Unable to setup 'stepped' speed option on Loco [Select DCC]

[Chrissaf]

Hi...im new to DCC and have purchased a preowned Hornby R3170 Adderley Hall with a Decoder already fitted and has been given Loco chip code 4. The system does recognise Loco code 4 using the Select Unit and it works both forward and backwards at whatever speed the Select Dial is set to on this Loco.

My problem is when i perform the Select process for Acceleration and Deceleration Control options on this Loco (code 4) all appears to be actioned correcly in the process but the Loco does NOT perform either of the 'stepped' acceleration or deceleration operations that I have coded to Loco 4. Ive tried many times but to no avail. Please advise in simple terms of what im doing wrong or how to completely reset Loco 4 thru the Select controller to strt again..

[Chrissaf]

We need to know what firmware version your Select is. The firmware version is the very first number to briefly appear on screen during the Select power up sequence. This number is expected to be between 10 & 20.

.

In order to reset a decoder you have to write a value of 8 to CV8, but this is impossible to do on any Select who's firmware number is less than 16.

.

The Select at any firmware revison cannot read a CV. If it could, we would ask you to read the values of CV7 & CV8 and that would tell us the brand of the decoder that is fitted. It is probably very unlikely, but you might possibly have a decoder fitted for which CV3 & CV4 (CVs for acc & dec) are not adjustable.

.

TIP: As a newbie poster on the forum, just be aware that the 'Blue Button with the White Arrow' is not a 'Reply to this post' button. If you want to reply to any of the posts, scroll down and write your reply in the reply text box at the bottom of the page and click the Green 'Reply' button.

.

See also – further TIPs on how to get the best user experience from this forum.

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/tips-on-using-the-forum/

.

[96RAF]

What values are you giving to accel and decell.

 

5 is a short reaction time, 50 will be noticeably slower to react and 200 will take the rest of the week to get from 0-60 MPH and back again.

 

TTS decoders for instance use 15 as a default to allow the sound chip to go through brakes off or cylinder blow down before starting off.

 

Generally you can say the value set is the time in seconds it takes to go from start to the set speed or back to a stop.

[Loneranger999]

Hi..Thanks both for your responses, 

(i) as soon as i power the Select it displays the number 11.

(ii) i have no idea what make of DCC Decoder is in the R3170 Loco that i bought.

(iii) i was coding in 70 for both acceleration and deceleration. (PS i have coded 80 into my Hornby R2928 Prairie  Class 61xx which has Loco chip code 3 successfully and it performed with a slow start/stop and speeding up/down respectively as expected. Have just tried this Loco 3 again and it working fine still.) 

Regards

[Chrissaf]

RAF96 (Rob) will give you chapter and verse on the Select firmware versions, but 11 is version 1.1 this is a very old version and really should be considered for an upgrade. The upgrade is £15 plus VAT (£18) plus your sending postage costs. It is a 'return to Hornby' upgrade and you need a 'returns number' from Hornby customer services.

.

The current version is 16 (version 1.6) and this version completely transforms the user experience of the Select and allows you to write to all the CVs [including 8 to CV8 to perform a reset]. You can download the Vesrion 15 and the version 16 addendum manuals from the Hornby manuals section. This will give you a good grounding in the full capability improvements since your version 1.1

.

For example version 15 (1.5) added full support for Hornby TTS sound decoders and the full Function range from F1 to F28. You get all the previous sequential firmware upgrade improvements in 1.6 which includes those of 1.5

.

[Fishmanoz]

What is actually happening when you are trying change these values is that the Select is attempting to write the value into the appropriate CV in the loco decoder.  So for the loco ID, the value is held in CV1, the Accel and Decel are held in CVs 3 and 4.

 

If the CVS aren't changing, the write operation has failed. 

Can you try something for me, remembering to only have this loco on the track, follow the instructions and see if you can change the loco ID from 04 to 05.  Did that work?  If so, try changing Accel and Decel again and see if it works now.

[96RAF]

I agree with Chris - it is well worth the money to get your Select updated by return to Hornby. It will transform your controller from one with poor basic capability at its current revision state to a very capable unit at v1.6.

