Hi,
I am trying to consist my two locomotives. One is a GP38-2 Athearn Genesis and a SW1500 Athearn RTR. The RTR has a basic 2 funtion digitrax decoder pluged into the 9pin plug on the factory board. . The Genesis as a TCS A6X board replacement.
My problem is trying to speed match them. I start by seeing how they run together out of the box on SS1. The SW1500 was slower. So I adjuct CV2 until the both ran smooth together. (this is without consisting them together, just both running at same time.)
When I consist them together, The Genenis runs like it did before (because I didn't mess with its CVs) the SW1500, does not move.
To get it to move, I have to crank up the speeds step but the the Genesis is super fast.
So basicly, I can speed match them together, but when I consist them, they dont play well together at all.
So, I tried to speed match them together while they are consisted together. I have to crank CV2 to like 95 on SS1 to even get it to barley move and speed match with the other loco.
and then when I kill the consist, the SW1500 runs like a rocket on SS1.
I don't know what to do. Plese help me.
COuple of questions - which DCC system? And which Digitrax decoder in the RTR? You said "basic" but I suspect you have a DH16x, not a DH12x and yoou are using NCE and CV19 consisting. That would explain the behavior of the SW1500 since Digitrax decoders with BEMF have seperate setting sfor running single and running in CV19 consists, and by default, it's set to be completely off in consist, which is why you need to crank CV2 up so far to get it to move. This is set in CV57. The default used to be 5, which is 0 BEMF for consist and 5 (out of 15) level for running alone. To make it 5 for both, set CV57 to 85. This is somewhat like CV29, in that there are 4 bits for consist BEMF and 4 bits for single BEMF, and both these need to be the same. This is where Hex makes things easier, 4 bits is one hex digit, so to make the BEMF intensity 5 in both consist and single, the hex value is 55, which is 85 decimal (default is 05 - which is 0 in consist, 5 in single). Read the current value of CV57, and then use whatever value that has - if it's 5, your new value is 55, it it's 3, your new value is 33. Use the Windows calulator in programmer mode or whatever other tool you like, and convert that hex value to decimal and set CV57 to that. The easy way - the first digit time 16, plus the second digit. So for 33: 3 x 16 = 48 + 3 = 51. Or 55: 5 x 16 = 80 + 5 = 85. It's not really difficult, and the use of hex here makes a LOT more sense than decimal which does not break into two even halves. The math to 'convert' is the same way we do decimal numbers, and works for any hex number: 49 hex - 4 x 16 + 9.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Sounds like you could also toggle off the BEMF in the TCS decoder. You can program it to toggle with a button push.
Check page 15 of http://www.tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Technical_Info/Tech_Manuals/Comprehensive%20Programming%20Guide.pdf
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
According to Digitrax, for a Digitrax decoder to work in Advanced Consist you must set CV57 to 102. This has worked for me.
Thanks Everyone for your help. I will try this tips out to see they help. I can't remember te model number of the digitrax decoder. I will check when I get him. it only has two light functions and was around $20. My dcc system is NCE power cab.
Thank I will let you know what happens
Or just a TCS T1 in place of the Digotrax one, two TCS decoders with self adjust BEMF will consist just fine.
But so will the two he already has - close is good enough, perfect lockstep is not required.
The Digitrax suggestion of 102 for CV57 assumes the default non-consisted value is 6. So for equal BEMF levels - hex 66, whoch is 102 decimal.
Just set CV57 to 102 on the digitrax decoder and you'll be fine.
I've had the same problem and that took care of it.
WS
Thanks everyone. putting in 102 in cv 52 has worked. I have no finsihed speed matching, but so far it seems to have corrected my issues. The decoder is DH126PS. It is what my LHS had in stock when I bought the loco. I am thinking about swapping it out for a TCS 4 or 6 function decoder so I can have ditch lights. This leds me to my next question.
Say I buy a TCS T4X and plug it into the 9 pin JST plug on the loco. How do I hook up the green, violet and blue wires? I see that from the 9 pin plug in, all the wires go to the board, and so I would think that there would be a spot on the Athearn board to solder my lights to that would led to the appropiate function and commons. BUT i do not see anything. Well, correction, there are two tabs on the board that look like the other tabs, but they are not marked. And if they were for Green and Violet functions, I do not see a common connection tab.
Does my question make sense?
Any tips? I have search of course, but came up empty handed. Probably not using hte right key words.
thanks again?
Can anyone help me with my last question? Maube it would be better to start. New topic for this question
How is your decoder currently installed? Specifically did you plug it into a factory installed harness or did you use a harness that came with the decoder?
Easiest solution? Just run the wires directly to the lights you intend to control (with resistors if needed - which if you use anything but a 14-16V bulb, you will need resistors). Forget the complex mess that the Athearn factory board it. Your lights connect between the violet, or green, and blue.
There are pads on the Athearn boards connected to the green and violet wires, somewhere. Someonw may have a diagram with the points marked, or you can just closely examine the board and follow the traces from the wires at the end of the 9 pin connector.
This is why I almost always remove any factory boards to install decoders - regular decoders (with wires) are cheaper than specialty board form ones, plus there is no guesswork invovled in what wire goes where. No questions of removing DC jumpers or messing around cutting traces. Learn to do this, and your questions will end up being more of the "how do I get the shell off this thing" than anything about wiring. Other than physically locating the decoder, direct wiring is always the same - red to right side pickups, black to left side pickups, orange and grey to the motor, white and blue to the headlight, yellow and blue to the rear light, and whatever other functions you want to hook up for ditch lights or beacons.