Model Railway
a. Layout
b. Locomotives
c. Cars
d. Operating
e. Summaries
Photos
Daley Train Log
Page 106
Yesterday I purchased and downloaded a software package called Deluxe Balancer which is supposed to be used with Ship It!. I also downloaded the manual and another package called Deluxe Toolbox.
I have had a preliminary look at the manual and want to keep an accurate account of the steps I follow as I work my way through this.
This is slightly more complicated as I am working within windows xp when using these programs yet updating this web page is done in Mac OS. It is easy enough to switch between the two with a mouse click but I am not sure if this will allow screen captures of a windows screen that I can then display here.
I have made a copy of the shipit folder (as backup) and called the folder shipit2. Now to play with the files in the shipit folder.
The first step is to see if I can access the two programs I downloaded yesterday.
Okay, now I have it.
I first opened Ship It! and verified that there were no items in the Orphan Industry report.
I then closed Ship It!.
I click on the Viewer icon (a small boxcar, like all Ship It applications) and a window appears indicating I am using a program called Deluxe Toolbox 2.0. (It took me half an hour to realize this is how one opens the Balancing menu.)
Under the Balancing menu I then:
- selected "set the durations to 1"
- selected "Clear NS, NC" (since this is the first time I have used the Deluxe Balancer with this database
- selected Set NS, NC Values"
- Don't check "Save Balancer Reports in Main ShipIt Folder" (The reports will be placed in special folders named balancer output files.)
- Press "Uncheck Limit All Siding Lengths" (since this is the first time I have used the Deluxe Balancer)
- Ignore the Limiting Siding Lengths since I have no interchanges and think that I have no industries within a yard (I am not sure about the Jasper Yard but will try this to begin). Ignore the other options.
- select "Export and Balance". This will cause the Deluxe Balancer to actually run.
- Type "n" to the question "Is the database ready for balance polishing?"
- Type "0" to the question "Number of Balancer Assistant passes desired?"
- When the DOS window closes then close the balancing menu and close the Deluxe toolbox.
The next step is to locate the reports. I first look in the "primary" folder since that is the database I am using. Then I look in the folder "balancer output files". There is one report, "Balancing Summary Report". This is the first report I should view every time I run the Deluxe Balancer.
There are a number of industries where the total number of amounts and empties is incorrect. Now I have to figure out why they are incorrect and how to fix it. But at least the Deluxe Balancer ran!