I just recieved the above, put it on my Programing Track and found that I could not write a new address to the locomotive. In the Sound Traxx Decoder’s instructions sent with the locomotive the talk about this probablity and state that I need to purchase a Programing Track booster (PTB-100). Is this the case and will it correct this problem? I was able to program my two BLI Hudsons with out a booster and am wondering why I need to spend another $50.-$60.00 for this. Does this device have other benefits? I am not a tech. type person, so I would kindly ask: please keep your responses fairly simple!
No, you probably don’t need a programming track booster – use Programming on the Main instead of the programming track.
Take all other DCC equipped locomotives off the track, and use POM. If your DCC system doesn’t step through configuration options to set CV 29 after changing the address, after you enter the new address program a value of 34 into CV 29.
After doing this, you then need to tip the locomotive over to remove power for a few seconds before trying the new address.
Changing the value in CV 29 tells the decoder to use the new, long address instead of 3. If you want to be able to run the locomotive on DC power as well as DCC, put a value of 38 into CV 29.
O.K., got the new address in excepting the throttle, everything seems to be working correctly. However, the trottle is either on or off. The loco runs at full speed or not at all. Other then programing in the loco’s address, I have not messed with CVs at all. All the rest of my locos run fine with how the decoders were programed at the factory.
What I’m saying is I have not messed with the CVs so if you have a fix for me, your going to have to explain it in as simple of terms as you can as I am ignorant of these types of processes.
First step is to reset the decoder to insure that everything is back to factory settings before making any more changes.
One thing you forgot to mention is, which DCC system are you using? That’s going to make a difference in CV values, because if you have a Digitrax system you have to enter leading zeros for some entries, but with NCE you don’t use leading zeroes.
FIRST: Using the Programming Track, set CV 8 to a value of 8. Then put the locomotive back on the layout and see if it has been reset to run on address 3.
I bet he has a Digitrax Zephyr, as it seems everyone that had this issue (including me) is using the Zephyr. If so, use blast mode programming.
Zephyr Xtra (DCS51) and Zephyr (DCS50) systems can program Soundtraxx Tsunami decoders using Blast Mode Programming on the Mainline. Blast Mode Programming will program EVERYTHING sitting on the main line track so, you MUST remove everything from the track that you are not programming or use an isolated piece of track connected to Rail A & B.### NOTE: Track power must be ON during Blast Mode Programming.
You will not be able to read back CVs using Blast Mode Programming.
To use Blast Mode Programming with Zephyr, close Option Switch 7.
Well not everyone - the last Tsunami loco I had, a Bowser sound chassis for the FT, I was able to program just fine on my program track WITHOUT Blast Mode or a booster. Dunno, mine just seems to work. I have all Loksound now except one QSI in an Atlas, which I asl had no issues programming on the program track. Short, heavy (#18) wires on a very clean piece of flex track. My PR3 in standalone mode can read anything that has readback it seems, even with just a plain old 14V PS14 power supply - that has maybe 3 inches total of #18 wire between the PR3 terminals and the track, which is 3 Atlas rerailers plus a half length of straight track at eash end, all joints soldered. I’ve even been able to coax JMRI into reading some of those 'no readback" MRC decoders - I never know what I’ll run into at the club. That one took some effort - any attempt to read the whole decoder, or even read a full sheet, failed 100%. But if I picked a CV, or a setting like the address, and read just that, it would read. Select the address, hit Read, it would read CV29 and then CV1, 17, and 18. Pick start voltage, and it would read CV2. Eventually the whole sheet loaded. This is a decoder MRC has said didn;t support readback - more along the lines of, readback is broken, so we’ll have tech support just tell people it doesn’t read. Very useful, since the owner of the loco couldn;t remember what decoder he had put in this loco, but I was able to read the manufacturer ID and version.
OH the real reason I think I can get locos lwith Tsunamis and other to program on my Zephyr program track - I use a DT40x throttle, not the Zephyr console. I do think the timing os setting CV17 and 18, and then changing CV29 to use long address are different with the throttle compared to the Zephyr console - this is usually the problem - CV17 and 18 get set to the selected long address but CV29 never gets changed and so the active address stays at 3. The Zephyr console tries to immediately program all 3 CVs. Wit
Sorry Randy, what you posted went totally over my head! Maybe it doesn’t matter that I don’t understand, as we are operating with different equipment. My hand held throttle is a DT 300.
Did you try programming using the DT300, instead of the Zephyr panel? Mostly the same, just a lot harder since the DT300 doesn’t have as many buttons as the DT40x, so you have to use Shift-button as well as just and use the dials to enter numeric values.
SImpler explanation? Changing from the default address of 3, whioch is a short address, to a long address, requires changing 3 CVs - CV17 and 18 hold the long address, and CV29 does, among other things, tell the decoder which address to use - the short address in CV1 or the long address in CV17 and 18. All modern DCC systems take care of this for you - you tell the system what address you want to use, and it sets up the CVs to use the specified address. One of the things that seems to cause issues on the Zephyr is that it sends all three CV values in quick succession. On a DT40x throttle, when you change the address, it sets the address CVs (17 and 18) and then prompts you if you want to activate the long address - so there is a human delay between setting CV17 and 18, and setting CV29.
