Got the really nice looking HO Rapido FL9 with a Lok decoder. It runs great and can pull 14 cars up a 3% grade by itself with no degradation of the selected speed step.
Rapido FL9
Unfortunately I know nothing about Lok decoders since this is my first. The owinery's manual is not much help at all. I downloaded a CV Programming document but its not making sense to me. For example they are using a single CV to program multiple things. CV48 is used to select Diesel horns, steam horns, prime movers, bell type and brake squeal sounds. Info I enter a value of 16 that is supposed to be Prime mover #2 and if I enter a value of 128 I get brake squeal 2. Does the selection of the prime mover value get overwritten?
Gary
It's explained in chapter 5.2.7 The prime mover, the horns, the bell frequency and the brake squeal are additive. a+b+c+d = value you enter.
That said, I don't seem to have any brake squeal. Can someone tell me the difference between squeal #1 and #2?
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
There's another CV that controls the brake squeal threshold - you have to be going above a certain speed before you get brake squeal when stopping.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Do they add automatically or do I add them up and enter the total like CV29?
gdelmoro Do they add automatically or do I add them up and enter the total like CV29?
Rich
Alton Junction
To clarify, you pick the options you want, and add those numbers together to put in the CV. Yes, it is exactly like CV29.
It works like this (if you want to learn how you can have one CV number represent 4 diffeernet options all at the same time):
<brake squeal><bell><prime mover><horn >
bit 7 bit 6 bit 5 bit4 bit 3 bit 2 bit 1 bit 0
Taking the sections one at a time:
bit 3-2-1-0, 4 bits, lets us pick a values from 0-15. 16 horn choices.
0000 = 0, 0001 = 1, 0010 = 2, 0011 = 3, 0100 = 4, 0101 = 5, 0110 - 6, 0111 =7
1000 = 8, 1001 = 9, 1010 = 10, 1011 = 11, 1100 = 12, 1101 = 13, 1110 = 14, and 1111 = 15.
bits 5 and 4, 2 bits, lets us pick 4 possible values, but they are 0, 16, 32, or 48 - you have those 4 bits for the horn to the right. Assuming horn choice 0:
000000 = 0, horn 0, prime mover 0. 010000 = 16, horn 0, prime mover 1.
100000 = 32, horn 0, prime mover 2. And 110000 = 48, horn 0, prime mover 3
Bit 6, the bell, lets us pick 2 possible options, 0 or 1. But we have those prime mover and horn bits to the right. So assuming prime mover 0 and horn 0, we have:
0000000 = 0, horn 0, prime mover 0, bell 0 or 1000000 = 64, horn 0, prime mover 0, bell 1
Bit 7, the brake squal, also gives 2 choices. But gain, we have the bell, prime mover, and horn bits to the right, so:
00000000 = 0, horn 0, prime mover 0, bell 0, brake 0 or
10000000 = 128, horn 0, prime mover 0, bell 0, brake 1.
So you string together each of the options you want. Say you want brake 0, bell 1, the third priome mover, and sixth horn:
brake 0 = 0. Bell 1 = 1. Third Prime mover = 10. Sixth Horn = 0101
The full 8 bits would be 01100101 (no magic, just what I wrote on the line above)
You can translate directly (Windows Calculator in Programmer mode does this), and get 101. Or break it down:
Brake is 0, so ignore it. Bell is a 1, so that's 64 (otherwise it would be 0). Prime mover is is the third one, 32 (since the options are 0, 16, 32, or 64). Sixth horn is 5 (since the options are 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14, or 15)
So 64 + 32 + 5 = 101. Just like CV29, add up each of the choices and that is your value for CV48.
The explanation is more complicated than actually doing it. It's the bit position in the byte that controls the settings, some bits are one thing, the next couple of bits are another thing, the next bit is another, and so on. That's why the values are things like 0, 16, 32, or 48 - because the two bits involved are the bits that represent 16 and 32, NOT the bits that represent 1 and 2. The horn is the only obvious one, becaue the first 4 bits are used to pick a horn, that equates to the decimal numbers 0-15. The bell options are 0 or 64, because the bit that controls that has a value of 64, and it's either on or off, 2 choices. Likewise the brake squeal is controlled by the bit that has a value of 128, and it's either on or off, giving two choices, 128 or 0.
BigDaddy It's explained in chapter 5.2.7 The prime mover, the horns, the bell frequency and the brake squeal are additive. a+b+c+d = value you enter. That said, I don't seem to have any brake squeal. Can someone tell me the difference between squeal #1 and #2?
