CV settings for consist with NCE D13SR??

[Fawlty Logic]

I have two P2K BL2s that I would like to run in an MU with my Digitrax Zephyr controller.

The Zephyr creates the MU properly and the first time, both locos ran in the same direction. After I adjusted a voltage CV, however, the rear loco ran in reverse (only while in a the consist--it behaves properly as a solo)

I see the NEC CV29 can be altered to have some effect on consist setup, but I am still bewildered by bits and such.

It says:

CV19 Consist address. (0 or 128 = no consist active)

- bits 0-6 short consist address (1-127 valid)

- bit 7 0= direction is normal, 1= direction is reversed

Now, both my locos have 4 digit addresses handled by the Zephyr.  What would I actually need to enter for CV29 to continue to use 4 digit addresses, but have the locos run in the same direction.  (Not a bit deal I suppose, they do look ok running back to back, but I would like to know the answer to this for the future.)

Thanks to anyone who knows.

[gandydancer19]

Not too sure what you did, but in general, I don't think that you should adjust any CV's on a decoder while it is in a consist. That is asking for trouble. I would zero out the consist or deactivate it or whatever you do on the D system. Next I would reset the offending decoder back to their factory settings per the instructions, and start over.

[Fawlty Logic]

Well, I adjusted CV 2 and CV6 on the programming track.

I think what happened is normal.  I think I just need to adjust CV 19 for these NCE decoders.

I am not sure, but I think it is entirely possible to adjust voltage CVs while in a consist, how else can you speed match them?  I would be awfully cumbersome to keep using the programming track for this.

However, I will install Decoder Pro next week and use that.

[CSX Robert]

The default setting on the Zephyr is to use command station consisting, or what Digitrax calls Universal Consisting. This means that the consist information is stored in the command station and it does NOT use CV19. When you add a locomotive to a consist using Universal Consisting, which ever direction you last ran the locomotive in is the direction that it should run in the consist when the direction selected for the consist is forward. To change the direction of one of the locomotives, you have to remove it from the consst, run it in the other direction, and then add it back to the consist.

[CSX Robert]

Set CV 19 to 0 if you want it to run forward in a consist, and CV 19 to 128 if you want it to run backwards in a consist.

Hope this helps.

David B

That's not right. Setting CV19 to 128 has the same effect as setting CV19 to 0, and that is to tell the decoder that it is not in an advanced consist(because in either case the consist address is 0).

[jfugate]

Set CV 19 to 0 if you want it to run forward in a consist, and CV 19 to 128 if you want it to run backwards in a consist.

David B

Uhm, this is not quite right. Setting CV 19 to zero tells the loco that it's not in a consist. Setting CV 19 to 128 won't do anything.

Set CV 19 to the consist number you want, from 1 to 127. Generally, I just use 01 - 99 since that can easily be the last two digits on the cab of the lead unit.

So if I had loco 4411, I might use 11 as the consist number and program that into CV19.

To add a loco to the consist, say 4333, I just set its CV19 to 11.

To make a loco run in reverse, add 128 to the number you put into CV19.

So if I have loco 4422 and I want to add it to the consist running in reverse, I program 11 + 128 or 139 into CV19. This will make the loco run as part of consist 11, but in reverse.

With the NCE DCC systems (PowerCab and ProCab), you can just program a consist by using the actual 4-digit loco number, and if you like, also set the consist number you want it to use. You can also tell the NCE system that 4411 is one end, and 4422 is the other end -- and then when you select that end, that end becomes the front and all the function keys work as you would expect for the consist.

I find NCE's "smart consisting" to be extremely easy to set up and very powerful. The "double-ended" nature of the consist is most handy on a diesel era layout. 

[gandydancer19]

I am not sure, but I think it is entirely possible to adjust voltage CVs while in a consist, how else can you speed match them?  I would be awfully cumbersome to keep using the programming track for this.

For speed matching, what I have heard and do is, run both locos independently at the same time on the same track. Then use POM (Program On Main) or OPS mode programming to adjust the speed while running, to match the other loco.

Is there another way?

[Fawlty Logic]

The default setting on the Zephyr is to use command station consisting, or what Digitrax calls Universal Consisting. This means that the consist information is stored in the command station and it does NOT use CV19. When you add a locomotive to a consist using Universal Consisting, which ever direction you last ran the locomotive in is the direction that it should run in the consist

Thanks for this.  I kind of figured the Zephyr bypassed the CV19 settings because it blithely goes on about the simplicity of it's consisting or MU'ing as they like to call it.

What you wrote makes sense because the "problem" loco first ran in the correct direction, then inexplicably changed direction when put back into the consist after I had taken it out to do some other test running of it.

I thought I was, or more corrrectly, that the Zephyr was going nuts.  Where does one learn more about this Zephyr?  I am finding out it has unpublished abilitites like "blast" mode etc.