Re: Open Source software for controlling the Intellibox from Uhlenbrock

Hello Robert,

I did start out developing it platform independent, but I ran into som SUN serial port API licensing problems and I therefor had to write my own platform specific implementation. Since my "train PC" runs Windows the first choice for me was to write it to this platform.

The file "biz.damsgaard.traincontrol.serialport.SerialPortNativeInterface" contains the interface one has to write to support AMRC:

native static public void open(String port, int speed) native static public void close() native static public void setSpeed(int speed) native static public void sendBreak(int length) native static public boolean isCTS() native static public int read() native static public void write(int data)

As you can see a very simple interface to implement.

I hope someone else will take the time to write an implementation to Linux and other OS's.

I use Ant as my build tool and Eclipse to develop it with.

Ant is together with Maven the most widely use build tool for Java. Se more about Ant here

I use the gui toolkit from Eclipse called SWT - it provide at fast platform independent GUI. The drawback is that all code is handwritten - there is no easy GUI designer to use here.

Best regards Christian Damsgaard

CD> Hello Robert, CD> CD> > A question: CD> > CD> > Why don't you have a UNIX/Linux 'friendly' version of the CD> > download? It would be nice if you included a plain .tar.gz (or .zip) file CD> > containing just the *binaries* for UNIX and Linux users. I mean why CD> > bother to write it in Java and not provide the binaries in a CD> > cross-platform format? CD> CD> I did start out developing it platform independent, but I ran into som CD> SUN serial port API licensing problems and I therefor had to write my CD> own platform specific implementation. Since my "train PC" runs Windows CD> the first choice for me was to write it to this platform. CD> CD> The file CD> "biz.damsgaard.traincontrol.serialport.SerialPortNativeInterface" CD> contains the interface one has to write to support AMRC: CD> CD> native static public void open(String port, int speed) CD> native static public void close() CD> native static public void setSpeed(int speed) CD> native static public void sendBreak(int length) CD> native static public boolean isCTS() CD> native static public int read() CD> native static public void write(int data) CD> CD> As you can see a very simple interface to implement. CD> CD> I hope someone else will take the time to write an implementation to CD> Linux and other OS's.

I might be interested, if only to compare it with my Tcl/TK based Model RR system. I'll contact you via SourceForge about this.

CD> CD> > There does not seem to be any makefiles, etc. for building the CD> > code (under UNIX or Linux). Bummer. I'm guessing you used some IDE CD> > hack to build it. CD> CD> I use Ant as my build tool and Eclipse to develop it with. CD> CD> Ant is together with Maven the most widely use build tool for Java. Se CD> more about Ant here

I would rather NOT deal with an IDE -- I am much more comfortable with a CLI-based Makefile+emacs type of development environment (and this is

*probably* typical of UNIX/Linux developers).

CD> CD> I use the gui toolkit from Eclipse called SWT - it provide at fast CD> platform independent GUI. The drawback is that all code is handwritten - CD> there is no easy GUI designer to use here.

Should not be any worse that anything else -- I feel that GUI designer's tend to be overrated anyway.

CD> CD> Best regards CD> Christian Damsgaard CD> CD>

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