Rick, Take a breath and relax. There is always something that will bite your backside no matter what the endeavor. DCC is a frame of mind thing just like using a computer. Both have their way of doing things and we need to learn to think on their terms. If you are wondering about matching a couple of locomotives, the best way is to use a consistent speed table in all of the units. These are CV's 67-94 Now it gets a little more complicated, in that some decoders have certain features and some do not. Sort of like the difference between a Chevy and a Cadillac. CV 65 is called Kickstart, it works instead of CV 2 when using the speed tables. Not all decoders support this. TCS does not, but Lenz does and so does Digitrax. NCE may, but I have no NCE decoders so I can not say one way or the other. Next you have the trim CV's. These are for fine tuning of the speed table. They are CV66 (Forward Trim) and CV 95 (Reverse Trim). What they do is act as a scalar multiplier for the voltage applied by the speed table. Values are 0-255. The values are normalized by the value of 128 such that any setting greater than 128 will increase the voltage applied and any value less than 128 will reduce the voltage applied. These increases and reductions are across every value of the speed table. How this works is that by lowering the values of CV66 and CV94, A Kato locomotive can be slowed down to work with other locomotives. Since they share the same speed tables, they can be made to work in unison. Not all decoders support TRIM, Digitrax and Soundtraxx are the only decoders I have that do. Niether TCS or Lenz support trim. There are other features that may or may not be enabled or available depending on the decoder. So one way for DCC to be easier for you is to standardize on the decoders you plan to use. It is easier to pick one brand and stick with it for your decoders. They generally all have the same features with only the number of lighting functions being the difference from one decoder to the other. For example, a DZ125 from Digitrax has all of the same programing ability as the DN163, except the DN163 has 6 lighting function instead of the 2 for the DZ125. This makes it easy to speed match an FVM Gevo with the DZ125IN and a Kato SD70MAC with the DN163K1B. There is another thread here on trainboard on speed matching that details the steps I use to match the locomotives so they move in unison. If you get confused, you can always get a hold of me, I am happy to help you.
That's the command system. The question asked is what is the decoder in the loco? If you fitted it you should know, if it was a factory fit then tell us the make and model of loco and someone will likely know. This is what I referred to in my 'history lecture' about shielding you from the bitness. The MRC system is trying to make it easier by 'translating' the more common CV values into English. Unfortunately most of the help you are getting here talks about CVn so you need to speak both However you may be able to ignore the English texts on the MRC and just use that CV--- you mentioned to set all the values.
Rick, The deal is that all of the decoders are different except for the NMRA recommended practice designated variables. Those RP CV's are basically reserved addresses to do specific things. Even then the manufacturers may/will have implemented how different formulas or instructions that makes each brand of decoder work a little differently. Like David said, Digitrax uses CV 65 for kickstart which is an RP CV. TCS does not. TCS uses something called dither which basically can do the same thing and uses CV's 56 & 57, which are not reserved CV's. It's just like every brand of car may have the windshield wiper on/off in a different place. Your best bet is to figure out what kind of decoder is in the locomotive you are trying to work with and find a manual or ask questions about the specific brand of decoder. Every decoder does not support every CV. The manual for the specific decoder will usually give you a list of CV's that decoder supports. If it is not listed in the decoder manual it usually means that specific CV and its' functions are not supported. If you do not know the brand of decoder and can read back from the decoder, try to read the value in CV 8. This is a reserved CV that contains a manufacturer ID and that will tell you who made it. A list of manufacturer ID #'s can be found here: NMRA Manufacturer ID Codes
I must be on information deep freeze. Perhaps suffering from a fecallith in the circle of willis. You may have to think about that last one. To answer Mikes, question about the decoder in the locomotive. The decoder in the locomotive is the one that comes standard with an N Scale, Atlas locomotive. I suspect it is a Lenz, and there again maybe some other brand. Tad, I will give that CV #8 option a go at it. That is if I can figure out where to find it. Grin! Originally posted by DCESharkman / David, ""Take a breath and relax. There is always something that will bite your backside no matter what the endeavor."" End of quote. Oh, yes how well I know. As per my life's experience: Despite my best efforts there was always someone who thought they knew better and would take a bite out of my hind side or stab me in the back. Yep, I'm real acquainted with this. I hate learning something new but I've never regretted the end result. Mike and David and of course all tuned in. After all this is a public forum and if I want to say something privately, I will use the Private Message option. So read on! If I heard you right I need to learn a new language, new dialect and possibly acquire a new vocabulary. Me thinks I should of set this one out. Getting to old for this stuff. As is normal...(yep that other stuff)...one must use the new techology the way it is designed. Not the way we think it should work. Did you know that 99.9% of any product failure, is usually due to the operator using said product incorrectly. So, it's learning time! Just not today. I need a day off. I may go play with it later. Sometimes, it's that odd time out, or relaxed moment when it all clicks and works. Do stay tuned I may need your help here in the near future. Together...we can get'r done. For now I need to absorb, digest and act on the information shared here. Thanks again for all the help.
