LokSound Select & JMRI - Can’t find Function Settings

[gary233]

Hi all, Just got an Athearn Genesis F3 AB Set of locos.  Both have LokSound Select deoders installed.  Everything (Motor control, lights, horn, bell etc.) all work.  The Locos are in a consist.

When I place the locos on the program track and try to read the function tab in JMRI they are all blank. Yet the function buttons on my NCE PH PRO Cab produce the desired effect  (1 is the bell and so forth).

Any ideas?

[RR Baron]

Check,  are they actually equipped with SoundTraxx Tsunami2? 

 

RR Baron

 

 

[gary233]

RR they are not Soundtrax. They both have LokSound Select decoders.

[rrinker]

 What version of JMRI do you have? You need a fairly recent version to get Loksound support. The function mappings have their own entire tab.

                                          --Randy

 

[RR Baron]

Use version 4.12 or newer.

Function Map is empty until you Read All CVs

 

RR Baron

 

[gary233]

rrinker

 What version of JMRI do you have? You need a fairly recent version to get Loksound support. The function mappings have their own entire tab.

                                          --Randy

 

 

I have 4.10.  It’s the last certified version.  I heard that the others may cause problems.  Is that not true should i upgrade to the newest?

[gary233]

RR Baron

Use version 4.12 or newer.

Function Map is empty until you Read All CVs

 

RR Baron

 

 

I read all but I don’t get the tab with the boxes and check marks.  also currently have 4.10.  I need to export the roster before I upgrade.  I had a question about upgrading, see post above.

[rrinker]

 Somebody's not updating the main Sourceforge page for JMRI. 4.12 is the latest production release. But 4.10 should have the ESU function map tab.

                                     --Randy

[gary233]

Ok downloaded and installed 4.12.

Re-Read Full CV Sheet.

Function Map Tab does not indicate what teh functions are as I’m used to.  Instead it says things like Aux1 on F6.  There are some that say what they are like (Moving) Dynamic Brake F4.

So I put the loco on the Mainline and tried the function keys on my NCE Procab and was able to identify most of the key functions.

Unfortunately, I still cannot find out where I Change Voloume or select a bell or ring interval or change other volumes.  I can do it from the NCE Cab but Ican’t find where to do it in decoder Pro.

[rrinker]

 Volume settings will be on a different tab.

Because exactly what function is assigned to what output is going to vary from sound project to sound project (the decoder is just a blank canvas, and unlike most other decoders, there are exactly ZERO limitations on what F key can control what function wire. Others are limited in that say F0-F4 can only control certain wires, then F5-F8 cna control others, etc. Default would have F1 control the violet wire, say. Most decoders don;t have an option to allow F17 to control the violet wire - but with Loksound that's no problem). Downside of that is without information from the creator of the sound project, you have no idea what the settings actually are - all teh decoder cna tell you is that F1 is configured such that when the loco is moving forward, it plays sound slot 5 and tuens on the green wire, or something like that. There is no way through CVs to tell what sound is in sound slot 5, or anything beyond what the key, condition(s), phsical function wire, and sound slot are linked together.

 If you REALLY want to swap functions around, DecoderPro is just not the tool. NMRA CV read/writes, even with a fast programmer like SPROG or the PR4, is just not up to the task of managing the sheer number of CVs involved. The Lokprogrammer makes this super fast and probably even easier than trying to do this with JMRI. Plus it can tell you that sound slot 5 is the bell, or brake squeal, or whatever it is. Lokprogrammer talks to the decoder using the same proprietary communications protocol that is used to load sound files. If sound files were loaded using NMRA protocals, it would take hours if not days to transfer files of that size. 

                              --Randy

[gary233]

Ok Birthday gift will be the LokProgrammer

[rrinker]

Assuming you are going use more Loksound decoders, otherwise it might be better to find someone with one to help you set it up if you only have a coupe. i do have a Lokprogrammer because ALL my sound locos have or will get Loksounds, so it was definitely worth it for me.

                             --Randy

 

[gary233]

Well I have three so far Rapido RDC and the two Athearn in the AB Set. I like the sound of Loksoud and if I can find some that fit in Atlas RS-1, 2’s and 3’s I still have 5 to convert to DCC/Sound.

Probably don’t NEED it, but it’s not that expensive so ...  

