I recently installed a LokSound V5 DCC in an old P2K GP9. I set it up the way I like it which involved a massive reordering of the functions such that they align better with the layout of buttons on my PowerCab. It worked great until one day while driving it back and forth on my test track connected to the LokProgrammer it began acting strange. Randomly it would start playing the dynamic brake sound while moving. There was no brake effect, just the sound (throttle down, throttle up, fan). I began pulling my hair out.
I tried resetting the decoder, reloading the firmware, downloading a completely different 567 sound file. After the latter it worked fine again until I reloaded my set of CVs. At which point it would again, randomly, play the dynamic brake sound. So my CVs were the culprit but how?
Then a light bulb flickered on over my head and I figured out the problem. The key is the word "randomly". In V5 (new in V5 I think) random sounds are related to functions. That is a sound must be connected to a function in order for it to be selected for use in the list of random sounds. You can't specify a "sound slot" which is the way I would have designed it, but ESU must have had a reason for this. Anyway the default list of random sounds as depicted in the "Function settings" page of LokProgrammer refers to the default setup for functions as depicted in the "Function mapping" page. If you change the assignments of sounds to functions in the mapping page, then you must reassign the random sounds in the settings page. My random assignments were pointing to the wrong sounds because of my tinkering. It was easily fixed.
Incidentally, there is a dropdown list of functions to choose from in the settings page. The list includes the function number and also a descriptive name. The name comes from the setup you can do in the Information/Functions page of LokProgrammer. If you move functions around from the default, but don't modify the list on this page to match, then the dropdown list will be incorrect. The function numbers are right but the description will not be.
George
Hi George,
That's good information to keep in the back of my mind.
Thanks,
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Thanks for that information, too, George.
Just last night I installed a Loksound 5 DCC into a Genesis F7 that I had sitting around. I loaded the S-0746 EMD 16-567 project into it and during my first trial I heard a rail-flange sound that I had not been aware of before. That must be one of the random sounds you speak of.
Every time I dig into the Lokprogrammer and all of its options I'm both overwhelmed, and amazed at the same time. There are hundreds of neat options but it can be very intimidating to figure out what to do and just how to get it done. Somehow, I seem to muddle through but I have really no idea how I got there.
Matt Hermann was making some youtube videos for a while but I haven't seen many of these lately. ESU really needs to get some programming tutorials out there for us intermediate DCC users.
Thanks again, Ed
gmpullman Every time I dig into the Lokprogrammer and all of its options I'm both overwhelmed, and amazed at the same time. There are hundreds of neat options but it can be very intimidating to figure out what to do and just how to get it done.
Every time I dig into the Lokprogrammer and all of its options I'm both overwhelmed, and amazed at the same time. There are hundreds of neat options but it can be very intimidating to figure out what to do and just how to get it done.
Correct. These decorders are powerful and flexible and because of that can be intimidating. One can just run with the defaults and remain fat, dumb and happy. But if I did that I would only attain two of these attributes. I would be unhappy. So I read the manual and experiment. Usually cool things happen. if not, reload and start again. BTW the LokProgrammer is, IMHO, indispensible if you want to get the most out of these devices.