I have just bought a new NCE PH PRO and im having a problem getting the light to do what they are supose to. Im trying to make it so I can pu***he number 3 key and get it to have a mars light., and the 4 key to do the next one i line. but I can only get it to do the lights in that matter if i assigh it to the headlight button what am I doing wrong. the decoders i have are D13SRJ.
Can anyone help me
Sledge:
What you are wanting to do is known as “function remapping” and takes a higher end decoder to allow that. I haven’t looked at the specs, but I’d be surprised if the D13 decoder provided a rich set of function remapping.
Look for function remapping in the decoder manual. If it’s available you should find a matrix table that lists what CV settings map to what functions.
Otherwise, it’s F0 for headlights on and off, with perhaps the ability to tie the rear headlight on and off to loco direction. And that’s about it in your basic decoder.
I played with the functon remaping but i could not get it to do anyhting
I when by the book and I still canot get the other lights to work with other keys.
and the other thing is the f keys ex(f1,f2,f3 and so on) how do i get them.and where are they
Sledge:
On the NCE ProCab, the Headlight button = F0, Bell = F1, and Horn/Whistle = F2.
Or you can just press the number keys 0-9 and they correspond to F0 - F9.
If you want to remap the function keys, then the D13 decoder maps values in CV33 - CV37 for keys to function outputs.
Output 1 is the white wire (front headlight).
Output 2 is the yellow wire (rear headlight)
Output 3 is the green wire (function 1)
CV33 is the F0 front headlight key mapping
CV34 is the F0 rear headlight key mapping
CV35 is the F1 key mapping
CV36 is the F2 key mapping
CV37 is the F3 key mapping
Putting a zero in the CV turns off the key mapping
Putting a 1 in the CV makes it control the white wire
Putting a 2 in the CV makes it control the yellow wire
Putting a 4 in the CV makes it control the green wire (whatever it may be connected to)
So, in layman’s terms, if you want the horn button to turn on the forward headlight, put a zero in CV33 and CV34, then put a 1 in CV36. The horn button will turn on the forward headlight. Since the reverse headlight is actually controlled by other CV settings as well, the reverse headlight will probably also come on when you press the horn button.
Hope that makes some sort of sense. Not sure why you would want the horn button to turn on the headlight, but you can do it if you want.
In my case, the easydcc system has more generic F0, F1, F2, F3, etc buttons right on the throttle. So I have F0 mapped to the main headlight, F1 mapped to the gyralight, F2 mapped to the horn, and F3 mapped to the bell.
Most DCC systems are designed so F2 is what is known as an intermittent function button. As long as you hold F2 down, it’s on. When you lift your finger off the button, it’s off. This makes F2 ideal for things like blowing a horn or whistle, because as long as you hold the button down, the horn or whistle blows. Lift your finger a
I gotta say, Joe, your depth of knowledge in DCC is very impressive.
I think most of us really appreciate your willingness to share it, too. I know I do.
The D13SRJ is actually a quite capable little decoder, although it doesn’t have enough functions to do up a nice SP Christmas tree loco. Headlights plus a Mars light, sure. These are currently my fleet decoder of choice, in 10 packs you can get them for $12 each!
–Randy
Im still last. Im as dum as a post. what I want to do is this. when my train is running around the track i would like to be able to pu***he number 3 button and it activates the mars light. and the 4 button would turn on the strobes . that kind of thing can you tell me how i can do this step by step. I have played with the cv and tried that and had no luck.
Now for the f keys where are they located or how do i use them. or do I make them into any key that I want . and How do I do that.
I did not know I could program the decoder to change form mars to fla***o normal by hitting different keys. If that is possable, I would like to know also. But I do know that the f keys are the numbered keys on the keypad. You can reprogam the keys to do anything you like and with the PH Pro you even can use the Shift key so one key can do two different things.
First of all, you need to know which wire these various lights are connected to … the white wire (F0), green wire (F1), violet wire (F2).
If these lights are not on separate wires, then you can’t program different function keys to make the lighting effects change on the same wire. You set the lighting effects for a given wire with decoder CV settings, then you turn that programmed effect on or off with a function key.
Is your mars light wired to one color of function wire and your strobe lights wired to a different colored function wire? If so, what you seek to do is possible, otherwise, you simply can’t do it with function key mapping.
And unfortunately, if you don’t know enough to answer the above questions, then you are way beyond your current understanding and should probably stick to just F0 and making it do something interesting rather than trying to get too exotic with your lighting effects while you are new to DCC.
The reality with fancy lighting and sound in DCC is you’ll have to learn how to wire up the different function leads yourself if you want to get creative. Otherwise, it’s best not to stray too far from what you get “out of the box”, as they say.
Naw, I just know how to read the manual. Having been in computer software since 1973 helps just a tad. All this CV, bits, bytes, binary and hexadecimal programming stuff is second nature after 30+ years in the computer biz and 14 years of using DCC. [;)]
Glad to do what I can to help!
the lights are on seperate wires. I some how lost my back light it dores not want to come on seperate from the headlight now.
I can change them in the light option menu. But I can only get it to do those two things. I have to keep going into the lights setup and change it manually. I cant seem the program the number to change it to a diffrent light. Without going into the light set up.
Sledge:
Okay, good, the lights are on different wires. What’s the color of the wires? White, Yellow, Green or Violet? And which one is on which wire?
Output 1 is the white wire (value of 1 in the CV).
Output 2 is the yellow wire (value of 2 in the CV)
Output 3 is the green wire (value of 4 in the CV)
Output 4 is the violet wire (Value of 8 in the CV)
CV33 is the F0 front headlight key
CV34 is the F0 rear headlight key
CV35 is the F1 key
CV36 is the F2 key
CV37 is the F3 key
Put a 1 in CV33, put a 2 in CV34, and put a 0 in CV35, CV36, and CV37.
If you programmed any lighting effects in CVs 120, 121, and 122, then you need to get rid of those for now. Put a zero in CVs 120, 121, and 122 to set them all to always on headlights.
Now what you you get? You should get both the front and rear headlight on all the time no matter which direction the loco goes when you press Headlight (or the 0 [zero] button).
If you follow the instructions given above and successfully get both forward and rear headlights always on, then you’re getting the hang of it and we can try something more sophisticated next.
ok we got he back light working again. I have what you said i would have. The headlight is the white wire and my back light is the yellow I did not hook the other two up.
Ok DCC master Teach me more.