Consisting two locomotives

[Pendragon Sailing]

I want to set up two of my Class 20 locos as a single motive unit (as was sometime done in the real world) with their cabs at opposite ends of the consist. I use a Digitrax DCS210+ and DC602 controller, and their Consist system is called ‘Universal’, where one loco is designated the lead loco, and then other locos are then added to this lead loco to create the Consist. This seems simple enough, however before going ahead, I have two questions:

1. Do the decoders in each loco have to be exactly the same type/brand?
2. Do the motor CV settings (2,3,4,5 & 6) in the consisted decoders have to be set to the same values?

At present, one loco has a HMDCC sound decoder installed and the other a DCC Concepts Zen Blue (non-sound).

Any advice/thoughts welcome.

[P-Henny]

It wouldn't be a mandatory requirement to have identical decoders but if the two locos are the SAME model, then it would 'assist' the consist.

If the two model motors are different, then having different CV settings may 'assist' to have both locos synchronised for speed, acceleration & deceleration.

Having a sound decoder in one loco and a non sound in the other is a quite common configuration.

[96RAF]

You normally run these locos nose to nose in a consist so one of them needs to have its control direction reversed. This is done by way of a CV change in a suitable decoder, possibly in the controller and possibly in software like Railmaster.

See page 49 of the famous HM7K manual and read about CV19 which is where the consist address is lodged. Note that adding 128 to this address for the second loco will reverse the control direction. Ref to your other decoder manual to see if it applies to that one.

[Pendragon Sailing]

Thanks chaps.

looks like I’ll have to have a play with a few CVs and of course read the good old manual….my Digitrax one as well..

I’m off to experiment

[96RAF]

Dragon - be aware there is no consisting in the HM DCC app yet, it all has to be done under DCC control.

[Pendragon Sailing]

Dragon - be aware there is no consisting in the HM DCC app yet, it all has to be done under DCC control.

Yes, thanks Rob. I saw that…..

I now have it working (sort of), but I think its going to be better if I use 2x HMDCC decoders rather than the different decoders I have at present…..getting the speeds synchronised is not easy, it seems.

 

 

 

 

[Pendragon Sailing]

Further to my previous above enquiry on Consisting, I have now installed a HMDCC decoder in both my Class 20s. Both locos are working perfectly and with identical speed setting CVs, I have fully synchronised speed working well. So far, so good.

Now, moving on to the setting of CV19 (Consisting). I have set this CV in both locos to ‘6’ in the App CV screen and then switched both to DCC operation.

I have the locos nose-to-nose (as often seen in the real world) and using DCC Address #6 both locos respond in perfect synchronisation, BUT in opposite directions.

Reading the Manual, it says I have to add 128 to the CV19 setting (6 in my case) for one of the locos (to reverse its direction), however, in the App the CV19 slider only goes up to 127, so adding 128 is impossible to do.

What am I missing? Do I need to add the 128 to CV19 via DCC programming rather than using the App?

[Fishmanoz]

Sounds like a simple solution to me.

[LTSR_NSE]

According to page 49 of the HM7k manual the actual value range of CV19 is 0-255. However the values 128-255 are reserved for reverse running locos.

Since the app doesn’t actually support consisting currently (as it utilises MAC not DCC addresses) - I agree with you & Fishy that programming using DCC controller sounds exactly the solution.

[Pendragon Sailing]

Thanks chaps…..yes, that indeed is the solution.

The two-loco Consist now working perfectly on DCC. 😃👍🏼

[96RAF]

The range of CV19 is not accessible in the app yet because app consisting is not supported yet, only under DCC control as you have worked out.