There are two different brake squeals - a steel shoe and a composite shoe. The steel shoe has a definitive "squeal" as it stops. The composite shoe has more of a grind sound when it stops.
The brake squeal won't activate under a "soft" stop. It is normally activated when the throttle is shut off quickly. The sensitivity can be adjusted through two CVs - 64 (switching on threshold) and 65 (switching off threshold).
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Of course, your task is much easier, Gary.
Just consult the manual and add up the desired values.
Don't worry about the values assigned to the bits.
rrinker To clarify, you pick the options you want, and add those numbers together to put in the CV. Yes, it is exactly like CV29. It works like this (if you want to learn how you can have one CV number represent 4 diffeernet options all at the same time): <brake squeal><bell><prime mover><horn > bit 7 bit 6 bit 5 bit4 bit 3 bit 2 bit 1 bit 0 Taking the sections one at a time: bit 3-2-1-0, 4 bits, lets us pick a values from 0-15. 16 horn choices. 0000 = 0, 0001 = 1, 0010 = 2, 0011 = 3, 0100 = 4, 0101 = 5, 0110 - 6, 0111 =7 1000 = 8, 1001 = 9, 1010 = 10, 1011 = 11, 1100 = 12, 1101 = 13, 1110 = 14, and 1111 = 15. bits 5 and 4, 2 bits, lets us pick 4 possible values, but they are 0, 16, 32, or 48 - you have those 4 bits for the horn to the right. Assuming horn choice 0: 000000 = 0, horn 0, prime mover 0. 010000 = 16, horn 0, prime mover 1. 100000 = 32, horn 0, prime mover 2. And 110000 = 48, horn 0, prime mover 3 Bit 6, the bell, lets us pick 2 possible options, 0 or 1. But we have those prime mover and horn bits to the right. So assuming prime mover 0 and horn 0, we have: 0000000 = 0, horn 0, prime mover 0, bell 0 or 1000000 = 64, horn 0, prime mover 0, bell 1 Bit 7, the brake squal, also gives 2 choices. But gain, we have the bell, prime mover, and horn bits to the right, so: 00000000 = 0, horn 0, prime mover 0, bell 0, brake 0 or 10000000 = 128, horn 0, prime mover 0, bell 0, brake 1. So you string together each of the options you want. Say you want brake 0, bell 1, the third priome mover, and sixth horn: brake 0 = 0. Bell 1 = 1. Third Prime mover = 10. Sixth Horn = 0101 The full 8 bits would be 01100101 (no magic, just what I wrote on the line above) You can translate directly (Windows Calculator in Programmer mode does this), and get 101. Or break it down: Brake is 0, so ignore it. Bell is a 1, so that's 64 (otherwise it would be 0). Prime mover is is the third one, 32 (since the options are 0, 16, 32, or 64). Sixth horn is 5 (since the options are 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14, or 15) So 64 + 32 + 5 = 101. Just like CV29, add up each of the choices and that is your value for CV48. The explanation is more complicated than actually doing it. It's the bit position in the byte that controls the settings, some bits are one thing, the next couple of bits are another thing, the next bit is another, and so on. That's why the values are things like 0, 16, 32, or 48 - because the two bits involved are the bits that represent 16 and 32, NOT the bits that represent 1 and 2. The horn is the only obvious one, becaue the first 4 bits are used to pick a horn, that equates to the decimal numbers 0-15. The bell options are 0 or 64, because the bit that controls that has a value of 64, and it's either on or off, 2 choices. Likewise the brake squeal is controlled by the bit that has a value of 128, and it's either on or off, giving two choices, 128 or 0. --Randy
Thanks Randy That really helps! I'm going to print that out and keep it with the Decoder info.
With the EMD FL9, there are only 3 choices to be made in picking a value for CV48 - - - prime mover, bell, and brake squeal. What are your preferences?
Honestly, I don't know. Which is the prototype? Did they make the FL9 with all those engines?
For the horn I'm keeping the Handcock horn and brakes the metal brakes.
richhotrain With the EMD FL9, there are only 3 choices to be made in picking a value for CV48 - - - prime mover, bell, and brake squeal. What are your preferences? Rich
Actually, aside from a few of the steam files, all Loksound decoders only have a single primer mover file on them, so that bit is always the same. Your choice for change would be the horn, bell and brake squeal.
Mark R. richhotrain With the EMD FL9, there are only 3 choices to be made in picking a value for CV48 - - - prime mover, bell, and brake squeal. What are your preferences? Rich Actually, aside from a few of the steam files, all Loksound decoders only have a single primer mover file on them, so that bit is always the same. Your choice for change would be the horn, bell and brake squeal. Mark.