 

The downloadable addendum to the manual will fully explain all the changes. In addition to those advantages mentioned by Chris there is improved overload protection with the option of track power being turned off in an overload/short situation or being left on during an emergency stop scenario. Another offshoot is that later firmware better handles programming of more makes of decoders, which may help in your particular case.

 

The way you operate the Select (button pressing, etc) has changed through the various revisions so that is why you need to read the latest manual plus the addendum.

[Chrissaf]

Loneranger999,

A key line in Rob's reply ... the significance of which might pass you by is:

.

Another offshoot is that later firmware better handles programming of more makes of decoders, which may help in your particular case.

.

[Loneranger999]

Hi all

To Fishmanoz

I changed my Loco code from 4 to 5 and that worked. On setting the Acceleration value of 70 and Deacceleration value to 80 the Select correctly applied this, however the Loco now on 5 did NOT action either acceleration or deacceleration at all. It performed at fast and stop speed instantaneously whenever the Dial was moved to the 12 oclock position.

To Chrissaf and RAF96

As you suggest, i presume the only option to get my Select firmware upgraded to the best latest release applicable by Hornby. In the current circumstances i think there will be a delay in Hornby performing this upgrade for me. I also presume theres no guarantee that this will solve the problem on this Loco chip. In the meantime I dont understand why the Loco, now successfully coded 5 doesnt pick up the values entered above when my other Loco, also DCC Fitted, complies with the Acc & Dacc codes entered through the Select during startup and stop speed operation. Any other suggestions, short of opening up the Loco/Tender, would be welcome.

[Rog RJ]

If you haven't already done so, try resetting the Select.  It has been known to cure all sorts of strange problems.

[96RAF]

The CV values are stored within the decoder so it would be logical to apply the accel and decel changes after you have reallocated an address. Folk may argue it doesn’t matter as long as you have told the decoder about the changes at some point. To prove the pudding you could try it both ways. CVs3&4 first then CV1 or vice-versa, just to see if it makes any difference.

 

I would also try a much higher address, say 12 or 33 (within the Select limits of 1-59). There have been cases of odd complimentary addresses giving trouble, e.g. multiples of 5.

 

My money is still on the firmware update.

[Fishmanoz]

If everything is working with one decoder and not with another, my money is on faulty decoder. If new, return to supplier for repair/refund.

 

Do you have a third decoder you can put in the loco to see if that works and gives even more weight to the first decoder being faulty?

[Loneranger999]

Hi...

Thanks all for your suggestions, short of sending the Select to Hornby or putting a different Decoder in, ive tried them all but with no difference in current Loco running at Dial speed only (ie., not recognising Select speed settings coded into the Loco)

If i open up the Tender, how would i recognise what make and version of the Decoder is being used. Im a complete novice on this so very simple to check information would be greatly received when looking at the DCC decoder from above and what to look out for so i can relay the info back to you for your assessment.

Best Regards...

[Chrissaf]

....how would I recognise what make and version of the Decoder is being used.

.

This is near impossible to do visually. The make and model of the decoder is reported electronically by reading the values of CV7 & CV8. But your 'Catch 22' situation is that reading these two CVs is impossible to do with a basic Select controller even with the very latest firmware installed.

[Loneranger999]

Hi....

I'm confused now, are you saying that even with the Firmware updated from 1.1 (11 as shown) to 1.6 by Hornby this would not enable me to see CV7 and CV8 to determine what Decoder & version is located in the Loco. Thus whether this Decoder will perform after the Select update as i wanted for the Acceleration and Decelleration coding entered or not. Even if i change to the latest Hornby basic Decoder I suggest there's no guarantee that it will work with this existing Select firmware.

It seems puzzling that the R2928 Prairie Loco with DCC Fitted works fine in DCC mode with this version of Select firmware. 

I feel that i'm between a rock and a hard place, and it could be expensive to resolve by trial and error....this is not ideal.....help!!!!

[Chrissaf]

The latest Select firmware release allows the ability to WRITE to any CV, But no Select can READ any CVs.

[jane1707819582]

Until you can reset the decoder to see if this clears the fault all you can do is replace the decoder .