Prof Klyzlr

Dear "Oregon City"/"Blue Heron"/SW1500 fans, Geez, it's been a while since we've been around this honeypot ain't it? A question for those who are "UK exhibition minded" and get where such a weird question might come from. Given: - a Subaru Outback transport vehicle - Nominal 4' x 1' modules x3 (plus maybe some "return staging loop subterfuge backstage" - HO scale What say ye about the "scenic composition critical-ness" of the UP LA<>Seattle Mainline, running North/South along the Willamette River ledge above/behind the Blue Herron Papermill? I mean, it would be spacially easier to make Blue Heron as a "proto-nook" hard up against the rock face (the UP main "omitted", scenic space saved and backstage gubbins complexity avoided... ...all be it with no obvious way for the UP SW1500s to subsequently "get to Hito, then race home to Albina"...), but mockups look weird, against comparison with the excellent images by Kyle Wiseman-Yee, without the concrete rail overpass just outside the Papermill site.... (and the exhibition-key opportunity to integrate some "constant moving-scenery mainline/UP/BNSF/Sounder/AmTrak running" as an adjunct to the SW1500s switching the Mill'). Wisdom from the faithful (RIP Shortliner Jack) greatly appreciated! Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Nick, You can buy the etched bowtie handles themselves, just email Tony on the address in the photo description... https://tonysissons.zenfolio.com/p669006663/h3d6f869a (see below the image, towards the bottom left... I have purchased them from Tony this way, 100% would-reccomend, and will be purchasing more myself...) Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Bob, Rapido do some of the better plastic switchstands I've seen https://rapidotrains.com/detail-parts/railcrew/switch-stands.html and yet to see a better "bowtie"/"backsaver" handle than the etched ones by Tony Sissons... https://tonysissons.zenfolio.com/p669006663 Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear SB, K, lets break this down: - CV8 is a value which reflects the Manufacturer of the decoder. The official NMRA lookup-table is available HERE https://www.nmra.org/sites/default/files/standards/sandrp/pdf/appendix_a_s-9_2_2_5.pdf (Hint: use the Decimal column to match the "human readable" CV8 value / Manuf ID) - Per this matching list on the NCE website, https://ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/200545039-Manufacturer-ID-listing-The-Value-listed-in-CV8 255 is explicitly an error message. IE it is not a valid Manuf ID. - The way the DCC system (SPROG, NCE PwrCab, whatever) "reads" the value is to pulse the decoder, and detect the momentary response current draw of the decoder, typically by pulsing the motor. It's a game of "20 questions", although in this case it's a game of "256 questions" as each CV has a theoretic maximum digital value range of 0-255. If the DCC system asks the right "is the CV8 value = xx?" question, the Decoder answers with a clear current-draw pulse "Yes" (commonly referred to in electronics terms as an "ACK" or "Acknowledge" pulse). - If the DCC system gets to the end of the "256 questions" and it has not heard a clear "Yes" pulse from the decoder, it assumes a value of 255, thus "Error mfg 255" (Error : Manufacturer ID / CV8 value 255 is not a valid Manufacturer). - NOW, re-read the above, and note what was said. It's whether the DCC System hears the "Yes" pulse that matters. Consider what that means, it's not explicitly on the Decoder whether the DCC System "hears the pulse". Any of the following conditions could air-gap the decoder or motor, and thus cause the DCC system to not hear the pulse. - Dirty track - Dirty wheels - Dirty pickups - Poor Programming-Track <--> DCC system wires - Exceptionally efficient/low-current-draw motor - bad Decoder <--> Motor wiring - poor decoder design - damaged decoder SO, assuming the decoder appears to run as expected under "normal" conditions, the reason for the "mfg 255" error is likely to be a decoder firmware bug, poor decoder design, or something simple like dirty track/wheels. I hope this helps, Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