The older QSI decoders are another one that seem to want to have the CVs programmed more slowly - they have a verbal readback option for programmin on the main, so that when you use Ops Mode on Digitrax, it will immediately speak the CV number and value you just set - like if you set CV2 to 5, it will then speak “C V two equals five”. Even with that featured turned off, my contention is the decoder won’t accept new program commands during the time it would be speaking if the feature was turned on - if I use the Zephyr control panel to program the address, it almost always fails, yet if I use my DT400 plugged in to the Zephyr to set the address - it always works. Everything else is the same, the difference being where the program commands are originating, the Zephyr built in throttle or the external DT400. This, I think, is as much the cause of the "system X can’t program decoder Y wit
NCE doesn’t use leading zeros in CVs, but does require them if using a long address shorter than 128 (IIRC). For instance, My DL-535E locos are number 60 and 64, so I have to enter leading zeros, for example 0060 and 0064. I use two, but it may be that only one is required, I just don’t recall right now.
Digitrax does not use leading zeros for anything. Where does this stuff come from?
You want address 8, you enter 8. Not 008, or 08, or 0008. You want addres 512, you enter 512. Not 0512. Though actually it just ignores any leading zeros keyed in.
Address 1-127 in Digitrax are ALWAYS short addresses. Address 128+ are ALWAYS long addresses. No exceptions.
Other systems vary. In NCE, 1-127 can be long or short, and they are not the same. You cna have long address loco 10 running with short address 10, but it is not recommended to use short addresses for 1-127 because these are also the consist alias addresses. With Lenz, 1-99 is always short, 100+ is always long.
Well just so you know, I couldn’t program Tsunami’s even using blast mode, no matter how many times I tried, so I threw in the towel and ended up buying the PTB-100. It worked perfectly, then later when I decided JMRI was something I wanted to do, I replaced it with a Sprog system and program everything using this method, it is much nicer but requires a PC.
Your experience may differ, Randy probably has the solution for you it sounds.
If you are going to use the Zephyr console for programming the 4 digit addresses adding a PTB100 isn’t going to solve the CV29 problem. You will still need to set CV 29 manually. I have this system (Zephyr and PTB100) and I have found that it just won’t set CV 29 along with the other address CVs. Like Randy, I found that if I used my DT400 for address programming it worked fine. I do need the PTB100 to read CVs on the programming track.
Unitil I bought a locomotive with a Soundtraxx Tsunami decoder, none of this was ever any problem. I was able to write and read 4 digit loco addresses. Although I haven’t tried to read one lately, I have no reason to believe I can’t still do this with my Zephyr DCS50 right now.
I need to take some time and read my Zephyr manual and read up on all this as the honest to gosh truth is, I really don’t even know what CV29 is. I haven’t had to do anything with my Zephyr other than assign new addresses, read an occasional one that I had forgotten and run trains. Although I like DCC, I am not into understanding how it works; but, can with effort, figure this stuff out. I use them as a method of controlling my trains. It’s only a tool and having been around tools all my life, I simply use them and don’t have any deep desire to understand the inner workings!
Nature of the beast, Tsunamis require more ‘oomph’ on the program track than most any other decoder. The only ones that similarly have issues are QSI. The decoder makers say they are within NMRA standards (mainly because there isn’t one for program track power). I say, if every other brand of decoder works, it’s the decoder. But of course they have a vested interest in NOT fixing it, because they sell you an add-on component that makes it work. Yes, I make no secret of my dislike for the Tsunami - mainly because everywhere you go, it’s “Tsunami this or Tsunami that”. When first ANNOUNCED, the features of the Tsunami were head and shoulders above anything else avaialble. Unfortunately, there were problems and the actual release was delayed by several years, By then, other manufacturers like ESU had improved their decoders to beyond what Tsunami was going to have - in fact since the Tsunami announcement, ESU has introduced 3 upgrades to their decoders, each with more features. Since Tsunamis became available for purchase, there really hasn;t been any design changes, just some additional form factors released. They made one change recently - the newest ones have a connector for their keep alive circuit, which is a real keep alive - the standard capacitor just keeps the sound on. The most annoying missing ‘feature’ for me is the lack of CV5 top speed and CV6 mid speed settings so you can do a simple 3 step speed matching. That’s all i ever set with my other decoders to match loco speeds for consisting - no need to mess with 28 step speed tables. Unless you run Tsunamis.
You CAN program them witht he Zephyr - use Ops Mode on the main, or use the Blast Mode. Or try the throttle instead of the console. Or use a calculator liek this one: http://www.2mm.org.uk/articles/cv29%20calculator.htm to determine the values you need for CV17, 18, and 29 and then instead of using the standard addr
The CV17,18 and 29 method has worked well for me with my old DCS50. When I got my new DCS51 I tried 4 digit programming and it was the same story. I now always use the “manual” method of setting the 3 CVs and it works every time. It’s sad that a popular decoder maker won’t recognize the shortcomings of its product and make some changes. When the time comes I am going to convert to ESU or, if TCS has come out with their diesel decoder line I’ll give them a try. Goodbye Tsunami for me.
I guess had I known that this locomotive and Tsunami decoder required this additional equiment, I may have forgone the purchase. However, Walthers USRA 0-8-0 is maybe the only current offering for an N.P. steamer on the market.
I am going to sit down and read my Zephyr DSC50 manual, as soon as I find the time and make a decision on what to do. Like I said, I have the address set, just need to get it to have a throttle setting, other then full speed.
You may have somehow inadvertently set CV 5 (Max Voltage) or CV 6 (Mid Voltage) to a value other than zero. Try programming those two CVs to zero and see if that corrects the problem with speed control.