GWR Man Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 I have a DCC FITTED Dapol streamlined railcar 16 when I press function 2 the interior lights stay on when i hold the switch down but as soon as I remove by hand the lights go off . All the other functions work .Does anybody what I am doing wrong many thanks GWR Man Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted February 11, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 11, 2020 F2 is non-latching on some DCC systems, particularly US ones where F2 is the whistle. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Neal Ball Posted February 11, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 11, 2020 On the main railcar post, I asked this question ages ago, but I'm afraid can't remember the answer at the moment! F2 needs to be reprogrammed to allow a non latching function. However, I too have bought a DCC fitted railcar (No 17 Parcels) and was surprised there wasn't a decoder instruction sheet. I will ask Dapol for one, together with the latching issue. Dapol shouldn't really use F2 for the internal lighting function. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paftrain Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 F2 needs to be reprogrammed to allow a non latching function. I have the same problem with mine, too. Can the decoder be reprogrammed to change the F number? If so, can anyone on here advise how to do it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 11, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 11, 2020 If you have a decent European brand (Lenz, Zimo etc.) decoder, function mapping should be part of the spec. If you use JMRI Decoder Pro* you should find it amongst the program options. * IMHO everyone should have this (it's free) it cuts out a lot of decoder program hassle. See this for a Lenz decoder: 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted February 11, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 11, 2020 I'm not DCC but I noticed when I opened up my 17 to switch off the cab lights that the allocations of the microswitches doesn't match the instructions or the allocation in the passenger versions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paftrain Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 14 hours ago, melmerby said: If you have a decent European brand (Lenz, Zimo etc.) decoder, function mapping should be part of the spec. If you use JMRI Decoder Pro* you should find it amongst the program options. * IMHO everyone should have this (it's free) it cuts out a lot of decoder program hassle. See this for a Lenz decoder: That looks very interesting, but I'm none the wiser. Perhaps you would kindly explain how that helps to change function 2 to non-latching, or change F2 to another F number that does latch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 12, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2020 (edited) 13 minutes ago, paftrain said: That looks very interesting, but I'm none the wiser. Perhaps you would kindly explain how that helps to change function 2 to non-latching, or change F2 to another F number that does latch. If you want The output that is currently on F2 which is non latching, (in this case output D) to be on a different function key (e.g. F4, which is a latching function) just place the tick for "D" in F4 and write that change to the decoder. (Mine are still on F2 as the DCC system & decoders are European) I think in this case you would need to also remove the tick in F4 = Momentum as well Edited February 12, 2020 by melmerby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paftrain Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 1 minute ago, melmerby said: If you want The output that is currently on F2 which is non latching, (in this case output D) to be on a different function key (e.g. F4, which is a latching function) just place the tick for "D" in F4 and write that change to the decoder. (Mine are still on F2 as the DCC system & decoders are European) Thanks Keith. You are presumably still on 'Decoder Pro', but I'm not! How can I do this with a Gaugemaster Prodigy2? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 12, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2020 1 minute ago, paftrain said: Thanks Keith. You are presumably still on 'Decoder Pro', but I'm not! How can I do this with a Gaugemaster Prodigy2? JMRI is a software add on for DCC systems, you need a serial or USB connection then Just download and install JMRI on a computer (Windows, Mac or Linux) (It will run on a Raspberry Pi) You would need the USB interface if you don't already have one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paftrain Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 My PC is downstairs and not exactly portable while my layout is in my attic. So the answer to my question is 'no you can't do that on a Prodigy2'? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 12, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2020 (edited) 12 minutes ago, paftrain said: My PC is downstairs and not exactly portable while my layout is in my attic. So the answer to my question is 'no you can't do that on a Prodigy2'? Sorry about that. I'm so used to seeing computers everywhere that I assumed you might have one nearby that you could use for programming. Decoder Pro certainly makes setting up decoders really easy. I wouldn't like to attempt to do it using just the keys on a handheld controller, although it's possible with the right decoders. Edited February 12, 2020 by melmerby 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold MikeParkin65 Posted February 12, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 12, 2020 16 hours ago, melmerby said: If you have a decent European brand (Lenz, Zimo etc.) decoder, function mapping should be part of the spec. If you use JMRI Decoder Pro* you should find it amongst the program options. * IMHO everyone should have this (it's free) it cuts out a lot of decoder program hassle. See this for a Lenz decoder: This looks fantastic! I have an NCE Powercab - do you know what I would need to get from where I am now to this? I mean the bit between having a Powercab and a having a laptop - the 'bit' in the middle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 12, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2020 (edited) 56 minutes ago, MikeParkin65 said: This looks fantastic! I have an NCE Powercab - do you know what I would need to get from where I am now to this? I mean the bit between having a Powercab and a having a laptop - the 'bit' in the middle It depends whether the system has a USB interface or not. Without one you can't do anything but some systems do it as an add on. NCE do one for the Powercab: https://www.ncedcc.com/online-store/USB-Interface-for-Power-Cab-p38322160 UK stockist: https://www.coastaldcc.co.uk/products/nce/computer-interfaces/ The NCE link is a bit iffy on my laptop! Edited February 12, 2020 by melmerby 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold MikeParkin65 Posted February 12, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 12, 2020 9 hours ago, melmerby said: It depends whether the system has a USB interface or not. Without one you can't do anything but some systems do it as an add on. NCE do one for the Powercab: https://www.ncedcc.com/online-store/USB-Interface-for-Power-Cab-p38322160 UK stockist: https://www.coastaldcc.co.uk/products/nce/computer-interfaces/ The NCE link is a bit iffy on my laptop! Thanks for taking the time to give this detailed answer - much appreciated Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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