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Testing decoder pro

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  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,825 posts
Posted by maxman on Monday, August 23, 2010 12:56 PM

Blind Bruce

I am using NCE power pro R and the locos are Proto 2000 diesels. I do not have parallel tracks to speed match on the layout.

What decoders are in the diesels?  A lot of people can get away with speed matching diesels without the need of decoder pro, especially if the only CVs you are dealing with are the Vmin, Vmid, and Vmax CVs.  But you need to see if the particular decoders you have support these three CVs.

Where decoder pro would come in very handy is if you need, or want, to set up customized speed tables for your engines.  But even so, you still would need to have a place to run the engines to see what the result of your programming was.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Pittsburgh, PA
  • 1,796 posts
Posted by JoeinPA on Monday, August 23, 2010 9:54 AM

 Bruce:

You don't need parallel tracks.  Just put them on a straight section of track and separate them by a few carlengths and go from there.  You will probably have to separate them a few times but eventually they will run well enough to consist.

Joe

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Winnipeg Canada
  • 1,637 posts
Posted by Blind Bruce on Monday, August 23, 2010 8:51 AM

I am using NCE power pro R and the locos are Proto 2000 diesels. I do not have parallel tracks to speed match on the layout.

73

Bruce in the Peg

  • Member since
    May 2008
  • 4,612 posts
Posted by Hamltnblue on Sunday, August 22, 2010 8:55 PM

Chances are you can already speed match without decoder pro.

What decoders and system are you working with?

Springfield PA

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Sunday, August 22, 2010 5:37 PM

 You can set the connection type to one of the ones that syas 'simulator' after it, like the Loconet Simulator, and then you can do everything in JMRI except it won't actually communicate to your DCC system. It's hard to practice speed matching because there's no way to control the locos so you have nothing to base the settings on. You can view the CVs panel for each loco you've 'programmed', the ones highlighted in red are the ones you need to actually change based on what selections you made, so you could go through that list and manually program the red highlighted ones.

                                          --Randy


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Winnipeg Canada
  • 1,637 posts
Testing decoder pro
Posted by Blind Bruce on Sunday, August 22, 2010 4:30 PM

I have not received my USB adaptor yet. Is there a way I can practice speed matching using decoder pro without having this connection?

73

Bruce in the Peg

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