DO please download JMRI, even if you never buy an interface to hook it to your DCC system (if you have an NCE Pro system it's just a serial cable, the PowerCab needs the USB interface they sell). You can use it totally detached from your DCC system to figure out what CV values you need to program to get various effects with pretty much any brand of decoder. Pick your decoder from the list, then open the COmprehensive programmer. Make whatever settings changes you want, then go to the CV tab and all CVs that need to be changed from the default will be listed in red. No fuss, no decoder manual to wade through.
With a computer interface in place you could then save the settings and it would program them into the decoder for you
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Wow silver pilot you got my experiance just about spot on. I was at train fest and bought a NCE starter set from tonys trains, the guy there didnt seem real sure what the best decoder would be for my kato, hey no problem I walked down to the kato booth asked the guy there , ( very helpful and nice guy) what decoder should I use? well you have a couple of options you can buy one to plug into our board or replace the board, you might be happier with a new board. So on my way I go to the next booth, next guy says this is exactly what you need gives me the digitrax board. Okay so im home hook everything up, hey trains are running this is so cool, now lets see if I can do my ditch lights, OOh bumer. Im not realy complaning and not giving up on dcc ( way to cool) but I had no idea digitrax has a downloadable manual on thier websight, Im sure I can get through this, and when I look back It will just have been part of the learning curve. You know some times I should probably do more reading and research before I buy but you know I JUST WANNA RUN MY TRAINS MAN lol. thanks for all the help here, lots of good advice on this site.
The digitrax decoder manual is available to anyone. Yes, you get a copy with a Digitrax DCC system, but you also can get it for free from their web site. Just liek TCS has additional manuals for free download that they don't give you with every decoder. There's probbaly more NCE info too. It's not practical for most dcc manufacturers to include 100 page fully detailed manuals with ever sub $20 decoder. a) it costs too much b) it wastes paper and c) if I got that size manual eith every decoder purchase I'd have a bookshelf full of them.
As for BEMF, there seems to be a lot of misconception that BEMF is cruise control, and when turned on your loco will run exactly the same speed, up and down hill, with 1 or 100 cars coupled on. Not so. You can make BEMF do that, but a better use is just to overcome the friction in the drive system so you can have smooth slow speed operation. No matter how expert a machinist you are, there will be driveline friction and inertia to overcome when starting. Many decoders have options to have the BEMF fade out as the speed increases, such that by half throttle ther is no more BEMF effect - if you hit a grade you will need to increase the throttle to maintain speed.
Silver Pilot IMO, BEMF can be more headaches than its worth. There have been recent threads that have debated the pros and cons of BEMF. I prefer a situation where if I'm running a drag freight up a grade that I need to add alittle more throttle to help it maintain its speed or vice versa and cut the throttle a little if going down grade. There have also been threads discussing problems with BEMF and consisting. Your second point is one of the business model problems Digitrax has , IMO. The problem is that unless you own a Digitrax system (or go online and download it and a system manual) the manuals that come with the decoders don't reeally explain much about using and programming the decoders light functions and other functions to fine tune its performance. That's in the other manuals you get with a Digitrax system, which the OP doesn't have. By doing this, dividing information amongst different manuals, don't they risk alienating non Digitrax system owners from buying their decoders? The OP noted that he is using a NCE system so therefore he doesn't have the main Digitrax decoder manual. All he has infront of him is the manual that came with the decoder he just purchased. The one that has second on the list of features "LEDs for ditch lights." Put yourself in his shoes as a newbie. He's got a Kato loco he wants to install a decoder in and have working ditch lights. He sees, or a dealer recommends, the Digitrax decoder because it is a drop-in replacement for the Kato light board and its says it already has leds for ditch lights built into the board. Your response would be the same - "I'll take it", "That's a lot easier than have to wire up additional lights." He gets home, installs the decoder yet finds the manual that came with the decoder contains nothing about programming the light functions for ditch lights. Now he's confused as to what to do, maybe gets frustrated, and maybe says this DCC stuff is too complicated and isn't what everyone made it out to be. As you pointed out TCS decoders walk you through the programming, having you complete almost little worksheet that helps you calculate the values that need to be programmed into the proper CVs. NCE's decoder manuals contain an example for programming ditch lights and walks the user through each CV and the value that needs to be programmed into it.
