I see that someone posted a similar question on the Yahoo Groups NCE-DCC forum. The replies are in agreement with what has been stated here, and that is that there is no way to definitively identify the exact type of decoder without visually inspecting it.
Rich
Alton Junction
Randy, that answered a big part of my concern. So, I can pick the best of the decoders and cover all my bases.
Thank you!
Randy
The Cedar Branch & Western--The Hillbilly Line!
It doesn't matter - the parameters are the same in most cases. Otherwise, you have to open up and look. The CVs and values to set to control the motor, set volumes, and map function are exactly the same. If one has 4 function outputs and one has 6 - it won;t scramble the 4 function one to attempt to assign a rotary beacon to non-existent function wire 6 - just nothing will happen.
--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, that explains some of the issue. So, how do I select the correct decoder and programming parameters when the decoder is not chosen by JMRI and I can't access or find the physical decoder's info inside the loco? For instance, will it create programming problems if I select an ESU LokSound 3.5 when it's really a 3.5 micro and JMRI can't figure out which?
Some decoders use the same version for all variations, since in many cases, vX.Y firmware in a family of decoders is the same regardless if there are two function outputs or 6.
All Tsunamis are the same - a Tsunami with a 645 sound is the same as a Tsunami with an Alco 244 sound. The only difference is the sound. Motor control, function mapping, equalizer settings, etc. are all the same. An Athearn form factor with 645 is exactly the same as the wired version with a 645 sound set. From the viewpoint of configuring CVs, anyway.
You can either ignore the precise decoder model and use the Loco information as your key to storing it in the roster, or otherwise you will have to remove the shell and check exactly what's been installed.
Rich, I do get the ID and version number from JMRI. The problem is that from there the program can't always isolate the correct family or model of decoder. Trying to look up the correct decoder to match the version number found is where I'm having the biggest problem.
Can't you just put each loco on the programming track to read the manufacturer ID and version number?
Hello, fellow modelers!
I have acquired a number of used DCC HO locos. I've been trying to identify each one's decoder using the latest version of Decoder Pro 3 (JMRI). I keep running into an issue with the version numbers not matching a known decoder.
For instance, I have a Soundtraxx decoder (ID=141) with decoder version of 129. JMRI can't pick out any specific decoder or family under Soundtraxx. An hour on the internet has failed to find a list of Soundtraxx decoder version types with corresponding numbers.
This is a repeat problem with three or four decoders of various brands including NCE and ESU. JMRI's success rate seems to be about 3 out of 4. I have tried all three programming modes. Internet searches fail to find any information on the many of the versions numbers to match to a decoder.
Why doesn't JMRI pick out at least the family on all of ID’d decoders? Where can I find an up-to-date list off all manufacturers and their decoder version names and numbers? Anyone else have this type of issue?
Thank you for your help!