Simple question on programming.

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

Maybe I’ve asked this before, do I need a Loksound programmer to program ESU decoders?

Will the Loksound also program others like Digitrax?

Or do I need both the PR4 for Digitrax, and the Loksound for ESU ?

And what about if I used a TCS decoder? will either work with those?

Thanks,

Mike.

2

Loksound only programs loksound

If you want to download sound projects you need a lokprogrammer. Your DCC system can do the ordinary DCC changes without needing the programmer.

3

Thanks Henry, I just wanted to be sure. I haven’t used any ESU decoders, as of yet, but just checking.

A nice short thread! [(-D]

Mike.

4

It depends on what you want to do, actually.

For sound decoders that allow user loadable sounds (basically ESU or Digitrax), the sound loading process is proprietary - you need the Lokprogrammer to load sounds in a Loksound decoder, you need a PR4 to load sounds in a Digitrax soudn decoder (ignoring previous Digitrax components - if you do not have one of their programmers, there’s no sense buying the older model, as the PR4 supports a faster programming method for ANY decoder that has that mode).

For programming the rest of the CVs - like setting volumes, motor control, lights, etc, you can use the PR4 to program ANY brand of decoder. ESU, Digitrax, Soundtraxx, TCS - any of them. The Soundloader software is geared towards Digitrax decoders, but the PR4 also works with JMRI to program any brand.

If you have a Digitrax system, the PR4 works in two ways, one is a completely standalone programmer, with a power supply. It can be used with JMRI and a piece of track to make a completely independent programming station, regardless of the DCC system you use. It can ALSO connect to a Digitrax DCC system and control it - both to program on the program track and to run trains, among other things.

–Randy

5

Thanks Randy, thats what I have, the Digitrax PR4. I’m good to go then, with just that.

I have the PR4, a test/program track, connected to a laptop with JMRI. I have a 16 bit sound file I want to load in an SDXH166D, so I’ll use the PR4.

It’s good to know I can do other decoders.

The set up is up in my office, not at the layout.

Most other basic programming I still do down on the layout with the throttle.

Thanks again.

Mike.

6

With the PR4 up and running, your next step should be to download JMRI Decoder Pro. As Randy says, you can then program any decoder in great detail - it’s much easier to use DecoderPro than changing CVs one at a time. It simplifies the choices, like having a page of sliders to change each individual sound volume up or down rather than entering CV numbers for each. Then you save the whole page to your decoder.

https://www.jmri.org/help/en/html/apps/DecoderPro/index.shtml

Theoretically DecoderPro can read ESU decoders, but in my (limited) experience with them, using the LokProgrammer works better.

7

Thanks Stix, I have that now, along with the Soundloader from Digitrax. I’ll be learning and experimenting.

I have used it some, not alot. I figured a good time to learn more, as I need to download the sound file, then install it on the decoder, and then do some light configuring, all on an Athearn F7 a&b set.

Thanks,

Mike.

8

On the jmriusers list on groups.io, Dave Heap has posted a suggested procedure for reading ESU decoders that takes most of the pain out.

The jmriusers list on groups.io is a really good place to go with your JMRI questions/issues, because that’s where the folks who write the JMRI code hang out.

For example, the above-mentioned Dave Heap is a JMRI developer who frequents that list, and besides doing other “JMRI things” he works with Matt Herman at ESU to develop the ESU decoder templates for JMRI. He’s spent a lot of time on them.