Standardised DCC Decoder Function List for Irish Diesels

[DJ Dangerous]

Morning!

Do any members have a standardised fuction list that they use across all of their various Irish diesels?

As in, rather than having a different function list for each class, what do members find best to use universally?

I understand that it will be an entirely subjective topic for each person.

My controller has ten functions, and I'd like to make the most of them.

So far, I'm only using:

F0: Directional White Marker Lights

F1: Engine Start-Up and Shut-Down

F2: Horn

F3: Other Horn

F5: Drive Hold

F8: Locomotive Brake

I've tried the F7 Flange Squeal but am not sure where and when it should be used.

So F4, F6 and F9 are currently unused.

I guess directional headlights would be a nice function, as would coupling sounds and directional red marker lights.

Also, I don't understand the difference between F5 (Drive Hold) and F8 (Locomotive Brake). Both seem to do the same thing, F5 without sound and F8 with sound.

It's only a short end to end type layout, using the word "layout" very loosely. It's just a piece of wood.

I've attached here the revised default A Class DCC Function List for reference.

Any thoughts and reasoning are much appreciated.

 

18.10.2021_-_A_Class_EMD_decoder_functions.pdf

[murphaph]

Personally I have decided to standardise on the "US diesel" way of doing things, so F9 for drive hold etc.

[Sean]

if you turn the controller from say 80% to 0 it will slow down based on programmed momentum. if you press the brakes during this you should be able to perform a much sharper slow down stop a quick stop.

theres also the hand brake and train brake and i think they all work differently from what i can remember. the emergency brake is pretty self explanitory.

theres also manual notching instead of drive hold but you need 3 buttons for that to work fully.

I mainly just use, lights, engine sounds, horns, drive hold, and manual notching.

I dont usually bother with the brakes at all and have a dedicated emergency stop button incase of runaways so i dont use the e brake either.

I tend to use manual notching on heavy freight and drive hold for passenger work but both functions achieve mostly the same thing it just comes down to personal preference about what one to use

Edited July 28, 2023 by Sean

[Sean]

fun tip: load up a heavy train and turn on drive hold whilst its stationary, set desired notch and toggle drive hold so that the train is crawling on a high notch.

toggle it on and off as you see fit until the train gets up to speed, once up to cruising speed turn on DH once more and drop it down a notch

you can simulate a long heavy train very easily now  

bliss  

Edited July 28, 2023 by Sean

[DJ Dangerous]

Haven't a clue what any of that meant!

[Sean]

2 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Haven't a clue what any of that meant!

 

THIS

[DJ Dangerous]

3 minutes ago, Sean said:

 

THIS

 

How do I change "notches"?

Do all ESU decoders arrive pre-set to loco no. 3?

Tried a MM 567 decoder in 132S and it's also set as loco no. 3, as 054 was.

The MM default function list is quite different to the IRM default function list. I had suspected this, hence starting the thread.

 

 

[Sean]

the notches are the rpms the engine runs at. so notch 8 being full throttle and notch 1/2 being barely moving.

 

everything comes as 3 by default, theres probabaly an easy way to reprogram it using that controller but youd need to check the manuals, i usually do it by changing cv values with my laptop.

 

I would avoid using the analogue mode on that controller as damage can be possible quite easily.

 

once you have this all worked out you wont want to go back to dc operation at all  

 

https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/images/E-Z_Command_instructions.pdf

Page 3  

Edited July 28, 2023 by Sean

[murphaph]

@DJ Dangerous has a Lokprogrammer AFAIK. That would be the weapon of choice for changing anything on an ESU decoder. Waaay easier than fiddling with CVs anyway. Once click and you're done with a Lokprogrammer and it's much less likely that you will mess something up.

[Sean]

true but its a good bit of extra work for a simple 1-10 address change

[irishthump]

Yeah I standard all of my loco functions whether they be Irish, UK, US or whatever...

All my sound decoders are Loksound and I have a Lokprogrammer which makes swapping functions simple.

I put the most used functions on F0-F9

F0 - Marker lights (if separate to headlights)

F1 - Prime Mover

F2 - Horn 

F3 - Brake function (I only use the loco brake function)

F4 - Drive Hold

F5 - Load setting (simulates a heavy train)

F6 - Couple/uncouple and uncoupling cycle (Kadee Shuffle)

F7 - Headlight if separate

F8 - Flange Squeal

F9 - Rail clank

Like I said I really only use these functions so the more obscure sounds are on F10 and above