IMO, BEMF can be more headaches than its worth. There have been recent threads that have debated the pros and cons of BEMF. I prefer a situation where if I'm running a drag freight up a grade that I need to add alittle more throttle to help it maintain its speed or vice versa and cut the throttle a little if going down grade. There have also been threads discussing problems with BEMF and consisting.
Your second point is one of the business model problems Digitrax has , IMO. The problem is that unless you own a Digitrax system (or go online and download it and a system manual) the manuals that come with the decoders don't reeally explain much about using and programming the decoders light functions and other functions to fine tune its performance. That's in the other manuals you get with a Digitrax system, which the OP doesn't have. By doing this, dividing information amongst different manuals, don't they risk alienating non Digitrax system owners from buying their decoders?
The OP noted that he is using a NCE system so therefore he doesn't have the main Digitrax decoder manual. All he has infront of him is the manual that came with the decoder he just purchased. The one that has second on the list of features "LEDs for ditch lights." Put yourself in his shoes as a newbie. He's got a Kato loco he wants to install a decoder in and have working ditch lights. He sees, or a dealer recommends, the Digitrax decoder because it is a drop-in replacement for the Kato light board and its says it already has leds for ditch lights built into the board. Your response would be the same - "I'll take it", "That's a lot easier than have to wire up additional lights." He gets home, installs the decoder yet finds the manual that came with the decoder contains nothing about programming the light functions for ditch lights. Now he's confused as to what to do, maybe gets frustrated, and maybe says this DCC stuff is too complicated and isn't what everyone made it out to be.
As you pointed out TCS decoders walk you through the programming, having you complete almost little worksheet that helps you calculate the values that need to be programmed into the proper CVs. NCE's decoder manuals contain an example for programming ditch lights and walks the user through each CV and the value that needs to be programmed into it.
Digitrax's choice of including the most common decoder information in the manuals which ship with the decoders and then have a separate more detailed programming manual has nothing to do with being a Digitrax system owner/user. I think it's just a choice they made to control costs by not including the entire programming manual with each shipping decoder. Others do this too. QSI follows the same approach and their manuals are more than twice as many pages.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
rrinker And then he'd have no BEMF whatsoever. No NCE decoder has BEMF. Step 1 is to get JMRI, even if you don'y hook it to the DCC system you can use the plain ENglish check boxes to get CV values for any decoder (I'm sure there are some real oddballs no one has made a definition file for - but all current and recent past NCE, DIgitrax, and TCS decoders are definitey in there). Step 2: Don;t be afraid when seeing NUMBERS. approach the table logically, it's NOT difficult. In fact, flashign ditch lights is the specific example given in the Digitrax decoder manual. TCS decoder manuals work exactly the same way but they have boxes at each step to write your option. There are more options than those given in the basic manual, they just show the common ones. The big Digitrax decoder manual gives EVERY CV for current AND past decoders, that's why tehre's so much information in there. --Randy
And then he'd have no BEMF whatsoever. No NCE decoder has BEMF.
Step 1 is to get JMRI, even if you don'y hook it to the DCC system you can use the plain ENglish check boxes to get CV values for any decoder (I'm sure there are some real oddballs no one has made a definition file for - but all current and recent past NCE, DIgitrax, and TCS decoders are definitey in there).
