And have no other locos on the tracks when programming using blast mode.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
To set Blast mode you need to change OPSW 7 to "c". Changing OPSWs is covered in your manual on page 41. Just make sure that you change out of Blast mode when you are finished programming.
Joe
Lee 1234You need to program on the main to change any CVs with Digitrax and Tsunami. Change the engine number in Blast Mode. All the other CVs can be changed programming on the main.
How do I enter Blast mode, can someone provide step by step instructions? I'm new to DCC so I don't know too much about it.
-Khang Lu, University of Minnesota Railroad Club
PennCentral99Can you be more specific? You can't program any CV's or just the address? I have a Zephyr Xtra and only have issues with programming the extended address, I don't have any problems programming any other CV's.
I can't program the address or CV's. I'll try programming the CV for the horn on the main. To do that, do you just set the program mode to OPS?
SooLine720 Sorry for so many questions... I have an Athearn Genesis GP9 with tsunami sound and it won't program on my Digitrax zephyr and for some reason, it won't program and the zephyr can read its current address, even though I know it's at 03. I am new to DCC and anything would help.
Sorry for so many questions...
I have an Athearn Genesis GP9 with tsunami sound and it won't program on my Digitrax zephyr and for some reason, it won't program and the zephyr can read its current address, even though I know it's at 03. I am new to DCC and anything would help.
Can you be more specific? You can't program any CV's or just the address? I have a Zephyr Xtra and only have issues with programming the extended address, I don't have any problems programming any other CV's.
JoeinPA Mike: I ran into several programming problems with the original Zephyr and Tsunami. I was able to get by with blast mode but finally broke down and got a PTB 100 and have been very pleased with it. The Zephyr has some interesting idiosyncacies in programming the long address also even with the booster. It doesn't want to change CV29 and in order to get it to work you need to set that CV manually. This apears to be a timing issue and is reported to not occur when using a DT4xx series throttle to do the programming with the Zephyr. Santa brought me a new Zephyr Extra and I'll be interested to see if it behaves diffently. Joe
Mike:
I ran into several programming problems with the original Zephyr and Tsunami. I was able to get by with blast mode but finally broke down and got a PTB 100 and have been very pleased with it. The Zephyr has some interesting idiosyncacies in programming the long address also even with the booster. It doesn't want to change CV29 and in order to get it to work you need to set that CV manually. This apears to be a timing issue and is reported to not occur when using a DT4xx series throttle to do the programming with the Zephyr. Santa brought me a new Zephyr Extra and I'll be interested to see if it behaves diffently.
Therefore, the very first thing we should do is take control of the decoder and go change CV 29. By programming CV 29 = 50, we enable speed tables, set speed steps to 28/128, extended address, disable analog and forward is normal. Not only ensuring that the "extended address" is programmed, we can also eliminate any issues with runaway locos by disabling the analog mode when a short occurs and then is restored.
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You need to program on the main to change any CVs with Digitrax and Tsunami. Change the engine number in Blast Mode. All the other CVs can be changed programming on the main.
Lee
Got the SOO GP9 for my husband for Christmas. I do the scenery and he does the programming so I am not able to help here but he uses JMRI and he cannot get the address to change. He can get it to accept some commands but very few and mostly only things that he didn't mean to do. Usually he runs Protos so these are a different animal altogether. He has digitrax, Zepher, tsunami, if any of that helps. Could anyone give me any ideas on helping him get his locomotive address changed for easier programming.
Here are the instructions as found on the Soundtraxx site:
http://www.soundtraxx.com/access/PTB-100%20Instructions.pdf
It's a simple install. I got mine from Litchfield Station. They also can supply the power supply needed for the PTB 100.
How do you install the PTB-1000?
I only ever had one Tsunami, and it programmed fine on the program track of my old Zephyr - HOWEVER, I do use a DT400 throttle, not the Zephyr console. When I first got the Zephyr and that's all I had, I had no problems programming motor only decoders from the console. By the time I got sound decoders, I had the DT400 and never had a problem with any of them, the first were QSI which are also supposed to be stubborn.
Make sure you have a good solid connection to the program track, I have maybe 18" of #18 speaker wire, soldered to a piece of flex track. Make sure the track is clean, as well as the wheels of the loco.
Thank you for the quick replies, i may be able to go to the model railroad club to have it programmed it blast doesn't work. I have the Zephyr Extra.
I'm a Digitrax dummy, but if Joe's suggestion doesn't work, you may need a programming track booster like the Soundtraxx PTB-100. Because of the demands of the sound system, many DCC systems don't have enough oomph to handle programming sound decoders. I know a NCE PowerCab will do it, if you have access to one of those.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
You can try "Blast Mode" programming with your Zephyr (is it the original Zephyr or the Zephyr Extra?).
Take all your other engines off the layout and then enter Blast mode and proceed with programming. Blast mode will program everything on the layout so you need to be careful. Blast mode can be set by changing OPSW 7 to c. Make sure to turn off blast mode when you are done.