Programming speed steps on TCS T4X decoder

[hustle_muscle]

Back again with yet another question about programming TCS decoders...

 

I'm trying to program my start, max and mid speed voltages using my NCE Powercab. When I try programming the start voltage, I see no speed difference. Having never worked with TCS decoders, I don't know what I'm doing wrong. If anyone could help me with this, I would appreciate it.

 

P.S.: When I first turn the beacon light on my locomotive with the decoder, it flickers multiple times before actually doing the beacon effect. Is this normal with TCS decoders?

[hustle_muscle]

davidmbedard

What's your value for cv29?

 

I haven't done anything to cv29. I left it as is.

[Iansa]

hustle_muscle

Back again with yet another question about programming TCS decoders...

 

I'm trying to program my start, max and mid speed voltages using my NCE Powercab. When I try programming the start voltage, I see no speed difference. Having never worked with TCS decoders, I don't know what I'm doing wrong. If anyone could help me with this, I would appreciate it.

 

P.S.: When I first turn the beacon light on my locomotive with the decoder, it flickers multiple times before actually doing the beacon effect. Is this normal with TCS decoders?

 

 

 If adjusting speed steps by using CV 2 = start speed   CV 5= top speed  Cv 6= mid speed.

Try this, adjust CV 2 so loco is just starting to move at speed step 1  then adjust CV 5 so loco is moving at top speed required.

Then adjust CV 6 to aprox 1/2 to 2 third of value set in CV5.

 It is best to adjust CV5 1st with CVs 2 & 6 set at 0 (zero) then adjust CV 6 then CV 2.

 Rapid flicker when 1st activating beacon is normal with TCS and DCConcepts dedcoders.

It only lasts a couple of seconds then settles down to normal beacon flash.

 Cheers

Ian

 

 

 

 

[hustle_muscle]

I already know how to program speed steps with decoders, but the problem I'm having is that the decoder will not program voltages for speed steps for some weird reason. Is the decoder faulty or am I doing something wrong?

 

[dante]

Contact TCS by phone or email-they are very helpful.

Dante

[rrinker]

 First step, do a reset on the decoder to make sure nothing else was accidently messed up. Set CV8=2. Verify you can control the loco using address 3.

 TCS doesn;t do anything differently with CV2, 6 and 5. The amount of adjustment may be too small to notice - first because the automatic BEMF will make the loco move as best it can on speed step 1, and if that requires the equivalent of a large number in CV2, so be it. If you are putting small numbers in CV2, there may not be enough difference to see. Per the comprehensive manual (on the TCS web site - those quicky sheets that come with the decoder are just the very basics to make it go, there are dozens of CVs to adjust all sorts of things, which are covered int he comprehesive manual), about every 18 you put in CV2 increases the voltage by 1 volt. So trying values of 4 or 5 will result in almost no change. 18 should be a noticeable difference. 36 and any decent loco should give a good jump.  The other point is that each CV needs to have a higher value than the one before it. CV5 > CV6 > CV2. So setting CV2 to 18 and CV6 to 0 and CV 5 to 0 may not work as expected. Set CV6 to 128 and CV5 to 255 and then adjust CV2 for the start speed you need (all my TCS locos start on step 1 without any adjustment though). Then you can reduce CV5 to lower the top speed, and finally adjust CV6 to the mid point speed is somewhere in between.

 As for the functions flickering - did you set the dim level, CV64 properly? By default it is set to 15 which works for incandescent bulbs, but not very well for LEDs. If your beacon is an LED, try setting CV64 to somewhere around 2-6. I think most of mine are set to 2 for dimming LED headlights.

                   --Randy