Here you will find the terms that come up again and again in LoDi-Aura and in this documentation, explained briefly, with a reference to the page where they are described in detail.
A to F
| Term | Meaning |
|---|
| Block | A track section in which exactly one train may be, usually from turnout to turnout. The basis for routes and automation. See Blocks, feedback and insulated joints. |
| Booster | Supplies the track power, reports the current per channel and detects short circuits. See Setting up the LoDi-Booster. |
| Calibration | Recording the speed curve of a loco in shuttle operation with the LoDi-TrainSpeed measuring device. See Calibration. |
| Calibration run | Measuring the track lengths with a calibration loco. Not to be confused with calibration. See Calibration. |
| Check track plan | A list of the known configuration errors in your plan, such as duplicate feedback sensors, a block without an exit or a turnout without an address. You find it under “🧰 Tools” › “🔎 Check track plan”. See Blocks, feedback and insulated joints. |
| Dead man's switch | A safety function: if the automation stands still for more than three seconds, LoDi-Aura switches off the track power at all command stations and sets ALL STOP. See Driving. |
| Diagnostic package | A file with the protocol, log, connection records and device counters, saved under “System” › “Diagnostics”. Attach it to every fault report. See Log and diagnostics. |
| Dry run | Simulation on the same layout: the plan is shared, the operating state lives in a throwaway world, and what has been learned is only read. The simplified simulation (default) fills in a missing command station, feedback module and feedback addresses itself; with “Exact simulation” it makes up nothing. See Trying it without a layout. |
| Fault | In the log, the reason why a train can't continue right now, as a full sentence with the name of the obstacle. Disappears as soon as the train can move again. See Log and diagnostics. |
| Feedback loop | In a sequence, a cable against the reading direction that closes a loop. It only takes effect in the next cycle. See Automation. |
| Feedback sensor | A detector that recognises occupied track. Several feedback sensors per block make the position more accurate; together they add up to the block length. See Blocks, feedback and insulated joints. |
G to M
| Term | Meaning |
|---|
| Horizon | How many blocks a train books ahead. Larger means smoother running, but more of the layout is occupied. |
| Hp0 / Hp1 / Hp2 | Stop · proceed · slow speed. Hp2 applies when the route leads over a diverging turnout. See Turnouts and signals. |
| Layout computer | The computer the layout is connected to and on which LoDi-Aura runs. It holds all connections to the devices, drives the trains and knows the state of the layout and the trains – even when no window is open. See Installing and starting. |
| Layout online / offline | The main “Layout” switch for the hardware in the header. Offline means: no devices, no driving – but you can still edit the track plan. LoDi-Aura then refuses turnouts, lights and the stop buttons and tells you why; nothing is switched only in the picture. |
| Learning | The train learns its speed curve in normal operation, without a measuring device. Can be switched off with the “Learning active” tick box on the train. |
| Licence tier | Basic, Standard or Professional – it determines which functions of LoDi-Aura are unlocked. Without a licence, the LoDi devices and the hand throttle work. See Signing in and licences. |
| Log | The list of what is pending right now and what happened before. The “Log ⧉” pill in the header. See Log and diagnostics. |
| Measuring run | A single loco runs through the speed steps one after another and so measures its speed curve over the block lengths – without a measuring device. See Calibration. |
| Model time | The accelerated clock of the layout with its own start time and factor. Among other things, it controls the lighting of houses and stations and the “Time of day” trigger. See Settings. |
N to S
| Term | Meaning |
|---|
| Operating logic | The editor for sequences in the “Automation” tab. See Automation. |
| Pass-through block | A block with the “⛓ Book the next block too” tick box. The automation never chooses it as a destination by itself and only books it together with the block behind it. See Blocks, feedback and insulated joints. |
| Platform | Drawn at the 🚉 track of a station. Trains whose train class requires it then stop with their cars at the platform instead of at the stopping point. See Blocks, feedback and insulated joints and Locos, cars and trains. |
| Protection distance | Reserve behind the train before the route is released. |
| Pushpin | A note you pin to a turnout, a block, a track or anywhere in the track plan (“🧰 Tools” › “📌 Pushpin”). Open pushpins appear as warnings in the log. See Log and diagnostics. |
| RailCom | Feedback from the decoder: which loco is where right now, usually with its direction too. An mfx® loco only reports via a built-in RailCom transmitter. See Locos, cars and trains. |
| Route | The reserved path of a train: turnouts set and locked, blocks booked, signals set accordingly. It is released again behind the train. See Driving. |
| Sector turntable | A track piece with a bridge that pivots around one of its ends across a fan of stopping positions; the fixed approach track lies at the pivot. The bridge is a block of its own. See Drawing the track plan and Stations, shunting and staging yards. |
| Sequence | A plan of boxes and cables in the operating logic that does something on its own – sensors on the left, logic in the middle, actuators on the right. Each sequence can be switched on and off individually with “running”. See Automation. |
| Shunting move | A slow move that ignores block directions, may reverse and only enters free blocks. Gesture: Alt + drag. See Stations, shunting and staging yards. |
| Staging yard | A station that stores arriving trains and keeps as many tracks free as set; if fewer are free, a stored train departs. See Stations, shunting and staging yards. |
| Startup window | The small window LoDi-Aura shows on the layout computer when it starts. Its close button quits LoDi-Aura without asking. See Installing and starting. |
| Stopping point | The mark in the block where the front of the loco should come to a stop – separately for each direction; individual train classes can have their own. See Blocks, feedback and insulated joints. |
T to Z
| Term | Meaning |
|---|
| Timetable | All departures of the layout as a table under “Automation” › “Timetable”: train, destination, times and status. A departure is a sequence made of a clock and a route. See Timetable. |
| Train class | A class of train with a colour and a route horizon. Blocks can allow, direct or block train classes individually. See Locos, cars and trains. |
| Train load | Five levels from “Very light” through “Light”, “Normal” and “Heavy” to “Very heavy”. Determines how briskly a train starts and how early it brakes. See Locos, cars and trains. |
| Transfer point | Two points with the same symbol are one track – a seam without length. See Drawing the track plan. |
| Transfer table | A track piece with a bridge that moves sideways across its stopping positions; tracks can lie on the left and right. The bridge is a block of its own. See Drawing the track plan and Stations, shunting and staging yards. |
| Turntable | A track piece with a rotating bridge; the bridge is a block of its own. You drive by dragging and turn by clicking an exit track. See Stations, shunting and staging yards. |
| Version | A saved state of the layout on this computer, automatically at most every five minutes or by hand with a name. “Back” restores it. See Project and backup. |
| Waypoint | A via point on the way. Dragged with Shift; the last destination without Shift triggers the departure. See Driving. |
| Zigzag run | A shunting path with a reversal: drive out, stop, reverse, back into the branch. The automation finds the turnaround points itself. See Stations, shunting and staging yards. |
