There is another thread on Digitrax headlight dimming and I don't want to confuse the OP or hiijack his thread. His question prompted me to try to mess with the brightness. Or at least to try. Loksound and Digitrax CV are different.
I'm either confulsed about DCC or Rule 17; as I understand it, means the rear facing headlight dims when travelling the opposite direction or the front headlight dims, when stopped.
I have a Bowser VO 1000 with factory installed loksound direct and an Atlas RS 3 with a the same decoder I installed. Running on a NCE Power Cab.
The headlight in the direction of travel is the only one lit. F12 is the only way to dim the headlight. Best I can tell, nothing I did changed the "normal" level of brightness.
I changed the following CV"S
CV 263 one of those CV's where you add what you want, 4+8+16+128 for Rule 17 forward, Rule 17 backward, dimmer and Led mode.
Is the dimming a manual function (F12 on my Power Cab) or is it supposed to be automatic. I did manage to do something to semi-permanently turn off the Front (not forward) headlight all together. Only a reset would bring it back on.
I am actually happy with my own LED installation brightness 1.1K resistor. The Bowser is a little brighter than I need but I'm not losing sleep over it. Neither is Rule 17 a deal breaker, but from my understanding, it does seem like something else is suppose to happen that I can't make happen.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Henry,
I use a Power Cab and the dimming is automatic on my Stewart VO-660 with Loksound Select. So, I don't use any function buttons to dim.
If Rule 17 is done correctly, headlights will dim when stopped and when traveling the opposite direction of travel. That means that ONLY headlights in the direction of travel will be at full-strength.
You are correct that you need to set CV32 to "0" before you change lighting CVs, as mentioned at the bottom of pg. 31 of the Loksound Select manual. Here is what I have set for the front and rear headlight CVs:
I skip "dimmer" so my values for CV263 & 271 are 140 rather than 156. That may be why you need to press F12 to dim the headlights*.
*[Interesting note: The Select manual seems to indicate that this should happen with F9 rather than F12 - i.e. if I'm reading "Dimmer" paragraph on pg. 31 correctly]
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I usually set my locos with an F key to dim the lights. When the loco is leading the train, front facing forward, the rear light is generally not on. The opposite dim applies to light engines, not locos pulling a train.
Real locos don't automatically change the lights - the engineer has (usually) 2 knobs, one for the front and one for the rear light. Off, dim, bright, and an MU setting. I'll allow a directional setting for the white and yellow wires, because otherwise we would need way too many F keys to run the loco, but I usually do a manual dim. Loksound decoders can map any function to any possible key, and that mapping can be definied in the sound project, so the manual is more or less an example, not how it is, that's why the manual says F9 is manual dim and the actual one in this case is F12.
Actually, since going DCC, I've acquired a Reading rulebook from my era and it turns out they never even used the headlights on road locos during the day. It was right around this time they changed. Since I don't model a specific day, month, or even exact year, I suppose I can run either way.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
tstageI skip "dimmer" so my values for CV263 & 271 are 140 rather than 156. That may be why you need to press F12 to dim the headlights*.
I forgot to do the 267-271 range. You may be right about selecting dimmer, I will try later today.
EDIT For anyone following along, CV 32, is called an Index CV and can have values 0,1,2,3
It allows CV's 257-511 to have multiple meanings. I incorrectly posted that each value of CV 32 was linked to a smaller range of CV's in that broad range.
If you want to know what CV's do in the 300+ range, start your own thread. I forget what the default value is for 32, it is not 0, but there is no reason to set it to what it was, when you finish programming the CV's you want.
What I end up doing, will be what looks good to me. As a freelancer, I am less concerned with the rulebook. I did go to the trouble of installing LED's so for sure I won't be running the loco without any lights
F9 would be more convenient with the Power Cab, because F12 requires two buttons to be pressed. I'll look into that too.
Thanks.
No go. I used Tom's CV's, I cycled the power, I double checked to see if they really changed, and they had.
The F12 dimmer is gone, but headlights are only on in the direction it is going. It irritates my OCD.
I did discover a new glitch. If I rock the loco to the side so the wheels are off the track, the Power Cab bell button (but not the function key) thinks it's a headlight key. If I turn the power off and on, this doesn't happen.
Although you're getting only directional lighting, does either headlight dim when stopped?
IIRC, the default for CV32 is 255 and changes back to once you are finished programming.
Try this ....
CV31 = 16, CV32 = 0
----------------------
CV263 = 152
CV271 = 148
If that doesn't work, then it's this ....
CV263 = 148
CV271 = 152
I always have trouble remembering which way it goes ....
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Mark R. CV263 = 148 CV271 = 152 I always have trouble remembering which way it goes ....
That worked, at least for the dimming while stopped. Not sure I understand why these two should be different.
I can see the difference between moving and stopped and it is subtle. Maybe I missed it with Tom's setting. I'm multitasking watching the Nascar race and programming and the red flag is over. The rear facing light goes out, it does not dim. Aside for scratching my OCD itch, I'm not really interested in the rear remaining on in dim mode.
CV 32 does not change back to 255 on my system.
Thanks everyone.
Ok - try this ....
CV355 = 2
CV358 = 10
CV363 = 2
CV366 = 10
CV31 = 16, CV32 = 2
CV267 = 32
CV283 = 16
Each of the front and rear headlights have the capability of have two separate and distinct physical outputs. What this set-up does is when the front headlight is on, moving forward, the rear light is on, but set to a lower brightness. The same should happen, just the opposite in reverse. You can set the opposite dim brightness by adjusting the value in CV358 for the front and CV366 (be sure to set CV31 = 16, CV32 = 0 first.
Busy day planned. But my above post on the index CV 32 was wrong, now that I reread 5.2.5.1