irishthump

Suitably filthy!

Well all I can say is that you MUST change those CV31 and 32 to access the correct function CV. If you don't then sooner or later you run the risk of changing some obscure CV which will cause the decoder to start misbehaving.

Don't see how that's possible. CV's 256-511 need to have the register set in CV32 which can have a value of 0,1,2 or 3. Depending on what value is set for CV32 each CV above 256 controls 4 possible functions. The Procab has no way of knowing what value is needed.

That depends on the decoder. Loksound use indexing to give the option of over 1000 possible CVs. The Powercab will NOT set the index automatically, you have to set the index CVs to the correct value with any make of controller. JMRI may do it automatically, as does the Lokprogrammer.

Yep, Dave. But that's only if you want to access a CV above CV255.

This can only be done by reprogramming the relevant CV's. I think the following CV changes should do the trick..... First, CVs 16 and 32 need to be given the following values. This step is very important! CV31 = 16, CV32 = 2 Then programme the following CVs like so: CV363 = 16 CV379 = 32 CV426 = 4 CV442 = 8 CV458 = 16 CV474 = 32 This should give you front and rear marker lights on F0, headlights on F1 and cab lights on F3. I don't have a Murphy's decoder so I can't verify it. If anyone can programme one to doublecheck, that would be great! Even if this doesn't work a reset will restore it to its original settings. Set CV 8 = 8.

When you press the PROG key you will be able to scroll through 3 options. The first will say PROG TRACK. To use this mode you need to have a seperate programming track wired to the controller. The 2nd is PROG MAIN which lets you program locos while they are on the layout. The 3rd is READ PROG which allows you to read back CV values. This only works on the seperate programming track the same as the PROD TRACK option. When you press the PROG key these options will come up in the follwoing order: PROG TRACK PROG MAIN READ PROG You can just keep cycling through these 3 options until you find the one you want then press enter. If you haven't got a programming track you will have to use PROG MAIN and leave the loco on the layout. I would recomment taking every other loco off the layout until you get used to programming as it's very easy to make a mistake and for example change ALL the locos on the layout to the same address! When you select PROG MAIN press ENTER and a loco address will flash on the display. This will be whatever loco you were running last. If that's the one you want to programme, press ENTER. If you want to programme a different loco key in the address and press ENTER. The display will then show you a sequence of the most commonly programmed CV's. These will flash on the screen and you either type in a value and press ENTER to change them or just press ENTER to skip to the next one. They will display in the following order: Adr - loco address (CV1) Sv - Starting voltage (CV2) Acc - Acceleration rate (CV3) Dec - Deceleration rate (CV4) Tv - maximum voltage (CV5) After these you will see CV#. This allows you to programme whatever other CV you wish. If you enter a CV number for example CV3 which is acceleration, you scroll through to CV#, press ENTER, key in the value you want, press ENTER. CV# will flash again in case you want to programme another CV, if you don't just press ENTER which will bring back out to the driving mode on the controller. I'd recommend you try to programme the acceleration (CV3) to 0. You will be able to tell immediately if it has worked as the loco will have no momentum. You can then try programming CV3 to a large value, once again to make sure you are doing it correctly. If at any stage you get stuck and can't find your way back out of any option don't be afraid to power off the controller and start again! I've just realised how complicated this looks when written down! But once you do it a few times it becomes second nature and it's one of the simpler systems to use.

No problem. It can be a bit daunting to attempt programming a decoder for the first time. But it is very easy with the Prodigy and I know because I use one myself! You can do all your programming on the layout but it's best to build a small programming track as this will eliminate the chances of accidentally reprogramming another loco. When you do attempt to programme a decoder if you don't like the results you can reset the decoder back to the way it was when you first got it by setting CV8 to 8. When you want to try let us know and I'll give you a list of CVs to programme that should give you front and rear marker lights on F0, headlights on F1 and cab lights on F3.

Neither the function mapping or the function latching are adjustable in the controller. The function mapping (which function key controls which function) is adjustable by reprogramming decoder cv's.

I can give you a list of cv's to change if you're comfortable with programming the loco yourself.

I doubt it's either of those as they are both 4 function decoders and as Noel said you need 6 functions to get all the lights to work. They are also both 8 PIN chips so wouldn't fit the 201 without an adaptor. If you have a programming track you can read back CV8 which will give the manufacturer number, at least we'll know what brand it is. But at a guess if it was fitted by Mark's I would imagine it is the Murphy Models decoder which is an ESU.

The problem is with the controller, the Prodigy has the F2 button assigned to be momentary function. That is it only stays on as long as the button is pressed. Double check by holding down the function key. This can be changed on some controllers but not the Prodigy. The prodigy is an American controller so it is designed to take account of the fact that most American DCC sound decoders have the horn assigned to F2. Since it was working on the Select I would say you have the correct type of decoder (6 function), but the only way to fix the problem is to assign the headlight to a different function key. This is not too difficult be we need to know exactly what brand of decoder you are using. A decoder reset will do nothing in this case.

No, definitely not. I've converted a load of those old Athearns and doing all the hard work only to see the chip go up in smoke is enough to drive anyone round the twist!

For years people would'nt believe this was real, until their locos started to come apart at the seams..... It's caused by the PVA absorbing moisture which makes the lead oxidise. It can be prevented by varnishing over the PVA if the damage has'nt already occurred. This reaction only happens with lead, so if you're using fishing shot (which is no longer lead) you should be alright. I'm not sure if Liquid Lead is actually made from real lead, but I would'nt take the chance so use superglue!

A cheaper a more readily available alternative is curtain wire: You can use this as the tube and guitar strings make a suitable material for the wire controlling the points.

Richard, here's a link to a video I posted demonstrating the Full Throttle features.... http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/5839-Loksound-Full-Throttle-A-quick-demo

Nice job Noel. I never had the cajones to cut up any of my 141's so I settled for the drop in speaker option! It sounds good but like you said I don't think it justifies the work involved. On a slightly pedantic note: that particular GM engine sound is the EMD 567 which was fitted to the 141's and 121's so it isn't prototypical for a 181 which were fitted with the EMD 645. There is a 645 sound file available from ESU.

As far as I know DC Kits (courtesy of Legomambiffo) can supply them with the Full Throttle features, but you would need to contact them as they only list UK sounds with those features. Otherwise you can download the files from ESU yourself and programme your own Loksound decoders if you get the Lokprogrammer.

A very merry Christmas to all!

Never had the pleasure, Seamus, but it's always a sad day when an Irish retailer has to call it a day. Happy Christams and the best of luck in whatever lies ahead.

Let's face it, Dave. That's every night when you get to your age!

And easier to ween yourself off of as well....

Looks like about a kilo of heroin....

Try using T-Cut on a cotton bud or Q tip. Use a VERY small amount on the cotton bud and stroke the decal very gently to prevent any damage to the underlying paint. Go slowly, it takes a while but eventually the decal will be removed. Once it's gone, take a clean cotton bud and gently polish away the remaining T Cut.