I just realized I never posted the follow-up I did get from Intermountain, so here it is in case anyone comes across this thread with the same question:
"The motor decoder provided by SoundTraxx for that locomotive does not have the lighting effects that you are requesting. Unfortunately you will need to install a different decoder that provides those specific lighting effect functions to fulfill your request."
So that's that. Kind of disappointing, given that those seem like pretty well standard lighting effects that one would want to have. Oh well, if I get too annoyed by it I'll just rip out the decoder and put in something different :-)
-Tim
It's been my experience with Soundtraxx decoders that the various CV settings interact with one another. As a result, one setting may counteract or offset another. The lighting functions and settings can really present problems.
Rich
Alton Junction
Thanks Rich, will have a look at that too.
Yes, Soundtraxx does not exactly make it overly straightforward....several times now I've excitedly thought "ah ha! I've got it!", only to program it in and find out that it did nothing! I feel like there's something I'm missing, but I just can't seem to find what it is.
Of course it would have been nice if this function was just programmed in the first place, since it does seem to be a fairly basic function to have.
Tim,
Take a look at this link as well.
http://www.soundtraxx.com/manuals/mc2usersguide.pdf
Specifically, review pages 21-26 which deal with configuring the lighting outputs and function mapping.
I have some Intermountain non-sound mobile decoders, but I have not attempted any advanced programming on the lighting outputs. Soundtraxx doesn't make it easy.
Thanks, that's exactly the sort of info I was looking for.
However, I'm still having issues. I tried going through and programming CVs 49 and 50 (headlight and reverse lights) to allow for dimmable lighting, and also set CV41 to 16 to assign dimming to F7. No luck.
I checked it over several times and tried a few other values, and had no success. I do wonder if perhaps the programming for the marker lights (they're set to come on automatically on the front when the rear lights are on, but on the rear are controlled with F6) has anything to do with it?
My hope is that someone out there has tried programming the specific IMRC non-sound GEVOs and could suggest how they did it (haven't had any luck with searching about online so far). Perhaps all the DCC users just went for sound straight away!
Suggestion: Go to the SoundTraxx web site and download their complete documentation for that non-sound decoder, which lists all supported CVs and explains how each one functions. The CVs for the light functions are 49 through 52.
http://www.soundtraxx.com/manuals/mc2_tech_reference.pdf
I've recently got set up with a DCC system (Digitrax Zephyr Extra), so I now have the chance to start playing around with some of my DCC equipped locos.
I have a trio of Intermountain CN ES44DCs, all of which have the standard non-sound DC/DCC decoder that Intermountain supplies from the factory. The locos run fine and some functions seem to work fine -> lights turn on and off with F0, numberboards light with F5, and the rear marker lights can be controlled with F6 (though not the ones on the front of the loco...).
What I haven't been able to figure out is how to get any further lighting control on these units, i.e. rule 17 dimming in particular.
I did find the CV info sheet for these units (apparently the non-sound version is a soundtraxx mobile decoder), and I can see that there is a CV value programmed for F5 (CV39=02) and F6 (CV40=04), and all 00s for the other function CVs. Here's the sheet -> http://www.soundtraxx.com/factory/OEM_pages/intermountain/inmt_es44dc_ho.pdf
My basic question to others here: what other lighting functions can be programmed on here? How would I go about programming things like dimming or separate ditch light control? Are any of these options possible?
I'm still very new to the world of DCC, but I am comfortable with the process of programming CVs on this system, so it's just the concept of what CV values do what that I'm still trying to get a handle on.
Thanks to anyone who can help!