup and press "Query", you should see the esp ID and some data for the working ESP rocnet node… (getting this far sometimes takes a few restarts of Rocrail if you are changing things like the MQTT IP addresses…)

ID Location Vendor Class Revision i/o Sub IP UID name

28 0 Public Domain and DIY Decoders Al 13 8 0.22 WoodSt

Here the ESP is at real IP address xxx.xxx.xxx.22 but has a Rocrail ID of 28, and a UID name of "Wood St". This module is using revision 13 of my code.

IF this is not working it may be that your ESP is not connected properly to your wifi. Please start it using the arduino interface and it should help you identify the problem using the arduino terminal.

If you get this far, you should then be able to check and see the various Port settings for this ESP module.

Typically for an INPUT on PORT 4 using a hall effect switch, I will set the PORT 4 PI02 Port setup for the port as follows:

Set Type to "Input", and then, because of the hall effect switch pulling "down" on detecting the magnet, I set "Invert" ON. I do not set Toggle. { I do not think my ES code even recognizes toggle, but I could be wrong}

{IMPORTANT NOTE The PORT 4 Pi03 "channel" PORT settings should be ignored because this Port is an "Input" as set by the Pi02 Settings BUT I think that at the moment the Pi03 “Channel” Setup options to make a pin a PWM Output or SERVO Output (“Blink” or “Servo”) actually take priority over the Pi02 “Port” Type/direction settings (“Input” /“Output”) and make the port an Output. (This may change in later updates).)

Test this with a magnet and you should see the sensor icon (with the interface set to address 28,Address 4,type sensor) on Rocrail go RED when you place a magnet near the sensor, and the blue light on the NodeMcu module should change to blue.

In the rocrail controller viewport, rocrail should report something like this:

10:58:19 sensor report 28:4 off code= load=0

10:58:18 sensor report 28:4 on code= load=0

To help testing, my code sends special MQTT debug messages to "debug" In command prompt (switch to your mosquitto directory) and use the command "mosquitto_sub -h 192.168.0.11 -i "CMD_Prompt" -t debug -q 0 (assuming your mosquitto is at 192.168.0.11 !!) and you should see something like this… C:\Users\Richard>cd C:\mosquitto

C:\mosquitto>mosquitto_sub -h 192.168.0.11 -i "CMD_Prompt" -t debug -q 0

<11:04:20s> Node:28 (Wood St) Msg: IPaddr .22 Time Synchronised. Power is OFF

<11:04:70s> Node:28 (Wood St) Msg:*Sensor Seen&Sent Address:4 state:1

<11:04:70s> Node:28 (Wood St) Msg:*Sensor Confirmed Address:4 state:1

<11:06:20s> Node:28 (Wood St) Msg: IPaddr .22 Time Synchronised. Power is OFF

Note that the Time Synchronisation is sent to the debug port, so this is a very useful way of checking all your Esp devices are actually connected. For this reason I usually run the debug all the time in the background so I can check if something has lost connection..

Now, using the interface in Rocrail, First, note that the hall sensor will only close momentarily when the train passes over it, so I set the block sensors to "enter2in". Consider this very simple track with two terminal type sidings and a single point(/switch):

[Station Back] Sensor{SR} … Point Thrown

[Station Front] Sensor {SF}… Point Straight —— Main Route.

The "SR" sensor (say ID28 port 4 for example) after the points(thrown) detects the train just as it starts to enter block "StationBack" You do this by having the (Tables/blocks/ (chose StationBack) and then "routes", "all enter+" and "all enter -" and set the ID of the sensor to "SR" and the "Event" to enter2in for both these entries.

When the sensor detect the train, the sensor will momentarily go green, and Rocrail will know the train is now in that block. You can do more complex sensor patterns, with entry and exit sensors, but I have not played with these, as the enter2in event is suitable for all my needs.

Note that the Pi03 "Channel" Setup options to make a pin a PWM Output or SERVO Output ("Blink" or "Servo") take priority over the Pi02 "Port" Type/direction settings ("Input" /"Output").

So, If you have any of the "Channel" pins set to Blink or Servo, then the Pi02 Port Type/direction will always be set(forced) to "Output". (Note: But it will report "Output" when you "get" the settings, to show that it is an Output)

For the Switch for the points its very similar except that the settings for a port (example here is PORT 7) to be a servo output are as follows: Pi02 Port setup for PORT 7 set to OUTPUT Pi03Channel Setup for PORT 7: Left and right set the servo positions. I would set left and right steps to "1" to start with. Set the "Servo" tick box, but leave the Blink box unchecked. Set Delay*10ms to "1".

Providing you have placed a point/switch on your layout, and set the propertiies: {General: Type: Switch} [Interface InterfaceD {whatever you called your MQTT controller} Bus : {28 in this example} Address {7 in this exmple for PORT 7 with a servo connected} {and Check Single Gate}.

With these settings rocrail should be able to change the switch/point/servo position.

The debug monitoor should show something like this

<11:23:24s> Node:28 (Wood St) Msg:Setting Output 7 (SERVO) to State(1) = Position:180 <11:23:26s> Node:28 (Wood St) Msg:Setting Output 7 (SERVO) to State(0) = Position:4[/code]

I think if you can get all this working, you should be able to make what you want work, and experiment with the other settings, to get things like the PWM controls and blinking working for lights on the track…

good luck