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fcwilt

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Posts posted by fcwilt

    Basic DCC automation advice needed

    in DCC Help & Questions

    Posted

    Thank you for all your input its been very informative! 

     

    at the moment I think for what I want to do, I'm leaning toward the Digikeijs command station and feedback controller, I think the digitrax stuff goes a little too far outside my price range

     

    what are your thoughts?

     

    Hi,

     

    My layout is fully automated using TrainController Gold. I have the required occupancy sensing and turnout control plus the fun but optional signal and electromagnetic uncoupler control.

     

    Now I used all RR-CirKits electronics because of the design, versatility, ease of installation and configuration - not to mention top notch support.

     

    I have a fairly complete set of Digikeijs devices because I like the product line and wanted to have a decent knowledge of the devices in case the subject came up.

     

    If you like the Digikeijs have you considered using the DR4018 for turnout control?

     

    Frederick

    Railcom compatible equipment

    in DCC Discussion Topics (not questions)

    Posted

    Frederick,

     

    I bought the standard version. I did have a trial of the top version for 3 months (free from author) and found that I wasn’t using the additional functions that are available as you move up the offerings.

     

    At £172 (~$200) is is much more affordable that the alternative. I also note that the upgrade path is simply the cost difference between existing licence and new product which is good to know. I was also told that as the product has evolved (the author is active on the product forum) he has offered upgrades at very attractive prices - again, not like the main commercial alternative ;)

     

    Thanks very much.

     

    Frederick

    Hornby Elite Programming Problems

    in DCC Help & Questions

    Posted

    The thing I like most about Railmaster was having the layout diagram and loco control on the same screen. The ideal solution for me would be to have the layout diagram (with clickable points changing) on the computer screen and the loco controls on the ECoS screen. As yet I have no idea if this can be done.

     

    Hi,

     

    I am not familiar with Railmaster but there is a first rate application that will do what you want and has support for the ECoS system.

     

    http://www.freiwald.com/pages/traincontroller.htm

     

    Frederick

    Chip or controller or me

    in DCC Help & Questions

    Posted

    Morning all just swapped to dc c I've put 8 pin hatton s chip into a Bachmann class 37 and can not get it to work I've got a section of track and wired as main track the lights are on but no movement of train the red button works and when chip is taken out the train buzzes which YouTube tells me that there's all should be ok I've tried to reprogram chip any one what I've done wrong!!!!

     

    If the loco has a 8 pin socket and nothing is plugged into the socket the loco should do nothing and be silent.

     

    So when you say "the chip is taken out" exactly what are you doing?

     

    Frederick

    Fitting Resistor Wheelsets - OHMs Readings

    in DCC Help & Questions

    Posted

     

    I didn't see any mention of the actual material being used to make this product conductive. Try adding some more to those wheel sets that are reading high. I had to do that with the carbon based product I tried.

     

    Frederick

    Fitting Resistor Wheelsets - OHMs Readings

    in DCC Help & Questions

    Posted

    Hi,

     

    What type of conductive paint are you using? 

     

    I was using a silver based product that worked great but recently became very expensive.

     

    I am now trying a carbon based product but it requires greater attention to application to keep the resistance of the carbon low.

     

    For all I know it might be possible to use just the carbon based paint if one was willing to fiddle about with the amount applied.

     

    Frederick

    DR4024 decoder

    in DCC Help & Questions

    Posted

    I am trying to configure a Digikeijs DR4024 decoder using a DCC++ Base Station ( Arduino Uno + Motor Shield ) and DCC++ Controller.

     

    I have successfully programmed the device to have an ancillary address of 500 and can operate the four servo motors individually using the four turnouts defined in the Arduino software.

     

    <T 1 500 0>

    <T 2 500 1>

    <T 3 500 2>

    <T 4 500 3>

     

    The problem I have is that I cannot calibrate the A and B positions for each servo motor.

     

    When I set the LOC address to 9999, energise a specific turnout and then press the DR4024 program switch ( LED stays illuminated ) the servo remains in the same position and does not move to the midpoint.

     

    The servo will only move to the midpoint when I toggle the track power. After that, moving the speed knob does not change the servo position.