Bob, I knew you'd pick up on it. Very good! Just to funny! I got your message...sorry...I was out in the train shed without a phone. I'll be sure to carry it with me. I must do something about my address and phone numbers...a better filing system perhaps.
Rick, This link lists Atlas N Scale Locomotive Decoder Applications that are the stock decoders installed by Atlas. Depending upon which locomotive you are working with it is probably one of these three manuals: LE063XF DCC Decoder Manual for Atlas N Scale Locomotives LE062XF DCC Decoder Manual for Atlas N Scale Locomotives AN12A0 Four-Function DCC Decoder for Atlas N Scale Locomotives Each of them has a listing of the CV's that are supported by that particular decoder, the default value for the CV, and the allowable range that you can put into the CV. One thing that I have noticed with my MRC system is that if the speed step is set differently on the system than what is set in the decoder on an Atlas locomotive, the locomotive tends to not respond properly. You have to check the speed step setting on the handheld when you first call up the locomotive to make sure it matches. If it is a stock Atlas decoder, the value in CV 8 should = 127. If you want to start fresh, you can reset the decoder to factory defaults. On the LE decoders, write a value of 33 into CV 8 and this will reset them. This note is important from the LE manuals: Note: In order for newly programmed CV values to take effect after service mode programming (programming on an isolated programming track), the decoder must go through a power reset. If your DCC command station does not support automatic power reset, simply rock the locomotive off the track after programming. If you have the AN decoder, you have to write a value of 2 into CV 30 and then remove it from the track and place it back on to reset it. If you look in the CV tables for the appropriate CV this info is shown there.
Still not enough information because Atlas has used different decoders with different features. Here is the list of Atlas N-scale decoder applications. and the manuals for the decoders are here. Most(but not all) of the decoders that Atlas used are either made by Lenz or based on the Lenz design. Some of these will not program with some command stations' program tracks unless you place a 1k resistor across the tracks while programming. Some of them also do not support CV 5 and 6(Vmax and Vmid).
You obviously managed to learn 'internet', so there's life yet in the old dog The penny will soon drop for most of the CVs you need to fumble with on a regular basis.
Rick, Here is a place to get a good overall education about DCC. It is a wonderful primer from Tonys Trains DCC Primer | Tony's Tips at Tony's Train Exchange. You can even download the pdf, print it and mark it up. The best part, it is a brand neutral primer, so it is all meat and no advertising so to speak. Now you can read this as you need it and at your leisure.
Doug, How did you know that Steve put in a call to Tony's Trains...just this morning. Mike, This old dog can hunt and figure it out. Robert and Tad, That be my reading material for tonight. Thanks! Hey, it's snowing here. Well, maybe not the best news but if I can figure a way to stop it and call it in at will, with my MRC hand held DCC Throttle Control... I'll let you know...grin! If and when I do figure this all out...I will have all of you to thank for helping me. Ok, now back to the train shed.
I read all the recommended reading materials, I particularly liked David's or was that Tad's? Hey Mike was it yours? I know it was John's! I think? You know the one from the Playboy wig wag page 32 paragraph 1, an article on hot wiring your Digital Components. Well, I read it all and now I'm a whiz of an expert...or is that an expert at whizzing? A diabetic curse...grin! I learned how to program a decoder, the hand held unit and my logic board for my computer. Then I went out to the train shed barefoot through 30 feet of snow, walking uphill (each way) and found out you don't need decoders to run your locomotives. You can program all your locomotives without them. I turned the power pack on, adjusted the momentum and set my locomotives to speed. I found I had a brake switch, I could use that to simulate an emergency stop. I was having a good time with my trains, thinking about all the money I had saved and wondering what all my original fuss was all about. Yep, there should be a college degree given to all of those who figure this out. Well, it's been fun and yes, I'm sure you figured I must be joking. Well, that is... about some of it. Perhaps more saracastic then not. Truth is I haven't learned a thing. To tired to care and to overwhelmed to work my way throught it. So, I hit the sack early. All the fun I was having with the railroad...well...that was with my old analog, variable DC, with an adjustable momentum and braking switch. Nothing like seeing what you've done work and work well. The layout was built to Cab A and Cab B specs., and I have the (new to me) MRC Prodigy set on Cab A and the older analog DC on Cab B. It works and works very well. So far we've not burned out the only decoder and locomotive I have. I can operate the DCC locomotive and the train it's pulling through the reverse loops without the aide of an automatic reverser. If I run into a block occupied by a train that is operating on the analog DC nothing other then a common short occurs. I haven't smoked, burned out or blown up anything...yet! There you have it the straight stuff. Have a safe and sane April Fools day...or...was that supposed to be for Fourth of July? So far so good! When life is a joke then give it a laugh...you'll feel better.