"... we have had no issues with it, despite living in the centre of town with many other wifi systems visible...." There's an order-of-magnitude difference between: - a fixed home install with single-digit throttles and a single WiFi AP VS the neighbourhood WiFi noise, and - an Exhibition situation with 1000s of transient devices (punter smartphones, Trader GSM point-of-sale rigs, venue WiFi APs, etc) all screaming constantly and repeatedly "Where am I? Who's out there? Will you let me connect? Will you talk to me?"... (And per the WiFi protocol, any Broadcasting WiFi AP _must_ attempt to answer _every_ such request 😞 ) Happy Modelling, Aiming to harden my mission-critical Throttle connection, Prof Klyzlr

Dear WiFi-throttle-leery, I'm with you, having wandered around a few exhibitions with a WiFi sniffer over the last decade, the number of transmitting devices, inc every smartphone in the venue asking any Router/Access Point (AP) within earshot - "what's your SSID?" - "Are you an Open or Password-Protected network?" can bog down even the most capable standalone AP unit just answering these 10,000s "handshake" requests, let alone handling actual desired throttle-command traffic. The key to avoiding this for the individual layout AP is to deliberately set the AP/Router to "NON-Broadcasting" mode, where the WiFi SSID is NOT broadcast to all-and-sundry. This is admittedly a form of "security by obscurity", but if your AP is NOT responding to the first question above, then the onslaught of punter's Smartphones won't bother asking the 2nd question, and thus leave your AP alone to service commands by (hopefully) a limited, known set of captive "throttles" owned by the layout. (I do not subscribe to the "BYOD" school of thought, too many uncontrolled variables to troubleshoot, and we're here to Keep the Trains Running for a Paying Public and ourselves, not play "WiFi Network Detective"!). Now, simply dropping into "Non-Broadcasting" mode won't help raw "RF energy noise" * but it will measurably lower the latency of the layout's dedicated WiFi AP once a connection is achieved, Hint: in "Non-Broadcasting" mode, the only devices that should be connecting to your network are those that the layout owner manually gave the SSID + Password to,... see "layout owned and controlled throttle devices" above) and will order-of-magnitude reduce the number of devices even "knocking on the door" of your WiFi AP network, attempting to initiate a connection in the first place. It's also, counter-intuitively, useful to stay on one of the 3 common "centre 2.4Ghz WiFi channels". Yes, that means you'll be intuitively sharing-bandwidth with other APs on the same channel. However, with the intelligence of many contemporary (202x-era) WiFi APs, at least starting out on a common channel allows "frequency and channel agility" and "beamforming" systems intended to contact and auto-negotiate space-and-time between WiFi APs in close radio-proximity to work and actually do they "auto-negotiation" magic. Starting out even "one channel over" means your AP might be mathematically seperate from the noise on Channels 1, 6, or 11, but you'll also still be close-enough in raw electro-magnetic RF terms to be swamped/stomped-on by other APs who can't contact and thus "auto-negotiate" with your AP... I have a few exhibition layout builds in the pipeline that are predicated on the use of WiFi and similar RF throttle systems (WiThrottle and ISE ProtoThrottle), so am reviewing my previous research and AP rig decisions as we speak. Can advise once "in anger" field testing commences, if that would be helpful... ;-) Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr * analogy: imaging 50 people in a room, talking politely in pairs. Even if every pair was talking a different language to avoid "cross-talking" with any other pair's conversation, the sheer dB SPL soundwave "noise level" in the room will still fundamentally make it quite difficult to initiate and maintain a conversation over any significant distance, or for any significant duration of time.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo....... (Prof takes a deep breath and attempts to compose himself) Totally understand, but if there's any chance of another TVNAM in the future and it needs any assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out... Happy Modelling, Aiming to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear Marc, Yes, most certainly... https://ilrms.com.au/locomotives/non-steam/ https://www.angrms.org.au/collection.html https://alexandratramway.org.au/locomotives/ Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

For those of us TVNAM faithful from half a planet away, will be awaiting news with baited breath... Happy Modelling, Aiming to support TVNAM, Prof Klyzlr

