Software
The interface
The LoDi-Aura interface consists of a header bar, four tabs and, below each tab, sub-tabs or tiles. This page explains what the header bar shows, where to find what, and how to open monitors such as the log or trains in their own window or dock them next to the track plan.
Program and interface
LoDi-Aura consists of two parts. It pays to keep them apart – otherwise you'll look in the wrong place when there's a fault.
| Part | Job |
|---|---|
| The program | Runs on the layout computer. It talks to the devices, drives the trains, sets the turnouts, runs the automation and knows the state of the layout. It keeps working even when not a single window of the interface is open. Its small start window only shows the status (Installing and starting). |
| The interface | Displays things and takes commands. It doesn't calculate anything itself and doesn't remember anything that matters. You can close it, reload it, open a second window next to it or add a tablet – none of that changes anything on the layout. |
This has two very practical consequences:
- All windows show the same thing. You can draw on the computer and stand next to it with the tablet in your hand. Both see the same state, because both ask the same program. If you set a turnout in one window, the other immediately shows the same position.
- Reloading only helps with the display. If a train is in the wrong place in the program, it is just as wrong after F5. Then it isn't the display that's wrong but the program's assumption – the log usually tells you why (Log and diagnostics).
When the connection drops
If the connection between the interface and the program drops, a banner appears below the header bar and the status box shows “unstable” or “offline”. The track plan stays visible, but editing and saving are locked until the connection is back.
The interface keeps trying by itself – you don't have to do anything but wait. Once the connection is back, the banner says “The connection is back”, and the project and hardware state are synchronised again.
The header bar
The header bar is the most important line of the interface. At a glance it tells you whether you have a problem – and where.
The status box
The status box has two halves that you shouldn't mix up:
- Left: the connection of this window to the program. A click opens “System” › “Interfaces”.
- Right, “Layout”: the hardware. A click brings the layout online or takes it offline.
| Display on the left | Meaning |
|---|---|
| “connecting …” | The window is establishing the connection to the program. |
| “connected” | All is well. After it you see how many of the set-up devices are online, e.g. “connected · 3/3”. |
| “unstable” | The connection is interrupted and is being re-established. Saving and hardware actions are locked until then. |
| “offline” | No connection to the program. Hardware control and saving aren't available; the connection is checked again automatically. |
| “syncing …” | The connection is back. The project and hardware state are being synchronised again. |
| Display on the right (“Layout”) | Meaning |
|---|---|
| “3/3 online” | All set-up devices are connected. The numbers are connected devices out of set-up devices. |
| “2/3 · connecting…” | After switching on, the devices need a few seconds. The switch is locked in the meantime. |
| “2/3 · incomplete” | Switched on, but not all devices are answering. A click brings in the missing ones. |
| “0/3 · offline” | The layout is switched off. |
| “no interfaces” | No device has been set up in the project yet. |
| “Dry run”, “Dry run · offline” | Dry run is active – with the virtual layout switched on or off (Trying it without a layout). |
The other fields
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| “LoDi-Aura” with version number | Program name and version, e.g. “v0.9.19”. Mention the version when you contact us with a question. |
| Throttle icon | Opens the throttle for the most recently selected loco. |
| “Booster” | “ON”, “OFF” or “offline” – the track power of all boosters together, the big main switch. A click switches everything on or off. It appears as soon as there is a LoDi-Rektor or a command station with a booster in the project. If it says “OFF”, LoDi-Aura accepts no new driving commands (Driving). |
| “Model Time” | The layout clock, model time or system time depending on the setting (Settings). |
| “Access” | Which permission this window has. Only appears in windows connected over the network, for example on a tablet (Settings). |
| “local” / “LAN” | “local”: the interface can only be reached on this computer. “LAN”: the AURA network server is running and tablets on your home network can connect. |
| Device pictures | Up to three pictures of the devices that are online right now, then “+n”. The tooltip shows the device name. |
| “Sim” | Switches dry run on and off. Only for administrators, and only as long as the layout isn't really connected (Trying it without a layout). |
| ⏻ | Quits LoDi-Aura. Only visible on the layout computer (Installing and starting). |
| Save tile | The project name (otherwise “New layout”), below it “saved”, “open” or “saving”. A click saves (Project and backup). |
If a licence is about to expire or has expired, a banner appears below the header bar. ✕ hides it until the next reload. If “expires” turns into “expired”, it appears again. More in Signing in and licences.
