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Why cant i program the loco #'s on my BLI loco's?

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  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Memphis, Tennessee
  • 446 posts
Why cant i program the loco #'s on my BLI loco's?
Posted by SD60M on Thursday, September 11, 2008 6:57 PM
As of now i have just started with DCC and i cant program the locos #'s on my BLI locos with my MRC Prodigy Express. The loco's in question are my Paragon SD40-2 and AC6000CW, i just cant figure out why? I have 2 other locos with Digitrax decoders in them and i have got them programmed with there loco #. Do i need to do this on a program track, so far i have programmed on the main does this really matter?
Long Live The Burlington Northern!
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
  • 13,757 posts
Posted by cacole on Thursday, September 11, 2008 7:01 PM

If your locomotives have QSI sound decoders they require a programming track booster.  If your Prodigy Express allows programming on the main line, try that instead of using the programming track.  If you've tried main line programming and it isn't working, you've discovered one of the reasons that the Prodigy Express is cheap.

Something else to try is to program CV 29 with a value of 34 as a separate step.  Your Prodigy Express may be changing the address in CVs 17 and 18, but unless you also change CV 29 the decoder thinks you still want to use the short address.

Possibly the best programming booster on the market today is the one from SoundTraxx, item number PTB-100, if you have the type of power supply that is needs.

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,321 posts
Posted by selector on Thursday, September 11, 2008 7:32 PM
I agree with the CV 29 change to a value of 34.  Try Ops Mode programming for this step, and just input the value "34" to CV 29 and then exit programming, dial in the new address and acquire it on your throttle.  Try the bell or the horn.  If you get it, you are in business.
  • Member since
    February 2007
  • From: Christiana, TN
  • 2,134 posts
Posted by CSX Robert on Friday, September 12, 2008 6:14 AM
I don't have any QSI decoders, but if that is what these engines have, I have heard that you need to disable verbal acknowledgment(set cv62 to 0) to be able to program an extended(4-digit) address in OPS mode. To set an extended address requires 3 writes(CV17, 18 and 29), and I think the verbal feedback of the first write interferes with the other writes.
  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Memphis, Tennessee
  • 446 posts
Posted by SD60M on Saturday, September 13, 2008 4:04 PM
 CSX Robert wrote:
I don't have any QSI decoders, but if that is what these engines have, I have heard that you need to disable verbal acknowledgment(set cv62 to 0) to be able to program an extended(4-digit) address in OPS mode. To set an extended address requires 3 writes(CV17, 18 and 29), and I think the verbal feedback of the first write interferes with the other writes.
Thank you sir! I set the CV62 to 0 and it worked! Finally i have all 4 of my dcc locos with there #'s programmed!
Long Live The Burlington Northern!

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