Couple of comments: - Integrate NCE <> software = NCE USB Interface (job done) - "NCE don't release interface documentation" = see Iowa Scaled Engineering ProtoThrottle, where NCE willingly and helpfully provided complete throttle-buss protocol details, allowing a direct "Protothrottle --> NCE" bridge. Digitrax "LocoNet" on the other hand... (even if you want to willingly pay the licensing fee, Digitrax seem oddly/randomly-selective as to who gets "LocoNet certification" and protocol detail source access). - NCE also provides their Throttle Buss protocol in many of their manuals, see the MiniPanel manuals.... - Re "NCE not standing test of most-popular" = dependent on the geographic market in question, but surveys by Model-Railroad-Hobbyist magazine (IE not commissioned or run by a given DCC manuf) tells a significantly clear story... Happy Modelling, Aim to get more modelling done in 2023, Prof Klyzlr

Hi Shane, Good to hear Roco provided a fix of the issue, (any explicit explanation of exactly what went wrong?), but interesting to hear of the risk such "multi-vendor control-system" combos present when things inexplicably "worked yesterday, but just won't work today"... Out of interest, you first posted the issue 25th Nov, and the Z21 patch appeared 25th Dec. Does this mean your layout was inoperable for the month, or was there some "workaround" or temporary-replacement system required to allow you to keep running? Happy Modelling, Aiming to enjoy the leftovers on Boxing Day as the boats start the race down to Hobart, Prof Klyzlr PS I have reposted this on the US-based MRH forum, with all appropriate respect and attribution, as there is a relevant discussion about "the Best DCC system" ongoing at this time, and your post seemed uniquely relevant... ;-)

Dear Micle, Um, just thinking logically, given a smoke unit is typically a heater of some description, it usually takes a little while after power is removed for the heating element to go "cold" and the oil to stop-cracking, thus converting cold "smoke oil/fluid" --> actual vapour "smoke"... When you say you can't turn it off, how long have you left the relevant function Off and still had smoke evident? (are we talking seconds, or 10s of minutes?) Further, if it can "chuff", is it possible the model has a "smoke chamber" to separate the smoke generation and the smoke emenation/chuff-blast-emission stages of the smoke path? (This is seperate from the Oil Tank which holds the cold smoke-oil fluid before it passes thru the smoke-generator heating-element). If YES, then it's entirely possible that turning the Function off is indeed stopping the smoke generator from cracking any more cold smoke oil/fluid --> vapour smoke, but it won't stop the "chuff draft pump" from pushing already-created-smoke in the "smoke chamber" up and out the stack, thus looking like "the smoke is still going, even though the smoke Function is Off"...?? Just some food for thought... Happy Christmas and Merry Modelling, Aim to improve, Prof Klyzlr