[rrinker]

Select Directs should be a booard swap in the Atlas RS units. I have nearly a dozen of them to do - I kind of like RS-3's and it was also the single largest class of first gen diesels on my prototype anyway. Unfortunately I am needing to use v4.0 boards in those because the Select sound sets for the RS-3 don;t have the proper (somewhat uncommon) horn, but Loksound DOES have the prooper horn in their sound library - so I took a V4.0 project and swapped the horns with the correct one from the library and now have a sound file to load in each of them when I add a decoder. They also need to be painted, so it's not like I am puchasing a dozen decooders in one go, that's not exactly in my budget to do it that way. They also get the factoory horns removed and the holes filled in, so I can buy the correct detail parts and install the right horn. That was one of the things that prompted me to get the Lokprogrammer, and after I got it and saw how easy it was to customize the sounds (since I didn't have to supply my own recording and do sound editiong - I'm not really interested in doing that), I was hooked. That and having some actual recordings supplied to update my Loksound v3.5 equipped PCM T1 steamers to make them sound even more authentic. 

                             --Randy

 

[gary233]

UPDATE: apparently the only way you can get certain CV and programming information is with the LokSound Project Name.  I got some help on the JMRI Yahoo Group. I’ll be trying a procedure one of the LokSound experts gave me to determine the Project. He has a program to unlock the information.

Dave sent me an the email below:

Private: Re: Re: [jmriusers] Why are the function fields blank in decoder pro?

Gary,

1. Here is a procedure to follow that will tell us the ESU Project Name.
2. I have attached a document called “ESU V4 info CVs.csv”. Save this document to somewhere you can easily find it (such as the Desktop).

1. Open your existing Roster Entry (the one you have hopefully already read the CV settings into).
   
   
2. Use the File->Import->CSV file command to open and import the “ESU V4 info CVs.csv” into your roster entry. 

1. 
   
   
2. Go to the CVs pane and:

• Click on the “State” column header until it shows sort descending (a down arrow)
• Read Changes on Sheet.
• If there are any Unknown state lines after this completes, repeat "Read Changes on Sheet” until all are Read.

• 
  
  
1. Use the File->Export->CSV file command to create a new file “CV list for dave.csv” and export your data to it. 
2. Email the “CV list for dave.csv” file to me.

 

Explanation:

 

I have created JMRI code that lets me read the project name, but I haven't had time to make the code release-ready.

 

Because of a an as-yet unresolved technical issue, I can't currently build a Windows test release for you from my code base. I can still build Mac and Linux versions.

 

When I get the CSV file from you, I will read it into a blank Roster Entry here and determine the Project Name. We can then search for (and hopefully) find it on the ESU website.

 

Dave

 

[rrinker]

 I think I said that back aways. The Loksound function mapping set of CVs is just a blank canvas, and the creator of each sound project can assign them whoever they like - or as often happens in programming anything, you start off going in a nice neat order and then at the end you realize, hey, I should also add this feature. Since the order doesn't matter in the function map table (for the most part), you can add something to the end instead of starting all oover to include the extra bit in strict order. It's possible to read all the CVs that make up the table and then populate a screen that shows what f keys are mapped to what f wires, and what effects might be applied, but the most it can tell you about the sound mappings is that a particualr key triggers a particualr sound slot - no CV can tell you what that sound is. In one project, they might use slot 2 for the whistle, in another, slot 2 might be the bell. Only the project creator can tell you that level of information. Or opening it in Lokprogrammer.

 Knowing the project info, then you would know more details, so if someone is getting to the point of being able to decode the projects and add that to the definitions, great. Another alternative would be for someone to actually created JMRI decoder definitions for every project - but there are almost as many Loksound projects as there are total all DECODERS from all the other manufacturers combined, and more are being added all the time, so getting it and then keeping up with it would be a full time job.

                                   --Randy

[gary233]

Yes, i think you DID say that Randy but I was still stuck trying to find out what the project was, waiting until I  buy the LokProgrammer or spending a lot of time experimenting.

I don’t know if Dave’s proposal will work but I’l give it a go.

I guess i still need LokProgrammer before i can change sounds or change function keys but it will be useful to know what each function key does.

[gary233]

Ok so I followed the instructions Dave gave me and here is what Dave provided;

Gary, Thanks for that CSV file. Here is what we wanted to see:

 

A quick Google search for "*EMD 16cyl 567BC (FT)*" turned up this link. which has the information you want:

Bulletin: *EMD 16cyl 567BC (FT)*

 

We  can't get the Project number from the decoder (it is not stored in the decoder), but a search of the ESU website reveals it is project 75411.

loksound-select-usa

 

-- 
Dave Heap

[JMK]

Dave,

I don't have a programmer either (only 1 Lok decoder). What is the name of this file and where can I find it?  Thanks.

Jim K