Well there is a shock!
OK, before I rip it out and throw it in the trash, how do you reset the decoder. (No I don't want to use a 2 pound hammer)
I bought a NIB MRC F7 A from my LHS on the cheap. When I saw it had a decoder I knew it was going to need to be replaced. Decoder Pro could not read the decoder. I tried to run it on the main using address 3, nothing.
Tested it on DC and the engine runs, hum.
Besides a 2 lb hammer, any ideas?
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
Since your using JMRI, use it to reset the decoder (if this model supports reset).
Open the roster file for this locomotive while in service mode (programming track). In the top menu click on 'reset' followed by 'factory reset'. The rest is intuitive. This writes to the appropriate CV to reset the decoder.
Note: This is NOT the same as the 'Reset to Defaults' button on the roster entry pane. That just changes the CVs to the defaults in the decoder file which may or may not be correct. This then needs to be written to the decoder
Peter
Set CV 125 to a value of 1.
See if that works.
(you probably will not be able to read back that decoder....so do whatever you have to do on your programming track with your DCC system to ignore the "cannot" read CV message that will come up)
Pete and Max, thanks for the idea.
David, hum but darn it I don't have any bottle rockets.
Ken
This might be a REALLY old MRC decoder - if so you need to use Register Mode to progrma it and it has VERY limited settings. This is the way many decoders were back in the early days of DCC, but most quickly moved beyond that. MRC keps makign decoders way down on the low end for much longer than most - or maybe they just had so many made they had to keep sellign them. Plus the early MRC DCC systems where highlky limited in themselves so it didn;t matter too much. This is all bfore they made their sound decoders.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Randy, the decoder was made around 2001 when MRC was selling there F7A. Should Decoder Pro be able to read the decoder?
cudaken Randy, the decoder was made around 2001 when MRC was selling there F7A. Should Decoder Pro be able to read the decoder? Ken
Do the instructions tell you exactly which MRC decoder is in that engine?
Looking at the MRC website manuals for discontinued decoders it appears that some of the early decoders did not have a provision for resetting. Try just setting CV 1 to 3 and see what happens.
There where no directions in the box for some reason? So I have no clue to which decoder they used.
cudaken There where no directions in the box for some reason? So I have no clue to which decoder they used. Ken
Maybe that's why you got a discount?
I suppose you could try resetting to the factory defaults, assuming that it was an early decoder with only a few CVs. Here a link to what looks like a 2003 decoder instruction. Try setting CVs 1, 17, 18, and 19 to the values shown.
http://www.modelrectifier.com/resources/trainSound/AD370.pdf
Thanks for all the help folks! But as expiated the decoder is Trash. Got to see if the kid next door has any bottle rockets left!
ken
Ken,
I think My Son has some 3inch mortars left!!!!!
Cheers
Frank