Author Topic: K4 Digitrax help needed  (Read 2611 times)

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chicken45

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Re: K4 Digitrax help needed
« Reply #15 on: September 24, 2015, 01:49:43 PM »
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When you program on the main, you are in effect using a blast mode because the current is not limited as on the programming track.  This lower power is the cause of problems with programming decoders with a more power hungry nature, such as sound decoders.  NMRA specs say the programming track is current limited in order to provide some protection against burning out a decoder - this is assuming that when you are programming you may have just installed the decoder and the possibility exists that an error may have been made and a short might exist.

It's generally considered risky to put a newly converted, but heretofore untested loco on the main for programming or use as a wiring problem will more likely result in a destroyed decoder (or worse - loco).

With a factory wired decoder the risk is less as it's assumed ( :trollface: ) that the factory will have wired things correctly.

Yes..."in essence." That's good info! My point was to bring light that there are 2 deperate ways to do this. There is a set of instructions to set your Zephyr in to Blast Mode, and a different set for Ops mode. I was stating that there are two processes for this. If someone tells me to put it in "blast mode" I'm not going to follow the steps for Ops mode.
Josh Surkosky

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glakedylan

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Re: K4 Digitrax help needed
« Reply #16 on: September 24, 2015, 04:27:06 PM »
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installed PR3Xtra
downloaded and installed JMRI

was able to change the whistle cv 115 to 01
it worked for the whistle change

but....
locomotive now just sits in place
headlight on
chuff sound clicking
no movement
.......argh.......
and that was 6 hours of time
oh well
later I will try again
« Last Edit: September 24, 2015, 06:51:52 PM by glakedylan »
PRRT&HS #9304 | PHILLY CHAPTER #2384

glakedylan

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Re: K4 Digitrax help needed
« Reply #17 on: September 24, 2015, 07:45:42 PM »
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getting familiar with JMRI
was able to "default" all settings/values
using Bachmann Berkshire mode
then change to 6 chime whistle

and...it is working fabulously
PRRT&HS #9304 | PHILLY CHAPTER #2384

Bob Horn

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Re: K4 Digitrax help needed
« Reply #18 on: September 24, 2015, 08:14:10 PM »
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I had a fit with this loco programing WITH a PTB-100. It would come up "NOAK". Spoke with Soundtrax, they could not answer the problem. Then I took one of my ES44AC Kato units with sound and tried to address it, came back "NOAK". I removed the PTB-100 and was able to program the K-4 and anything else. Go figure!!!!!! Bob.

Bob Horn

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Re: K4 Digitrax help needed
« Reply #19 on: September 24, 2015, 08:20:17 PM »
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Forgot, my system is DCS-100, JMRI, RR Circuit USB buffer.