Cross post from French Railways: Turning up the sound.

[ianp]

I have bought one of the Billard autorail models recently issued by the French manufacturer REE:  https://www.jura-modelisme.fr/fr/autorail/38699-ree-modeles-revm001s-autorail-billard-a80-d-des-cfd-n313-2-phares-rouge-gris-perle.html My version is DCC with sound. The handbook says that function 14 (F14) turns the sounds up while F15 turns them down. But my hand-held controller, an NCE Powercab (eight years old) does not appear to offer a function with either of these numbers. And the ridiculously complex and opaque handbook doesn't explain how to create such functions either. In fact it doesn't mention controlling sound volume at all. How should I proceed? 

[Nigelcliffe]

Most PowerCabs(*)  will control functions to F28, but there is a need to use a specific button to temporarily shift to F11-F20 or F21-F28.    Usually this is done via the "option" key, but that key can be setup to do different things.   It is in the manual (start at Page20).  

 

 

(* there have been a few firmware updates for the PowerCab over the years, so earlier ones might not go to F28. The last one firmware update was at least a decade ago ). 

 

 

Most US-designed handsets are a bit of a pain to control sound locos in my view.   European designed handsets, or software handsets running on smartphones are a lot easier and usually much more configurable.    You could use a smartphone with the NCE system with the addition of an interface device (there are at least two different ways of doing it).  

 

 

- Nigel

[ianp]

Thank you. But one thing is puzzling me. How, just by renumbering an existing button as F14 or F15,  does that create the underlying functionality I want?

[Nigelcliffe]

9 hours ago, ianp said:

Thank you. But one thing is puzzling me. How, just by renumbering an existing button as F14 or F15,  does that create the underlying functionality I want?

 

You're not "renumbering" per se.    The software inside the PowerCab recognises the first key ("option") as an instruction to change the response to the number keys (0 to 9), and that then sends a F14 command to the track.  Two presses of the "option" key, and the Powercab changes the response again so a "4" would be "F24" as the command sent.  

 

( The alternative might be a very much larger handset with 18 more buttons...).  

 

 

- Nigel

[ianp]

Problem solved. The model has a Zimo decoder and CV (configuration variable) 266 controls its sound level. I went into CV266 via the initial programming procedure and increased the value within the CV a few notches. Now the sound is louder and without distortion.