System2 Panel Controller Software Updates (mini, IN-32, OUT-32)

Version 14 – Release Date: 15-JAN-2024

o Added support for System2 MiniPanel.
o Updated product database. The product database is now stored in ‘the cloud’ and is automatically updated on boot if a connection is available. This allows for the introduction of new System2 products without having to release updates to all other products.
o Fixed a JMRI bug where track sensors are incorrectly reported as turnouts.

Version 13 – Release Date: 06-OCT-2023

o Test modes cleaned up.
o Automatic clean up of obsolete EEPROM data.
o Corrected product name on Wi-Fi config page.

Version 12 – Release Date: 06-OCT-2023

Fixed incorrect MQTT announce message. Now reports as “panel-“.
Adjusted font size and weight to format correctly on Apple Safari browsers.
MQTT broker not recognising changes. Now accepts user specified port.

Version 11 – Release Date: 05-OCT-2023

Fixed an incorrect link to the documentation URL.

Version 10 – Release Date: 29-SEP-2023

NOTICE:
Before updating, save a screenshot of your button type configuration. This update introduces new button types so they will likely change during the update and you may need to reset them. This applies to the button type dropdown box only. vPorts are unaffected.
You should apply the 02-OCT-2023 patch to Servo Drivers before
applying this update.

Patch Notes:
If you are updating from a previous version the default pushbutton type has changed to stateless. If you want to use the previous behaviour (stateful) you must go into the switch type and reconfigure it as ‘stateful’.
To use stateless (the default option from this point on), update your driver boards to 01-OCT-2023 version or later.
Updated driver boards will support both types of push to make button transparently and also work well with older revision Panel Controllers.
Common code across Panel Controller, IN-32 and OUT-32 boards. The board personality (type) is set using compile time options.
Pushbuttons (push to make) are mow stateless.
– Instead of sending a ‘0’ or ‘1’ they send a ‘2’ indicating the button has been pressed. The Panel Controllers and OUT-32 boards no longer store the state.
Servo driver must be updated to SEPT-2023 or later to recognise the stateless mode when using push buttons.
Toggle switches and sensors remain unaffected.
JMRI mode via MQTT only recognises ‘THWOWN’ or ‘CLOSED’ for turnouts. Therefore use toggle switches when using JMRI mode. Sensors remain unaffected.
Start of day messages only send sensors and toggle switch states. Stateless mode do not send status, else they would toggle any attached motors.
Updated CAN library. Now detecting bus resets and buss off messages. Takes appropriate action to recover the CAN controller when necessary.

Added start of day option to the type column. Assigning a button to start of day will force a synchronization event across all boards. This builds a board list over 1 second, then queries each for its status.
This has the effect of synchronizing all boards across the network even if they missed the initial boot up messages. Particularly useful for the larger installations where all boards can be synchronized once
everything has had time to start up.
Set proper product image at configuration page header.


CAN Network Monitor
Deduplicated packets.
Deduplicated the status log web display area.
Removed vPort decode from non vPort traffic types (management data).

Version 8 – Release Date: 19-JUL-2023

Added support for ‘fixing’ a borked software update. If the software detects missing static files it will automatically try to download in the background. You will not see any update, however the  on board LED will blink  erratically as data is downloaded. Leave the board alone for 15 minutes as it tries to resolve the issue automatically for you. To test, try reconnecting to the main web page. If you see it, then it’s fixed.

Version 7 – Release Date 06-MAY-2023

IMPORTANT – Installing this patch requires that ALL products are patched.

All System2 boards should be updated to 06-MAY-2003 patch date or later. See
bottom of these release notes for version specifics. This is a significant
update and changes how the boards communicate with each other. Therefore all boards
should be patched.
Products shipped after 06-MAY-2023 will automatically have this patch installed.

CAN
Internal tweaks to encoded vPort data on the CAN bus. This update requires
all boards on your network to be updated to remain compatible over the CAN bus.

