I'm always amused when I hear a fellow model railroader express the sentiment "I don't want to use computers in my hobby, I use them enough at work already." In theory, I agree with this statement. Let's just run trains and have fun, right?
In practice, though, I keep finding computer tools of various kinds more and more essential to the functioning of the Burrlington Northern. I normally use a Mac at home for normal things like email, photos, taxes and running my freelance business. But, only for the model railroad, I am forced to maintain a "PC emulator" running a Windows environment in order to use certain "time-savers", because the vendors of same haven't released Mac versions of their software (and don't seem to be planning to). Three that come to mind are CADRail (for layout design and drawings), Shenware (I use his "Waybills" program for designing and printing my 600+ waybills) and ESU LokProgrammer (which I just found out is essential to configuring and maintaining a fleet of partially ESU-equipped locos). I used to use the PC emulator for running JMRI (DecoderPro) too, but recently have converted to using the Mac version, and it seems to work fine.
Here are some photos of the various hardware setups involved"
Here is my favorite free-standing battery-powered "time-saver", an electronic speedometer from Model Railroad Technologies. I use it to calibrate each loco to a top speed of 50 scale miles per hour (SMPH) and a mid-range speed of 25 SMPH. This way, in theory, all locos can be consisted together and will run without too much lurching. Of course, in practice there is more to it, such as acceleration and deceleration rates, braking rates, and which functions work when the locomotive is part of a consist. More on this later (when I figure out how to do it!).
At the bottom left you can see the small ESU LokProgrammer that I recently purchased and got working. It turns out to be essential to programming ESU decoders, mainly because it explains the functions of many of the CV's, and has a built-in DCC command station so you can test out your settings on the loco while you are in the middle of programming it. You can see I have it connected to a section of flex-track with an ESU-powered SP&S F7-A being worked on. I have six feet of track on the desk there, which is long enough to conduct the "auto-calibrating" which the newer ESU decoders can do on each loco to set up the optimum values for "back EMF" operation. The LokProgrammer only works on ESU's (PC) software, which also downloads new versions of the firmware for the decoders, so in addition to setting CV's it will keep the loco's operating system current. I call this a time-saver, because it would take forever to set up ESU locos using ops mode programming of each CV on my NCE Procab, and I've read that JMRI Decoder Pro doesn't reach all of the ESU CV's. But don't get me started on why this would be so. One of the plastic bins above the LokProgrammer is full of large chocolate chips, for when I need to calm myself down...
Finally, here is my "NCE/USB" setup with a NCE PowerCab and an NCE decoder tester, for connecting to and using Decoder Pro. I installed it all on one board so I could move it around the house (or world) as needed. I also have an RS232/USB cable on the main NCE PowerPro command station that powers the layout, but it is more convenient to have a test bench upstairs and not risk messing with the whole layout full of locos when testing a single one.
I used to do most of my loco programming by hand using the layout's throttles, until I started trying to get Tsunami and ESU locos to run in consists together, and also trying to get them to function with the new ProtoThrottles. This involves "function mapping", which is just complicated enough that these computer tools actually do become "time-savers", even though they do involve learning curves and overhead system maintenance time. The good news, though, is I'm getting some locos running that have been sidelined for a while, and eventually all this will lead to even better operating sessions.
I have almost entirely Soundtraxx Econami and Tsunami 2 decoders. I was given a Scale Trains Tunnel Motor and have a Bowser C636 (SP&S) that have loksound decoders. I am curious how you have addressed, what I have heard, that ESU decoders accelerate/decelerate at different multipliers rates than other brands. I have set ESU CV 3 and 4 to the same as my Soundtraxx decoders and they do not increase/decrease at the same rates. Have you had experience with this? Additionally, does ESU have a fixed braking rate, i.e. 50% of CV4? I plan to set the "Train Brake" as opposed to the "Independent" brake on my Tsunami2 equipped engines, to match the ESU equipped ones, unless the ESU braking functions are adjustable? Have you been able to change function keys in Decoder Pro; I would want to have the same brake button on all engines for consisting purposes? Thanks for any help you can provide.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my world, and now you know why I put the words "time-savers" in quotation marks. The locomotive makers, and to some extent the model railroad press, is more interested in getting you to buy a locomotive than in teaching you how to get it to run the way you want. They don't get paid for that. I do commend SoundTraxx for publishing a number of very useful YouTube videos, which is a good place to start. ESU has done no such thing, as far as I know. And they really need to.
DeleteSo to get back to your questions, in no particular order:
(1) It is true that the acceleration and deceleration rate (CV3, CV4) in ESU decoders is slightly different than it is for Soundtraxx Tsunami's (TSU is my abbreviation for them). So is the default top speed. Get CV 5 and 6 working the same for both sets of engines first, before you make changes to CV 3 and 4. Not to mention CV 2. Get all this working compatibly before thinking about brakes.
(2) Yes, you can change which button on your throttle controls which function, braking or otherwise. This is called function mapping, and SoundTraxx has an excellent YouTube video on this showing how to do it without using JMRI's DecoderPro software, just manually changing some CV's.
(3) I may be wrong, but I think it is true that the braking functions are inactive for both TSU and ESU decoders when they come from the factory. You have to set the appropriate CV's in order to get the braking function on them to work.
(4) Unfortunately, ESU and TSU (don't get me started about BLI or TCS) did not negotiate a common approach to setting the braking functions on their decoders (and many other functions which should have been standardized from the beginning). This creates enormous confusion. TSU has the ability to set three different braking rates (independent, train, and dynamic), but then a function button for dynamic brake and a second function button for "independent/train", with a third function button for "switch between independent and train brake rate". This in itself is very confusing and difficult to manage when you're running a locomotive. ESU has a CV for "brake 1", a CV for "brake 2" and a CV for "brake 3", but to make them work you have to assign the value you want in the corresponding CV, and do "function mapping" to get the brake applied on the button you choose. To make it even more complicated, ESU combines sound effects and operational effects in something called "sound files", which takes an extensive electrical engineering background to even understand, let alone adjust. JMRI DecoderPro can be used on the ESU locomotives, but not to change the inner workings of the sound files. Anyway, the bottom line is find a friend with a "LokProgrammer" which you can more easily use to adjust CV's on your two ESU locomotives, and you will be able to match them to the TSU locomotives. But don't expect it to be easy or quick.
(5) Since we're talking about braking, one other thing I believe is true, that I find vexing, is that the older ESU decoders, such as the one in the C636 (I call them ESU 4 to distinguish them from the current ESU V which I call ESU 5), do not apply braking if the throttle is turned on. This means that you have to first turn the throttle off, in order for the brake button you pushed to work. The TSU's, both newer and older, (I call the old ones TSU 1 and the new ones TSU 2) will brake the locomotive to a stop regardless of the current throttle position.
I'm just scratching the surface here of a very complex subject that has been driving me crazy for years. I love being able to apply the brake when I'm running a locomotive. I hate the stupefying technical challenge of getting them set up to work. But of course the manufacturers already sold me the otherwise marvelous locomotives that I have. Buyer beware! And be glad that you're only dealing with two ESU locos and the rest are TSU. I'm at about a 50/50 point now with a fleet of over 70 active units, and it's a real challenge.