Dear TeamYakima, Couple of thoughts: 1 - Your operators have no way of telling what any given audience member can or cannot hear. 2 - As the layout owner, you have the right (and responsibility) to create the presentation of the models you wish to to deliver to the audience 3 - Scale Sound is absolutely a thing. You do not install G scale details on your HO scale locos just to ensure every passer-by notices that you added some "extra details".... So why do we think that we can get away with putting G scale (or larger!) Sound under HO scale models and NOT materially negatively-impact the resulting scale model presentation? 4 - Scale Sound is like scale details, not every "passing punter" will see/hear the finescale details,... ...but those who are genuinely interested, and actively lean-in to get a better view of your modelling, will be rewarded with both a visual and auditory scale-model impression. 5 - in terms of optimising what you have, rather than overpowering a poorly-performing install with sheer grunt, I would suggest checking out the "Scale Sound Owners Manual", and keeping in mind that any speaker which is not pointing at the punters head, IE where the ears are located , is not really installed with it's purpose in mind. 6 - While it's incredibly tempting to be sucked-in to the idea that "the ambient noise level of an exhibition hall is louder than my layout room, so of-course we need to crank up the volume to shout-louder than the crowd", this is a recipe for dB-DragRacing between adjacent exhibition stands, NO-One Wins such contests, the Scale Model Presentation suffers, and layouts which indulge in such self-centred noise-pollution frequently find themselves no-longer-invited-back to exhibitions * For my own exhibition layouts, I have been actively deploying Scale Sound and Layout Sound for many decades (Google "Brooklyn : 3AM"), and I strictly adhere to 60 dB SPL @ 1metre for both home and general-public exhibition mission. This has allowed me to present prototypes such as scale 3AM warehouse rave parties on 4x2 micro layouts, which produced an very-real sub-40Hz "thump in the chest" impression to the viewer who is leaning in to the scene, and yet is all-but-inaudible at the next stand/layout. This is a desirable situation, not a negative. The key is that "inaudible" means below conscious-level, which is only -3dB SPL below the ambient level. The point being, Your operators might say "the sound cannot be (consciously) heard", but rest assured if properly-deployed, it most certainly IS still there in the air between the layout and the ears!. Your loco whistle system's soundwaves are very-much present, even if they are not consciously audible above the maelstrom of passing-crowd ambience... seeking to "punch above the crowd" is generally inadvisable, and should only be pursued with a very clear understanding of exactly how sound and human hearing behaves... Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr * Sidenote: I witnessed an incredibly telling example of this a number of years ago, at a show where I was exhibiting my "warehouse rave party" equipped layout. We were located on a stage at one end of a community hall, and had a raised view of the layouts and crowd in the hall body. That we "had a rave party" on our layout had spread thruout the exhibitor-community, and until we actually powered-up, the exbhibitors either side of us had been fearful that "scale rave party" meant "weekend of untenable auditory abuse". On the hall floor was a Japanese N scale layout, with a full-sized 18" subwoofer mounted under one front corner, supposedly supporting a "tokyo city" scene with mini LCD screens mounted in high-rise buildings. From our vantage point, the 3' radii semi-circle of floor area around that layout corner which the punters actively-if-unconsciously REFUSED to walk within due to the abusive pummelling of the propagating "doof doof" soundwave was both visually astoundingly obvious, and incredibly telling as to the power of excessively-loud, distorted, Bad Sound.... ...my layout with it's 60dB-SPL @ 1metre SCALE "rave party" was invited back and received critical praise for "all the impression, none of the obnoxiousness"... ...the Japanese layout was not invited back to this exhibition, or any other in the local area that I am aware of...

Um, worth reviewing what a WFD-30 actually is and how it works. The WFD-30 is a standalone WiThrottle WiFi server, which uses a version of the Hoffman WiThrottle implementation. It then acts as a Bridge to a Host NCE system directly via the NCE cab buss (RJ12), making it the deadset simplest way to "add WiThrottle" connection to an existing NCE DCC system. (No messing-about with a separate PC/Computer running JMRI + WiiFi Access-Point + USB<>Host-DCC-System interface, etc etc). The WFD-30 does indeed hold a JMRI/WiThrottle Loco Roster, albeit limited to 10 locos. It does also support Route controls. http://wifitrax.com/products/product-WFD-30-detail.html Soooooo, given I see on https://lokstoredigital-jimdo-com.translate.goog/lodi-con/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc I would sincerely hope that the mooted WiThrottle-protocol support ends-up working with the WiThrottle-protocol-based WFD-30 (and NCE PowerCab PCP-form-factor WFD-31). Given the popularity of the TCS UWT-100 and UWT-50 WiFi WiThrottle-supporting throttles, there's definitely a market in the US for WiFi WiThrottle-connected handsets which LoDi would surely be wise to be aware of, if not actively implement... Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr

Hi Phil, Just checked my V5 DCC decoders which are setup for ABC, and confirmed against a "factory flat" V5 DCC project within the Lokprogrammmer software (Remember, the LP software can be used without the Hardware interface to check CV values, and then exported for reference using the "Tools > Show Changed CVs" menu... ;-) ). In short, I suspect the issue is that: - the lowest valid value for CV 253, 254, and 255 is "1", not "0". - the working default value for CV123 is "100" Try programming these values and retesting. Happy Modelling, Aim to Improve, Prof Klyzlr