The four tabs
Below the header bar there are four tabs, each with sub-tabs or tiles beneath it. There is no more structure than that: whatever you're looking for is behind one of these four.
| Tab | Contents |
|---|---|
| “Track plan” | Drawing the layout and driving. This is where you spend most of your time. It has its own bar (see below). More in Drawing the track plan and Driving. |
| “Vehicles” | Four sub-tabs: “Locomotives”, “Cars”, “Trains”, “Train classes” – the master data of the vehicles and the throttle. More in Locos, cars and trains. |
| “Automation” | The “Operating logic” with “Sequences”, “Nodes” and “Settings”: the board on which you wire up nodes. More in Automation. |
| “System” | At the top under “My layout”, your set-up devices for direct access; below them the “System areas” as tiles (see below). |
The track plan bar
Above the track plan sits its own bar. It is there both in operation and in edit mode. The zoom buttons float at the bottom left of the track plan.
| Element | Effect |
|---|---|
| “▤ Layers ▾” | Show and hide layers, among them the technical layer with the modules. |
| “🧰 Tools ▾” | Rarely used tools: “📏 Calibration run” and “🔎 Check track plan”; in operation also “↺ Turnouts to home position” and “📌 Pushpin”, in edit mode “🔌 Re-lay all cables” and “📐 Alignment guides while dragging”. |
| “🟢 Start” | Every train standing on its home track sets off. Trains standing elsewhere stay put. After a stop, the same button resumes operation. |
| “🛑 STOP” | The first press stops the trains. Another press triggers the emergency stop: all locos stop immediately, without the loco's braking delay. To carry on, use the green button. |
| “▾” next to “🛑 STOP” | Set the operation – drive home, halt, stop, emergency stop. This is also where you set what the first press of “🛑 STOP” does. |
| “✎ Edit” / “▶ Track plan” | Switches between operation and edit mode. |
The tiles under “System”
| Tile | Contents | More |
|---|---|---|
| “Project” | Load, save and back up the layout. | Project and backup |
| “Time & clock” | Manage system time and model railway time. | Settings |
| “Track plan” | Scale, speed, RailCom and safety settings of the layout. | Project and backup |
| “Interfaces” | Set up devices, buses and modules. | Devices and command stations |
| “Look & Feel” | Design the interface and track plan together. | Settings |
| “Language” | Choose the display language. | Settings |
| “Users & Permissions” | Control access from the network and editing rights. | Settings |
| “Diagnostics” | Check live values, connection status and log. | Log and diagnostics |
| “Update” | Whether a newer version of LoDi-Aura is available. | Installing and starting |
| “About” | Versions, roles and manufacturer information. | – |
Monitors and windows
The monitors are on the right of the tab row. Click opens a separate window; drag to a window edge docks the monitor.
- “Booster ⧉” – as soon as there is a LoDi-Rektor or a command station with a booster in the project.
- “Feedback ⧉” – as soon as there is a LoDi-S88-Commander in the project.
- “Trains ⧉” – as soon as a train has been created.
- “Log ⧉” and “Accessories ⧉” – always.
The feedback monitor next to the track plan is especially helpful when setting up: you see straight away which feedback sensor really responds. “Accessories” shows turnouts, signals and lights from the track plan as a list and a control board. The log is explained in Log and diagnostics.
Docking
Docked monitors sit as tiles on the edge of the window – top, bottom, left or right. Several tiles may sit side by side or one above the other on each edge.
- To dock, drag the pill from the tab row to the window edge you want.
- Drag with the mouse to set the width of an edge and the split between the tiles.
- ⧉ in the tile header opens the tile as a separate window again. You can also drag the tile out of the dock by its header.
- ✕ closes the tile.
A throttle can be docked too. It then carries its STOP button in the middle of the tile header. If you open a monitor that is already docked, the existing tile flashes briefly instead of opening a second time.
Each control station remembers for itself which monitors are docked where – so the tablet has its own arrangement.
Several windows and tablets
You can open several interface windows at the same time – for example the track plan on one screen and trains or the log as a separate window on a second. All windows show the same state.
On the layout computer the interface can always be reached. If tablets or other computers on your home network should be able to operate too, start the AURA network server and assign permissions – described in Settings.