Serge NOEL
299 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
299 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
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<!-- Copyright Bob Jacobsen 2008, 2022 -->
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<title>JMRI: DecoderPro - Tour</title>
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</head>
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<body>
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<div id="mBody">
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<!--#include virtual="Sidebar.shtml" -->
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<div id="mainContent">
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<h1>JMRI: DecoderPro User Guide</h1>
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<h2>A Short Tour</h2>
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<p>This tour demonstrates DecoderPro version 5.1.3. Version 4 works similarly.</p>
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<div class="flex-container">
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<a href="./images/DP5Start.png"><img src="./images/DP5Start.png"
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alt="DecoderPro 5 welcome screen"></a>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-item-70">
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<h3>Start DecoderPro</h3>
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When you first open DecoderPro, the main window will show. Read the steps and click
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the "New Loco" button to start adding your first decoder. (This assumes you have already
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<a href="../../hardware/index.shtml">connected</a> your computer to your layout and
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have a locomotive on your programming track)
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-container">
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<a href="./images/SelDecoder5.png"><img src="./images/SelDecoder5.png"
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alt="Decoder Identification"></a>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-item-70">
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<h3>Decoder and Programmer selection</h3>
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<p>You'll get a new window to configure the programmer with information about a
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specific type of decoder, or an existing locomotive. This will become your locomotive
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roster as you program your decoders</p>
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<p>To start working with a newly-installed decoder, click the "Read type from decoder" button
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to have the programmer read the decoder and attempt to identify it. (You could also
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explicitly tell the programmer the decoder type by selecting it from the "Decoder Installed"
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list)</p>
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<p>While the programmer is talking to the decoder, status will be displayed at the
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bottom of the window; "Idle" or "OK" means that things are working. Number codes will point out
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<a href="../Errors.shtml">errors</a>.<br>
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If it succeeds, it will select the decoder model in the selection box. Usually it will only be
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able to narrow the selection down to a few choices. Check that the right model is selected
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in the "Decoder Installed" list; update the selection if desired.</p>
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<p>Some people prefer a very plain programmer, and some want to have access to every
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feature. To handle this, DecoderPro provides several programming interfaces which you can set in your
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Preferences under Roster > Programmer:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Basic - A simple one, with just the most popular information such as address and user info.</li>
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<li>Comprehensive - The most complete display, with multiple panes of detailed
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information.</li>
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<li>Advanced - Adds advanced panes to the Comprehensive Programmer.</li>
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<li>Registers - Complete configuration for a register-only decoder</li>
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<li>Sample Club - A sample of how a club might define their own programmer format
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that shows just their set of required variables</li>
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<li>TrainShowBasic</li>
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<li>Tutorial - Not useful for actually programming decoders, this contains examples
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of how various special effects can be obtained when you're constructing your own
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programmer.</li>
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<li>ESU</li>
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<li>Zimo - Adds a Zimo Specific tab to access special elements in their decoders.</li>
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<li>Custom - You can even define your own programmer if you'd prefer to just see the variables
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you use. </li>
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</ul>
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<p>For now, we stay with the "Comprehensive Programmer".</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-container">
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<a href="images/DP4StartScreen2.png"><img src="images/DP4StartScreen2.png"
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alt="Create Roster Entry"></a>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-item-70">
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<h3>Creating an entry</h3>
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<p>After a single decoder is selected in the listing on the left, the right-hand side will open and
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allow entering a unique roster ID and the (current) decoder address.</p>
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<p>Continue by clicking "Open Programmer".</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-container">
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<a href="./images/EditLoco5.png"><img src="./images/EditLoco5.png"
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alt="Open Roster Entry"></a>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-item-70">
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<h3>Filling it in</h3>
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<p>You will be presented a new pane, opening on the first tab "Roster Entry".<br>
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Enter any information on the locomotive model and the decoder installed. None of this is
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programmed in the decoder, except for the Address, but you can't change it here. Still,
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you can keep some notes here to track your model's internals.</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-container">
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<a href="./images/BasicPane5.png"><img src="./images/BasicPane5.png"
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alt="Comprehensive Programmer Basic pane"></a>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-item-70">
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<h3>Programmer Details</h3>
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<p class="dl">Each of the tabs opens a new screen you can use to configure different
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aspects of the decoder. The "Basic" pane handles the address and other settings you'll
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need to start.</p>
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<p class="dl">Using the buttons -- On the bottom of each screen are buttons that will
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read values from or write values to the decoder. For example, to do a basic
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configuration, enter values in the fields and click <code>Write sheet</code>. The
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variable fields are color coded to represent their states:</p>
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<dl>
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<dt style="background:orange;">Edited</dt>
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<dd>You've changed this value, or it contains default values from the decoder file.
