I got a Digitrax Super Empire Builder yesterday and was playing around a little bit with it yesterday after I got my Atlas GP-38 decoder installed and I have a question about lighting and setting CV. From reading the decoder manual and the Digitrax FAQ section on online I think I have a picture of what needs to be done but I wanted to get a second opinion/guidance first. Right now the factory default is light on come in reverse. I want to change it to light on in reverse and on with push of the F0 button on the DT402 throttle going forward and also want flashing lights at the push of the F8 button. So tell if I am right or wrong here in my thinking. First I would change CV61 to equal 01, as stated in the decoder manual, next I will change CV49=0, which gives me the on/off of with F0 while going forward. Now if I want make F8 an on/off flashing light, I think I need to do CV42=035 since CV42 is for F8 button and 035 is the non directional blinking light (as stated in the manual). Am I right or do I need to do something different.
Eric,
Welcome to decoder programming. First, you need to know what brand and model the decoder is. If you plan to do a lot of re-mapping of decoder functions, I suggest you forget about using the throttle and hook up a PC to your Digitrax Loconet. It is very easy to program a decoder using the Decoder Pro program. It is FREE and the only thing you will need to buy is an interface cable to go from your computer to the Loconet. The Super Empire Builder command station does not provide CV readback, but you can get that with Decoder Pro. You can also save you programming to a database so you can 'reload' a decoder if something happens. It will even read an unknown decoder and tell you what manufactuer it is and what it is capable of.
Go out to the following web site and read up on it: http://jmri.sourceforge.net/
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
Jim,
I may have misread your post but I think I should clarify. You are correct that the Empire Builder does not support readback but connecting it to DecoderPro will NOT give it that capability. JMRI (DecoderPro) can only use the features available in the command station and decoder.
Peter
Sorry, I did not clearify.. My decoder is a Digitrax decoder.
CNR378 Jim, I may have misread your post but I think I should clarify. You are correct that the Empire Builder does not support readback but connecting it to DecoderPro will NOT give it that capability. JMRI (DecoderPro) can only use the features available in the command station and decoder. Peter
Peter,
I should have mentioned that you can use the Digitrax PR3 interface cable in 'standalone' programmer mode to program your engines. The Digitrax Super EB does not have a dedicated programming track output and 'programming on the main' for a newbie many times leads to reprograming all of the engines on the layout!