Step 2: Don;t be afraid when seeing NUMBERS. approach the table logically, it's NOT difficult. In fact, flashign ditch lights is the specific example given in the Digitrax decoder manual. TCS decoder manuals work exactly the same way but they have boxes at each step to write your option. There are more options than those given in the basic manual, they just show the common ones. The big Digitrax decoder manual gives EVERY CV for current AND past decoders, that's why tehre's so much information in there.
Silver Pilot First recommendation is to ditch the Digitrax decoder and replace it with a NCE decoder. The reason - as you've found out, Digitrax decoder manual is severely lacking in instructions on how to do things like programming for ditch lights. Ironic, that the decoder manual lists as its features white leds for ditch lights but doesn't explain how to program them? Go with a DA-SR decoder from NCE. Its a 5 function decoder and you'll need to add the additional bulbs for the ditch lights, which is not that difficult. The decoder manual will walk you through step by step how to program the functions for the ditch lights. There's no guessing, it's all fully explained.
First recommendation is to ditch the Digitrax decoder and replace it with a NCE decoder. The reason - as you've found out, Digitrax decoder manual is severely lacking in instructions on how to do things like programming for ditch lights. Ironic, that the decoder manual lists as its features white leds for ditch lights but doesn't explain how to program them? Go with a DA-SR decoder from NCE. Its a 5 function decoder and you'll need to add the additional bulbs for the ditch lights, which is not that difficult. The decoder manual will walk you through step by step how to program the functions for the ditch lights. There's no guessing, it's all fully explained.
"We recommend using incandescent lamps to achieve the most realistic lighting effects. Miniatronics model #18-001-20 1.5 Volt/15 mA 1.2 mm diameter lamps work very well in most applications and have a good life expectancy when you use a proper current resistor and operating voltage."
I replaced the Digitrax decoder with a TCS decoder in the DASH 8-40CW and got better performance with the LED ditch lights, although it still was not as good as I would have liked. I usually prefer Digitrax decoders because I can get better slow speed performance with Digitrax's Bemf compensation than I can with TCS's "self adjusting" Bemf compensation, but, at least from what I have seen, LED ditch lights(when flashing) look better with TCS's decoder. I have not tried any other brand of decoder with ditch lights, so I don't know if they might look even better.
Thank you for the reply. I tried setting the CVs, to the values you gave me and it still did'nt work, now they make a very slight blink, no alternating. I may have to reset the decoder and start over ? I dont know what to do, any suggestions ?
machinist I bought a digitrax DH165K1A decoder , I set CV 51=106 , CV 52=107 , CV 62=196 .. The ditch lights come on with the headlights , but when you hit the F2 function for alternating ditch lights its so faint you can hardly tell there flashing. I tried setting CV 62=128 seem to help a little but not like it should be. They use to work fine in DC. Im just now switching everything over to DCC because I finally got myself a NCE system at trainfest saturday, so im new to this, any help would be appreciated, thanx.
I bought a digitrax DH165K1A decoder , I set CV 51=106 , CV 52=107 , CV 62=196 .. The ditch lights come on with the headlights , but when you hit the F2 function for alternating ditch lights its so faint you can hardly tell there flashing. I tried setting CV 62=128 seem to help a little but not like it should be. They use to work fine in DC.
Im just now switching everything over to DCC because I finally got myself a NCE system at trainfest saturday, so im new to this, any help would be appreciated, thanx.
The DH165K1A uses LEDs. For LEDS the first digit of CV62 should be 0. Try a setting of 4 for CV62 and see if that works better. here's the manual excerpt:
6.10.2 Customizing FX & FX3 Effects CV62
CV62 lets you control the rate and keep-alive brightness for each FX effect you set up. The CV value for CV62 is made up of 2 digits, the first digit and the second digit.
The first digit controls the keep alive/baseline off voltage for incandescent lamps.
The second digit controls the rate of the FX effects programmed. This value should be between 0 and F. A value of 0 gives a fast rate and a value of F gives a slow rate of operation. We recommend you start with a 4 and adjust it up or down until you get the effect you are looking for.