     

    Has anybody else experienced the same problem ?

     

    Hi,

     

    Did you set the speed to 0 and turn off loco functions F1, F2, F3 and F4 before selecting the desired servo?

     

    Frederick

    Re-program 10 Trains at Once?

    in DCC Help & Questions

    Posted

    If you want to enable railcom, set dc operation and reverse the loco direction you simply send 13 to CV29, how it is set now is immaterial, it will be 13 afterwards

     

    If you want to read CV29 then you need Railcom if you want to POM or place the loco on a programming track.

     

    It is the same as any other CV, work out what you need it to be and send the value to the decoder. If you don’t know the value before hand then you have the same problem that you have with any value you don’t know, you either read it or better, work out what it needs to be and send the value to the right CV

     

    You don't need to know the value of the short address in CV1 if you simply want to change it. 

     

    You DO need to know the value in CV29 if you wish, say, to to start using the Speed Table but leave everything else alone.

     

    As I said IF you know in advance the desired value of every bit in CV29 you could just write it.

     

    There is a fundamental difference between CVs that contain just one piece of information and those that contain multiple pieces of information.

     

    Frederick

    Re-program 10 Trains at Once?

    in DCC Help & Questions

    Posted

    Why do you need to read CV29 when you don’t need to read the other CVs?

     

    If you want to write 13 to CV29 then you simply write it, same as you write13 to CV3 if that is what you want it to be.

     

    CV29 is no different to any other CV.

     

    Hi,

     

    Consider CV1 - it contains one value - the short address. If you wish to change the short address to, say, 55, you have only to program CV1 to 55 and you are done.

     

    CV29 on the other hand is perhaps the most common CV that gets changed which contains multiple, independent pieces of information. For instance bit 5 is set to one to use the long address, bit 4 is set to one to enable the use of the speed table. 

     

    If you wish to enable using a long address yet leave the other bits alone you need to read the current value in CV29, set bit 5 of that value to a one and then write that updated value back to CV29.

     

    Certainly if you know what values you wish to set for each of the possible bits you can just write CV29.

     

    But the programming tools I have used all read CV29 first when changing it.

     

    YMMV.

     

    Frederick

    Re-program 10 Trains at Once?

    in DCC Help & Questions

    Posted

    This is what I alluded to with the acknowledge timing being different between decoders. You will either get a successful read or a garbled value.

     

    If the combined acknowledge current pulses from all the decoders is too great this would be noticed during the (attempted) write.

     

    And then you have those cases, like CV29, where the command station has to read the current value in order to change one or more bits while leaving others alone.

     

    That could be fun.  :O

     

    Frederick

    Re-program 10 Trains at Once?

    in DCC Help & Questions

    Posted

    Just double checking.

     

    If I need to re-program a couple of CV values to about 10 locos at once, can I just stick them all on the main track and do it at the same time?

     

    Surely the controller won't care what trains are on the track and just send the new CV value to whatever is on the track at that point?

     

    Cheerio

     

    Using the "programming track" means the command station will try to read back the value of the CV being programmed. You can imagine what might happen with multiple locos responding at the same time.

     

    Using "programming on the main" requires specifying the address of the loco to change - so naturally you cannot change multiple locos at one time.

     

    Frederick

    DR4088LN setting/resetting

    in DCC Help & Questions

    Posted

    Could it be that he is having the same issues with.the DR4088 that I had on the LocoNet bus excepting that he is using it on the S88 bus?

     

    The LocoNet based DR4088LN sends messages to the command station/computer when occupancy status changes. The have to be programmed to insure they send the correct messages.

     

    The DR4088CS however is based on the S88 protocol. These devices require the command station/computer to query them as to occupancy status. As such it is usually necessary to configure the controlling device with the number of sensors to query. Typically it is enough to specify the number of 8 bit S88 devices and the number of 16 bit S88 devices you have connected. The ECoS manual seems to indicate the devices need to be entered in the order you have them connected.  If you don't use all of the inputs the controlling device will simply waste a little bit of time querying unused inputs.

     

    The DR4088CS (and the others in the family) do not have a programming button as there is nothing to program. "Programming" them consists of connecting them in the desired order. 

     

    Frederick

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