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Configuring Push-buttons for Turnout Control in LCC (with BONUS section on Adapting JMRI for Feedback)

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So ALL the efforts, costs, brain damage and such to get LCC integrated into the layout is paying off in this one new step.  Let me explain. With LCC, each node is essentially its very own stand-alone microprocessor, capable of processing commands INDEPENDENTLY of a central PC or other server.  It just is connected to at the CAN bus, either looking for commands to respond (consumer) to or to issue them (producer).  SO... this addresses one of the goals of integrating LCC into my layout.  Sometimes I like to come down into the layout room and just run trains.  I don't have others with me, and for me, its a great way to unwind.  When I do that, I don't want to have to futz with turning on a PC and getting it going.  Ya, I know, some say it is not that big of a deal.  But if I am only going to be there for 5 or 15 minutes, seems like a hassle to mess with that.  I just want to through the power switch on, have the layout come to life, and run s...
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LCC - Configuring a Push Button ~WITH~ Indication

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A few months ago there was a post on the LCC Groups.IO forum talking about the ability for one of the LCC node I/O points to both act as an INPUT, that is, to accept a push button command, AND act as an output, such as to illuminate an indicating light.  This is super cool!  Why?  Well at an all-in cost of around $3 per I/O point, it's hard to justify a lot of indicating lights on panels.  BUT... if we can get a "free" output for each discrete input, well, that is just like having your cake and eating it too!  (Never totally understood that analogy, but seems fitting.) The way this works is the node runs the I/O point as an output for 63 milliseconds, and then for a few milliseconds, it converts the output to an input where it polls the input.  So if it detects a "low" or a "high" in this window, it creates the appropriate event.  Slick, huh?  Timing at 63 ms is fast enough that even if the PB is just momentarily touched, it is enough to trigger...
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More on LCC - Configuring a Turnout

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The blog post on configuring a node raised some eyebrows since the nodes come essentially already configured for detection.  I had to configure a bunch of Tortoise stall motor drive outputs, so presenting a step-by-step for configuring those kinds of outputs. For this post, I am using an RR-Cirkits Tower-LCC board with an RR-Cirkits SMD-8 stall motor driver board attached.  As before, everything is done via JMRI Panel Pro.   Open Panel Pro and then the OpenLCB config tool: As before, open the node and click on the Config Dialog: You'll see the info upload from the node.  This is a tower LCC with several points already configured.  We will do point 11: Click on tab Line 11 and, just as before, name the point.  Note that it changes to an orange background to show it was not changed on the node: Click on "Write" and it's in! Now scroll down to the Producer/Consumer options.  The whole discussion about producers and co...
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