Digitrax decoder lighting problem

[Glen1]

Last week, I purchased a Tower 55 UP ES44AC unit. It came with flashing ditch lights and I wanted to change this feature. I found a technical bulletin on the Tower 55 web site that provided the values to enter into a series of CVs and I went ahead and made the changes. All of the lights started acting incorrectly. After a number of calls to Tower 55, Digitrax and NCE, I managed to get the lights to function the way I wanted, but not with the vales that were in the bulletin.

This week, I purchased another unit and figured I’d just enter the same values into the same CVs. The lights didn’t work properly and I had to play around with values again. I have them working close to the way that I want, but not exactly.

I went to the dealer where I got the units and tried one of them on his NCE system since it has a newer EEPROM than mine. The lights did the same thing there as they do for me. He asked what was going on and when I told him, he said he had the same problem with the lights on a unit equipped with a non-sound Digitrax decoder.

A friend of mine checked a couple of user groups and said he found a number of postings from people complaining that they’re having problems like this with Digitrax decoders on NCE systems.

I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem to this and whether you’ve figured out a way to fix it. Thanks.

[davidmbedard]

Last week, I purchased a Tower 55 UP ES44AC unit. It came with flashing ditch lights and I wanted to change this feature. I found a technical bulletin on the Tower 55 web site that provided the values to enter into a series of CVs and I went ahead and made the changes. All of the lights started acting incorrectly. After a number of calls to Tower 55, Digitrax and NCE, I managed to get the lights to function the way I wanted, but not with the vales that were in the bulletin.

This week, I purchased another unit and figured I’d just enter the same values into the same CVs. The lights didn’t work properly and I had to play around with values again. I have them working close to the way that I want, but not exactly.

I went to the dealer where I got the units and tried one of them on his NCE system since it has a newer EEPROM than mine. The lights did the same thing there as they do for me. He asked what was going on and when I told him, he said he had the same problem with the lights on a unit equipped with a non-sound Digitrax decoder.

A friend of mine checked a couple of user groups and said he found a number of postings from people complaining that they’re having problems like this with Digitrax decoders on NCE systems.

I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem to this and whether you’ve figured out a way to fix it. Thanks.

Here is my direct advice and this will fix ANY and ALL programing issues you will have with ANY decoder in ANY locomotive.

1. Buy an interface for your NCE system to connect to your computer.

2. Download JRMI Decoder Pro software (free) and set it up with your connection.

3. Program your locomotives. Decoder Pro will tell you EVERY feature that is included in your decoder, no matter what make it is. ALl you have to do is tell Decoder Pro what decoder is installed in your unit.

4. Give advice to others who follow.

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[rrinker]

What exactly is the effect you are trying to achieve? If you don’t have it, go tot he Digitrax web site and download the decoder manual. It doesn’t cover specifically the sound decoders, but the lighting effect CVs ARE exactly the same as all otehr Digitrax Series 3 decoders. There is a chart of values for each function output for whatever effect and whatever condition (always on, forward onlly, reverse only, etc.) you want. The flashing ditch lights are prototypically correct for US railroads.

–Randy