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This is shown as black numbers on an orange background, since the value differs from what's
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expected or last seen in the decoder.</dd>
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<dt style="background:yellow;">From File</dt>
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<dd>The field contains values read from a locomotive file. This is shown on yellow,
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since we're not certain that the file agrees with the decoder contents.</dd>
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<dt style="background:white;">Read</dt>
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<dd>The value shown has been read from the decoder. This is shown as white to
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indicate that the value is trustworthy.</dd>
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<dt style="background:white;">Stored</dt>
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<dd>The value show has been written to the decoder. This is also shown as
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white.</dd>
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<dt style="background:red;">Unknown</dt>
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<dd>If something goes wrong with the read or write process, we might have a
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completely untrustworthy result. This results in the variable's state being marked
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as UNKNOWN and shown on a red background.</dd>
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</dl>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-container">
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<a href="./images/SpeedTable5.png"><img src="./images/SpeedTable5.png"
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alt="Speed table"></a>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-item-70">
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<h3>Examples</h3>
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<p>For example, after a "Read" the speed table values are shown on white in the first
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image, while in the second image it shows that when you modify a value, it's marked on
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yellow. Doing a write will set the color back to white; doing a read will reset the number to
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the value in the decoder, and also reset the field to white.</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-container">
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<a href="./images/FnMap5.png"><img src="./images/FnMap5.png" alt="Function Mappings"></a>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-item-70">
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<h3>Complex interactions - Function Mappings</h3>
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<p>Although having a name for an entire CV is nice, where this really helps is with
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complicated bit-mapped options. Digitrax FX lighting options, for example, require
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configuring two sets of bits into one CV. Another example is configuring a Soundtraxx
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decoder's mapping between functions and sounds. This involves bits and values spread
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across a dozen different CVs, but DecoderPro turns that configuration job into simple
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checking of boxes.</p>
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<p>Each selection box, checkbox or radiobutton is mapped to specific bit(s) in the
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decoder's CVs. The programmer handles the reading and writing of the CVs when the
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individual settings are changed. Instead of bits, you're working with the name or
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description from the decoder manual.</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-container">
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<a href="./images/Digitrax5.png"><img src="./images/Digitrax5.png" alt="Digitrax DH142"></a>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-item-70">
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<h3>Decoder-specific programmer Panels</h3>
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<p>DecoderPro is meant to be easily configurable to add new types of decoders. You
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can also add programmer sheets, change their layout, and even redo the entire
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appearance. To do that, DecoderPro is driven by human-readable files in XML format.
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Read how to do that <a href="CreateDecoder.shtml">here</a>.</p>
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<p>These files make it convenient to update DecoderPro to work with a new decoder.
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For example, the unique capabilities of a Digitrax DH142 decoder appear on the
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"Digitrax" tab.</p>
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<p>Additional decoder-specific variables and sheets can be added via configuration
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files. By choosing an industry-standard XML format for decoder information, we hope
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to make it possible to create a complete library. Perhaps we can even interest
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manufacturers in documenting their products in this format.</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-container">
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<a href="./images/CvTable5.png"><img src="./images/CvTable5.png" alt="CV Programmer"></a>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-item-70">
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<h3>Direct CV Programming</h3>
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<p>It is also possible to program the CVs directly using the CV Programmer. The "Read"
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and "Write" buttons allow you to work with individual CV contents. Changes made here
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will also update any associated values found on other programmer tabs.</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-container">
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<a href="./images/DP5Roster.png"><img src="./images/DP5Roster.png" alt="The Roster"></a>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-item-70">
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<h3>Locomotive Roster</h3>
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<p>DecoderPro maintains a Roster of your locomotives. You can save the decoder
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configuration, and then later work with the stored CV values instead of having to
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read them from the decoder. This saves the time it takes to read a complete decoder,
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which can be quite long. The roster can also store locomotive information for you.
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</p>
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<p>From the DecoderPro main screen, you can select a specific locomotive to work on by
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selecting it from the Roster list and then clicking the "Program..." button.
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The programmer opens with the current values already present on the "Roster Entry" sheet.
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After you made changes and wrote them to the decoder, click "Save to Roster" to store the
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roster information to a file on your computer's local disk; you'll be reminded to do this
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if you close the programmer with any unstored information.</p>
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<p>For more info, see <a href="./Roster.shtml">Roster Help</a>.</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="flex-container">
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<img src="./images/DP5FileMenu.png" alt="The File Menu">
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</div>
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<img src="./images/DP5SettingsMenu.png" alt="The Settings Menu">
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</div>
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<div class="flex-item-30">
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<img src="./images/DP5RosterMenu.png" alt="The Roster Menu">
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</div>
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</div>
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<p>A combination of menus allow you to access and manipulate your roster entries.<br>
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For example, you can print the information for a selected roster entry by choosing "Print Roster
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> Selected Entry" from the File menu.</p>
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<h2>More Info</h2>
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<p>For information on how to set up and use DecoderPro, please see <a href="index.shtml">the
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DecoderPro User Guide</a>.</p>
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<p>Here's more information on <a href="MoreInfo.shtml">how DecoderPro works</a> and
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<a href="CreateDecoder.shtml">how to add a new Decoder Type</a>.</p>
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</div>
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<!-- close #mainContent -->
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</div>
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<!-- close #mBody -->
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<script src="/js/help.js"></script>
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</body>
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</html>
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