ESU Loksound Full Throttle Drive hold with Consists

[Jamesn320]

Hi all,

Hopefully this is really stupid question with an easy answer.

I have now installed several Loksound Micro V4.0 decoders into SD80MAC locos.  All run and sound fantastic.  The 'Full Throttle' features, 'Drive Hold' & 'Run 8', all work and I like them.  But if I consist two locos together, both with 'Full Throttle' chips in and use the 'Drive Hold' only the lead loco responds.  For example running at speed step 20, push F9 (drive hold) and increase to speed step 50.    The lead loco maintains its speed but the engine ramps up.  The consisted loco tries to increase speed.  But if I un-consist the locos they both, on their own numbers, respond to 'Drive Hold'

What am I doing wrong?

Cheers,

James

[Jamesn320]

Panic over, I found my own answer.

In the address page of the decoder section (When using LokPogrammer).  Set the commands you want to respond when consisted.



Cheers,

James

[riogrande491]

James -

For even better sound, click on Decoder/Sound slot settings. Adjust the min and max playback speeds of the prime mover in slot 1 a couple % in all but one of the locomotives. When each plays back at a different speed, they will sound like individual locomotives instead of one decoder driving more than one speaker.

If you are wondering why an Alco dynamic brake is in an EMD file, this is for an F3 locomotive. Both Alcos and F3s had squirrel cage fans.

Bob

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[jdcolombo]

Hi all,

Hopefully this is really stupid question with an easy answer.

I have now installed several Loksound Micro V4.0 decoders into SD80MAC locos.  All run and sound fantastic.  The 'Full Throttle' features, 'Drive Hold' & 'Run 8', all work and I like them.  But if I consist two locos together, both with 'Full Throttle' chips in and use the 'Drive Hold' only the lead loco responds.  For example running at speed step 20, push F9 (drive hold) and increase to speed step 50.    The lead loco maintains its speed but the engine ramps up.  The consisted loco tries to increase speed.  But if I un-consist the locos they both, on their own numbers, respond to 'Drive Hold'

What am I doing wrong?

Cheers,

James

Are you using NMRA Advanced Consisting (e.g., an NCE system) or Digitrax Universal consisting?

If you are using Digitrax consisting, the "activate functions in consist mode" won't solve your problem.  This screen on the LokProgrammer is for activating function keys only when using Advanced Consisting via CV19 and a special consist address (as opposed to the lead locomotive address).  NCE systems use Advanced Consisting by default, and alias the consist number to the lead locomotive number.  So if you are using an NCE system, then this will work.  Digitrax, however, doesn't use Advanced Consisting; instead, it keeps track of consists in the command station.  With Digitrax, you can't use the "Activate functions in consist mode."  Instead, the only way to get Drive Hold to work across multiple engines is to "hard consist" them - that is, assign them the same DCC address as your lead engine (usually the engine number).  If one (or more) of your engines is facing backwards, then you must also change CV29 for "reverse running" so that the engine facing backward will run in the correct direction relative to the lead locomotive. 

NCE's use of Advanced Consisting is a major advantage when trying to use Drive Hold in a consist.  You can do it with Digitrax, but it is more of a pain.  Since I don't generally break up consists (and I use a Digitrax system), I have adopted the "hard consist" method to get around the problem, but it's not ideal (and sometimes you need to do additional programming to make the headlights work correctly).

John C.

EDITED TO CORRECT THE CV NUMBER FOR ADVANCED CONSISTING (It's CV19, not CV's 17 and 18).

[Jamesn320]

James -

For even better sound, click on Decoder/Sound slot settings. Adjust the min and max playback speeds of the prime mover in slot 1 a couple % in all but one of the locomotives. When each plays back at a different speed, they will sound like individual locomotives instead of one decoder driving more than one speaker.

If you are wondering why an Alco dynamic brake is in an EMD file, this is for an F3 locomotive. Both Alcos and F3s had squirrel cage fans.

Bob

(Attachment Link)

Thanks Bob, that sound like a great idea, I will do that.

James

[Jamesn320]

Are you using NMRA Advanced Consisting (e.g., an NCE system) or Digitrax Universal consisting?

If you are using Digitrax consisting, the "activate functions in consist mode" won't solve your problem.  This screen on the LokProgrammer is for activating function keys only when using Advanced Consisting via CV's 17 and 18 and a special consist address (as opposed to the lead locomotive address).  NCE systems use Advanced Consisting by default, and alias the consist number to the lead locomotive number.  So if you are using an NCE system, then this will work.  Digitrax, however, doesn't use Advanced Consisting; instead, it keeps track of consists in the command station.  With Digitrax, you can't use the "Activate functions in consist mode."  Instead, the only way to get Drive Hold to work across multiple engines is to "hard consist" them - that is, assign them the same DCC address as your lead engine (usually the engine number).  If one (or more) of your engines is facing backwards, then you must also change CV29 for "reverse running" so that the engine facing backward will run in the correct direction relative to the lead locomotive. 

NCE's use of Advanced Consisting is a major advantage when trying to use Drive Hold in a consist.  You can do it with Digitrax, but it is more of a pain.  Since I don't generally break up consists (and I use a Digitrax system), I have adopted the "hard consist" method to get around the problem, but it's not ideal (and sometimes you need to do additional programming to make the headlights work correctly).

John C.

Hi John,

Yep I'm on Digitrax, well I am at the club, Sporg at home.  I get what your saying and for now I can "hard consist".  It's a shame as a lot of these locomotives will be in different consists each time we run the club layout.  Logically it if you have a LokSound and a LokPilot consisted you will get the same result?

You said " You can do it with Digitrax, but it is more of a pain"  how is it done?  I'd be interested to know for the future.

Cheers,
James

[jdcolombo]

Hi John,

Yep I'm on Digitrax, well I am at the club, Sporg at home.  I get what your saying and for now I can "hard consist".  It's a shame as a lot of these locomotives will be in different consists each time we run the club layout.  Logically it if you have a LokSound and a LokPilot consisted you will get the same result?

You said " You can do it with Digitrax, but it is more of a pain"  how is it done?  I'd be interested to know for the future.

Cheers,
James

You would have to activate the consist address by programming CV 19 (not 17 and 18 - my earlier post was incorrect; 17 and 18 are used for 4-digit addressing) with a consist address number.  The problem is that this address is limited to two digits (mostly - you can assign a consist address between 1-127), so you can't use the lead locomotive number as the consist address.  If you don't have a lot of locomotives with the same last two digits, you could try using that as the consist address (e.g., if your lead locomotive is 4012, use a consist address of 12).  But you have to do this by manually programming CV19; then if you want to break the consist, you have to program CV19 back to zero.  You CAN use ops mode (programming on the main) to do this, but it is still a pain.  The NCE system makes all this transparent; when you set up a consist with NCE, the command station selects an available Advanced Consist number from 1-127, programs CV 19 for you, and then aliases that consist number to the lead loco.  Digitrax won't do this.

And yes, same result for LokSound consisted with a LokPilot.  If you want to use Drive Hold, you'll have to hard-consist the engines or set up an Advanced Consist by programming CV19.

John C.

[Jamesn320]

Hi John, thanks for clarifying.  I'm in progresses of upgrading several of the club members locos to ESU decoders.  As we have a large Drigitrax system it will be "hard consist" for all.

Cheers,

James