Resetting a Loksound Decoder

[tehachapifan]

Does resetting a Loksound decoder, in my case a Select Micro, using CV8=8 spare the dealer-installed sound file? The manual doesn't seem to clearly specify this, stating it will reset the "CV's" to factory defaults but, again, the sound file was installed at the dealer. It sounds like it will be OK but I'm not positive. Online searches seem rather inconclusive as well.

The reason I ask is I guess I managed to goof up some lighting CV's and cannot get the headlight to stay on in either direction when the loco is set in consist (it goes on and off with speed increases and decreases but mostly stays off). All the related CV's I can come up with appear to be programmed with the proper values and changing values in CV's 21 and 22 hasn't helped so far either. Works fine under its own address, although somewhere along the line I also managed to inadvertently tie the forward headlight function in with the F6 key, which controls a separate gyralight (FO and F6 need to be activated for forward headlight to operate). I think they might be related somehow and I'm hoping a fresh start after a reset will fix these issues.

[reinhardtjh]

The LokSound CV8 reset can be a bit tricky in that when a sound file is loaded into the decoder it comes with a set of "default" CV settings.  In the LokSound programmer software there is a checkbox that makes these setting the default that a CV8 reset will reset to.  If the checkbox was NOT set, then the CV8 reset defaults to a different set of values which can be totally wrong for the current sound file.  Kind of a mess. 

Can you ask whoever loaded the sound file in your decoder if they checked that box?

There was a time when this checkbox was not set as default in the software, but I think the recent versions are now defaulting so that this is set.

[tehachapifan]

Thanks for the info! Yeah, I can ask about the checkbox. In the meantime, I'll keep fussing with the lighting CV's to try to figure out what I did.

[peteski]

Thanks for the info! Yeah, I can ask about the checkbox. In the meantime, I'll keep fussing with the lighting CV's to try to figure out what I did.

Doesn't the manual show what the default values are for the CV registers?

[tehachapifan]

Doesn't the manual show what the default values are for the CV registers?

Yes, but of course that won't help if the sound file gets deleted. I have been pouring through the lighting CV's, starting them over with defaults, reprogramming to desired effects, etc. Two issues remain:

1)  Headlight remains somehow tied to F6 key (gyralight output), so both FO and F6 must be active for forward headlight. This is OK as I usually run F6 (gyralight) with the headlight anyway but this happened sometime after my original programming with I'm assuming a subsequent programming error (probably had CV32 indexed wrong at the time).

2)  Headlight systematically flashes on and off through speed ranges ONLY IN CONSIST MODE and when command station is set to 28 speed steps. Is OK when command station is set to either 14 or 128 speed steps when in consist mode and works fine in all speed step settings under its own address. Info I found online says flashing headlights like this indicate speed step mismatch between command station and decoder. Guessing maybe a CV29 issue of some type.

[peteski]

What I meant is to follow the manual and reset all the light-control CVs, not the entire decoder, one-by-one to their default values.  Doesn't that make sense?

Yes, the erratic headlight flicker is usually caused by 14/28-128 speed step mismatch between the command station and decoder (CV29). But wasn't flickering occurring only in a consist?  I'm assuming an advanced consist?

[tehachapifan]

What I meant is to follow the manual and reset all the light-control CVs, not the entire decoder, one-by-one to their default values.  Doesn't that make sense?

Yes, that makes sense and is what I've already done....at least the CV's I think are light related. While I've only recently tried to set this loco up in a consist (been running it solo 'till now), the headlight getting tied to FO and F6 thing occurred quite some time ago. I think it might've happened when I was adjusting some sound CV's and perhaps had CV32 set to the wrong register at one point. Didn't notice right away so couldn't easily backtrack. I think it might've changed some other, possibly obscure CV that is somehow tied to lighting or perhaps function keys (haven't found an obvious function mapping error yet either).

Yes, the erratic headlight flicker is usually caused by 14/28-128 speed step mismatch between the command station and decoder (CV29). But wasn't flickering occurring only in a consist?  I'm assuming an advanced consist?

Yes, advanced consisting set either by command station via "Consist Set" (which I believe is setting up advanced consisting versus universal) or programming CV19 directly. To be clear, this is not flickering but rather a very irregularly regular pattern of blinking on and off (but not an effect) and only does it when the command station is set to 28 speed steps. Works fine when it's set to 14 or 128 speed steps.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

[peteski]

Yes, advanced consisting set either by command station via "Consist Set" (which I believe is setting up advanced consisting versus universal) or programming CV19 directly. To be clear, this is not flickering but rather a very irregularly regular pattern of blinking on and off (but not an effect) and only does it when the command station is set to 28 speed steps. Works fine when it's set to 14 or 128 speed steps.                                                                                                                                                                                               

Yes that does sound like a speed-step mismatch between the command station and decoder. Adjust CV29 to the number of steps you use on your layout.

[tehachapifan]

Tried that, hasn't helped. CV29 is set at 34 when under its own 4-digit address. I noticed that it set to 32 when it was set to a single-digit consist number, which I thought was odd as I thought consist addressing was handled elsewhere. I tried resetting CV29 to 34 while still set up in-consist but the flashing headlight issue persists. I think I'm going to call it good on this and simply go old school with this loco and assign any MU'd locos the same primary address.

[peteski]

Tried that, hasn't helped. CV29 is set at 34 when under its own 4-digit address. I noticed that it set to 32 when it was set to a single-digit consist number, which I thought was odd as I thought consist addressing was handled elsewhere. I tried resetting CV29 to 34 while still set up in-consist but the flashing headlight issue persists. I think I'm going to call it good on this and simply go old school with this loco and assign any MU'd locos the same primary address.

That's really weird.  The single digit advanced consist address is written to CV19 (not to the standard long or short address CVs).  As soon as CV19 has a non-zero value then it is in an advanced consist.  Are you sure your DCC system is using advanced consisting?

[tehachapifan]

pretty sure and it does the same thing if I set CV19 directly. Here's an interesting bit of info, I just noticed my Atlas S2 with sound decoder does the exact same thing with the headlight blinking when set to consist. Thinking now there may be a glitch between my DCC system and the decoders, unless I'm somehow doing something completely wrong (always a possibility!). I should mention I have set several other locos into consists with no problems.

[peteski]

pretty sure and it does the same thing if I set CV19 directly. Here's an interesting bit of info, I just noticed my Atlas S2 with sound decoder does the exact same thing with the headlight blinking when set to consist. Thinking now there may be a glitch between my DCC system and the decoders, unless I'm somehow doing something completely wrong (always a possibility!). I should mention I have set several other locos into consists with no problems.

What DCC system are you using?

It would be interesting to try to manually add the loco to an existing advanced consist.  So, set up an advanced consist of some locos. Then make sure the unit in question has the speed steps (CV29) set up correctly. Next, set that unit's CV19 (on the programming track) to the same address as the consist you used for the other locos. Place the unit in question on the main track and see how it behaves.

[tehachapifan]

I'll give that a try tomorrow. I have an MRC Prodigy Express system.