I am in the building stage of my layout and so use my locos to prove track and make sure everything is running OK. I am not into changing CV addresses or anything to do with CV’s (yet) so need help please!
My BLI HO PRR M1a 4-8-2 with sound running with NEC Power Pro DCC was working fine but out of nowhere the horn button has become the bell and when I press the bell button, nothing happens. It is only this loco that this has happened to.
I haven’t accessed any CV changes that I am aware, the only programming I have done is to allocate switches through Switch 8’s to switch through NEC accessory select.
Sometimes a short will cause an issue by changing CVs. It’s completely random when in happens in my experience. You just change it back and presuming it doesn’t happen again, the issue is solved.
You’ll want to look into Function Mapping to correct this, as it assignswhat function corresponds with what key on the controller.
Here is the section from the manual with instructions to re-set the decoder to factory defaults:
RECOVERY PROGRAMMING (Option 7) [press the Prog/Esc key seven times]
This programming section is included to allow the user to set all registers of the Decoder to the values that were programmed into it at the factory.
[This will appear on your screen]
RECOVERY
PROGRAM 1=YES
Press 1 to enter Recovery mode. [The system will then rapidly scroll through all of the CV’s.] This will reprogram NCE decoders (and most others) to their original factory values. It will also set addresses, motor control CVs and Function Mapping CVs to a useful state so that you can get control of a decoder.
As each CV is programmed the CV number is displayed.
No. Put the subject locomotive only on your program track, then do the reset. As noted it may not completely reset a non NCE decoder but in my limited experience it has reset everyone I have done, including several non NCE decoders and including a couple of sound decoders (QSI’s). If it doesn;t work on your decoder you aren’t out anything but a few minutes time.
The problem is that the NCE reset doesn’t actually reset anything, it sets a set of known CVs to known values. Some of the CVs it changes are standard NMRA defined ones, which apply to mostly all decoders, but some of the things it changes are CVs that aren’t so strictly defined and may have slightly different meanings with other brands. Best to use use each manufacturer’s reset process, which in many cases revolve around programming CV8 (which is not really writable) to a value which triggers the decoder to do the reset. Some others use CV30 as a reset.
Just remembered that the BLI loco comes with a magnetic ‘wand’. Pass that over the loco and it returns to factory set up. (I believe.) Now have to hunt down the ‘wand’!
Is the decoder by QSI? If so, and if you cannot find the magnetic wand, put it on the program track and change the CV’s as follows:
CV 49 = 128
CV 50 = 255
CV 56 = 113
This should reset the decoder to factory values.
Also, I think I misstated the NCE recovery steps incorrectly. It should be:
I have early QSI decoders that came factory installed in PK2’s by LifeLike and in a switcher by Broadway Limited. Both manuals have specify those values as does the Quantum NMRA Reference Manual v 3.0 on page 105 and on page 363 of the most recent v 5.1.1 version.
So I am curious about why you say changing those CV’s to the indicated values will have no effect on QSI decoders.
Is the decoder by QSI? If so, and if you cannot find the magnetic wand, put it on the program track and change the CV’s as follows:
CV 49 = 128
CV 50 = 255
CV 56 = 113
This should reset the decoder to factory values.
Also, I think I misstated the NCE recovery steps incorrectly. It should be: