Decoder database?

[Gazza-1]

Some months back I bought a Bachmann Thomas the tank engine with a Next 18 decoder. When I try to do anything with it Railmaster says "decoder not recognised" so I did as it says and logged a problem with railmaster support. I had loads of questions about CV values and they wanted a PDF document for the decoder and then nothing for months. I pinged them last week and enquired what was happening. I got reply saying it wasn't a problem all I had to do was add it to the decoder database. I didn't find anything in the railmaster documentation about how to do that and I have looked through all the files on my laptop. Unless I am being dim, there are a number of files which begin decoder or are named decoders.xx. If I can read the contents, I have no idea what the numbers mean. Am I missing something, I have no idea where to add the decoder and I have no idea what to add even if I knew where to. Any ideas, other than reply to railmaster support and ask them how to do it. I've been away so I had to wait until I got home to have a poke around on my laptop.

Thanks

[Chrissaf]

I suspect the terminology being used by HRMS [or your interpretation of it] may be confusing you.

All the decoder database does is pre-populate the CV read/writing screen with information about what CVs are valid, what they do and their value range information for any specific decoder in the database.

None of this information prevents setting up a loco manually in RailMaster and performing full control of it.

I suspect it is this element of manually configuring a loco that HRMS are alluding to, and they do not actually mean you adding the decoder yourself to the decoder database files.

Basically when setting up a new loco in RailMaster where that loco contains a decoder that is not recognised, then the key thing to do is to NOT USE the CV reading function in RailMaster, as that will generate the 'decoder not found in database' message.

Just use the CV read/write screen [writing function] to set your decoder CVs such as DCC address and any other special CV values you want to set. Do this BEFORE selecting the loco from the R number and loco image database. With the decoder configured with a DCC address, you can then remove the loco from the 'programming track' and then add the loco to the RM roster setting all variable parameters MANUALLY for the throttle, such as DCC address to use [as previously written to the decoder] etc.

Most of my locos have been set up in RailMaster this way as they are not Hornby models and therefore not in any RM database and they all operate absolutely fine.

[Gazza-1]

Thanks Chris,

That makes more sense. With 40 years in IT support I took the reply for what it said and was looking for a decoder database to add it to. It might have been more help if rather than ask me for loads of CV values and documentation for the Next 18 decoder, followed by months of radio silence. They gave me an answer something like yours might have been more helpful.

[Gazza-1]

It's been a long while because I got fed up with getting nowhere. So I finally went back to it because I already had a Hornby Thomas which I had had problems with. So DCC ready motor and a new 4 pin decoder. Same story, can read and write to the decoder but still the loco would not budge. So I phoned Hornby Customer service. The suggestion was to do a factory reset of the decoder and then program the address. Did that, the same. Back to a reset and see if it works with the default address. Bingo. My address assignment is basically the number on the side of the engine, so Thomas is 0001. I've not read anywhere that says you can't use 0001 and Railmaster offers it as an option. So I tried 0100, perfect. So I went back to the Bachmann Thomas and reset the decoder and set it to address 0101, bingo! This may be me being plain stupid but although Railmaster will allow you to set 0001, either it or the decoder doesn't like or accept it and from what I can see, somewhere along the way of adding a new loco and addressing it, it doesn't work if I use 0001. At least my grandson will be happy with Thomas running around the layout next time he is over.

[Rog RJ]

It may be that the decoder has correctly accepted the address 0001, which is a short address, but CV 29 has failed to record the address change and has marked it as a long address. Reading CV 29 should show if this is the case.

[Fishmanoz]

But Rog, 0100/0101 are also short addresses?

Not another case of phantom writes to CV29 when programming address?

Gazza, with either working on their current addresses, check the value of CV29, then change the ID to 0001 (no reason why it shouldn’t work), then check CV29 again. If changed, write the original value back and see if Loco now works on 0001.

If it still doesn’t work, put it down to experience. Not the first time a decoder won’t accept a particular address and is fine on others. But unusual that 2 decoders might do this with the same address. Says some other common problem is at play, like CV29 changing when it shouldn’t.

[Rog RJ]

Its just a theory. Stranger things have happened.

[96RAF]

Read CV29 to see if long or short is set and read CVs 17 and 18 to see what that translates to as some decoders see a four digit address as long regardless of value.

eg 0001 is 192 - 1 and 0101 is 192 - 101.

[Gazza-1]

Thanks for the replies. I will put it down to one of those things, Although I use the engine number as the address, I now have the pro add on and use voice control, the address now is less important. But it was really odd that both a Hornby and Bachmann decoder appeared to do the same, but never rule operator error out. I had spent a lot of time building the layout learning about DCC and setting up points and signals, then not touched it for several months, needed a bit of a refresher.

[96RAF]

With voice control you have to type the word in the prompt box not the number for the text to speech to work i.e. one two three not 123 or just a name if you prefer.

Note also that the number in the loco dropdown address box is four digit, so if used rather than direct typing this is what RM will use and this must match the address given to the decoder by direct programming.