You might also try the PR3 in standalone mode, if you have a power supply for it. My PR3 has no problem reading or writing any brand of decoder I've ever tried with it, including MRC, Tsunami, and QSI. Mine works witht eh standard PS14 power supply - other say they need a higher voltage power supply - a 18V DC one from an old printer seems common, or you can get one at Radio Shack. If you have it, try with the PS14 first. Connect a good CLEAN piece of track to the track terminals with some reasonable size wire - I use #18, in a short lengh. My PR3 is mounted to a test track so the wires are REALLY short, but the piece of flex track I have hooked to my Zephyr has less than 2 feet of #18 between the Zephyr and the track. The PR3 as a programmer with JMRI can read and write decoders, so you have the readback capability and if it works then you saved the cost of the PTB100.
Do NOT get the PowerPax from Tony's, too many people have reported that while it works fine with QSI, it still won;t read Tsunamis. The PTB100 would be the one to get if you end up needing a program track booster,
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I have the Zephyr Extra and no DT400. I tried many things in the past and I could not program any variables at all. I will do another methodical experiment with JMRI and see if it works. Something might have because the advanced consist did take ...
Can't read in Ops Mode, ever - unless using a Digitrax decoder and having a full transponding system set up.
I suppose a PTB100 would help, but I can program Tsunamis with my Zephyr (original) with no problem. The difference mainly being I use a DT400 throttle with it, not the Zephyr console. Address programming is where the base console mostly breaks down, the address CVs get set but often CV29 does not like it is supposed to. In Ops Mode you can;t directly set the current type of address - say you reset the loco and it's on 3, and you want it to be 31 - you can't do that in ops mode. If it's 3 you cna make it 3100, and if it's 3100 you can make it 3. If it's currently a short address, you can't set another short address, and if it's currently a long address, you can;t set another long address, directly.
Reading back doesn;t concern me too much, after the basics are set, most of the things you would do are things like change the volume, which I'd do in Ops Mode anyway so I can hear the change as I make it, or adjust something like the start voltage, again I'd want to do that in Ops Mode so I can see the effect right away without flipping back and forth between the program track and the main.
Randy,
Trying to program Tsunamis and it has never worked for me. I have to go to paged mode (which I figure changes the main to something like a programming track) and set burst to on. Even then, I am unable to read tsunamis. Only write and observe the impact.
I should get a PTB 100 ... Try the programming terminals on the pr3 ... Etc but have not yet done so.
NP.
Ops mode programming fromt he Zephyr does NOT require Blast mode. It always works.
F11 did not help
CV19 = 0 or Consist Address = 0 did not help.
Reset decoder defaults CV30=2 worked. I just had to redo all the decoder settings.
It was not a command station consist (Digitrax allows those) but an Advanced Consist. Pretty confusing because that would require decoder programming, and JMRI should not be able to program the decoder in Ops mode without Burst on. It did take ... I wonder why.
Oh well. I will just need to buy more engines and leave them in consists long term. Probably a good idea from the standpoint of speed matching anyway.
NP01 1. Horn works 2. Digitrax DCS51, PR3 to laptop, JMRI 3. Ooh F11, I will check. 4. No, 54 does not run when 31 is selected NP
1. Horn works
2. Digitrax DCS51, PR3 to laptop, JMRI
3. Ooh F11, I will check.
4. No, 54 does not run when 31 is selected
NP
Does 54 run when you have the throttle set to 31 while your unit 31 just sits? Also, be sure the brakes aren't set with F11 or similar.
Richard
What kind of DCC system are you using? MU behavior is not always the same across systems, so knowing which one you have will help diagnose problems.
My first suggestion would be to NOT use an engine number for the MU address.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
maxman First thing I would do is reset CV19 to zero.
First thing I would do is reset CV19 to zero.
Yep, sounds exactly like it thinks it's still stuck in a consist. Use your throttle to drop it from any consist its in, or reset cv19 with the throttle or JMRI.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
Does the horn sound when you push the horn? If so the locomotive is receiving the throttle commands.
If you reset the locomotive don't forget that you will have to restore the factory settings that the locomotive came with. You can find them on the SoundTraxx web page. And it will be responding to the default address of 3, until you reprogram it.
So I MU'ed two locos (54 and 31) using JMRI and gave e consist an address of 31, which was the lead loco. Once done, I broke up the consist. Now, 31 won't run. It sits there making sounds and I can push F2 for horn, but when I move the throttle the loco does not move. 54 on the other hand is happy and moving around normally.
Both are Atheran Genesis with factory installed Tsunami. 31 is an MP15AC and 54 is a GP15-1.
What might have happened? Would I need to basically reset 31 to factory defaults?