We plan on making videos showing how you can integrate your Arduino into
this system to both read and control almost all aspects. The CAN bus
changes will make this more accessible when we publish it.

WiFi credential sharing
Improvements to the WiFi credential sharing are implemented including:
– Consistent operation across all System2 board types.
– Faster revocation of credentials with boards returning to operational
– state after having WiFi credentials revoked (3-5 seconds).
– Improvement to the DCC module becoming operational following WiFi
credential removal.

CAN Monitor web page
The CAN monitor web page has had the RFID column removed. This was used
in testing during 2022 with the AVR microcontrollers and is now obsolete.
You can still see the raw packets from RFID data, however they are not
decoded for you.
We plan to replace this monitor with something more useful at a later date.

MQTT
Some products have had their MQTT library replaced to improve stability (all
except the Panel Controller and Servo-8 driver). This had the unintended
consequence of locking the MQTT broker name and preventing users from
changing it. For the DCC Module (example) this means it works great here
but not on your site where the broker will be different.
We have changed our testing regime to prevent this happening again.

General
Miscellaneous code refactoring across all System2 products for a more
consistent operation.

JMRI
We tested the RFID readers against Panel Pro version 5.3.5 (beta). The
RFID readers successfully updated the JMRI reporters data.

Patch versions
Each product should be patched to 06-MAY-2023 or later. The specific
product versions are:
Panel Controller 7
Servo-8 Driver 7
DCC Decoder 4
RFID Reader 6
RFID Display Driver 5
Relay Driver 4

Version 6 – Release Date 22-MAR-2023

  • Animated hotspot buttons.
  • Fixed a race condition when configured Wi-Fi no longer available. May require the Wi-Fi credentials to be re-entered.
  • Fixed the Wi-Fi boot count limiting attempts to three, after which the unit enters run mode.

Version 5 – Release Date: 13-MAR-2023

Holding down the HOTSPOT button at power on will force the hotspot on, so user can enter Wi-Fi parameters irrespective of the device configuration.

Wi-Fi hotspot admin page completely rewritten with increased usability:

  • Can now scan for Wi-Fi networks allowing user to select from a list which to connect.
  • IP Address will now automatically display following success logging on to new network.
  • No need to refresh page to see updated data.
  • May display “sign-in required” on some devices. Selecting this automatically takes you to the admin page.
  • Admin page address has changed to “4.3.2.1/admin” to improve device usability.
  • Increased default servo speed.

The HOTSPOT button is more forgiving. It won’t immediately cancel the hotspot if held down too long.

Some devices (Android) will automatically go to the hotspot admin page automatically connecting. Others can access by going to the page

Version 4 – Release Date: 04-MAR-2023

JMRI compatibility (bidirectional) via MQTT.

Added MQTT support in both ‘Native’ and ‘JMRI’ modes. Included in MQTT:

  • Protocol selection toggles between CAN, Native, JMRI. MQTT is enabled on all protocols except CAN. Save and reboot after changing.
  • Select JMRI if using JMRI for control of servo driver.
  • Select Native is using Wi-Fi between MegaPoints devices.
  • NOTE: Disconnect CAN network if using Wi-Fi (MQTT) to prevent messaging conflicts.
  • MQTT is a new feature, feedback via email is appreciated.
  • Tested against JMRI v 5.2.

Network discovery (manually triggered by ‘locate board’) includes enhanced information:

  • Device name (links to device management page).
  • Device location.
  • Device IP address (links to device management page).

Improved Wi-Fi connection persistence. Will try 5 times to connect and if fails will auto reboot the board up to 5 attempts before giving up.

Tidied up range data input on management web interface. Now consistent across all servos. Increased usability (editing) on small screen devices.

Improved range check input fields to allow easier editing on small screens.

Range text boxes show yellow background when servo is positioned on that side. This shows which side will move when adjusting movement ranges.