260 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
260 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
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<title>Comprehensive Programmer - Speed Control Pane</title>
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<h1 id="Top">DecoderPro® Comprehensive Programmer</h1>
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<h2>The Speed Table Pane</h2>
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<div class="dp-right">
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<p><a href="Comp_Speed.shtml">Previous |</a> <a href="Comp_FMap.shtml">Next</a></p>
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<p><a href="index.shtml#Advanced%20Programmer">Back to Index</a>
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<hr>
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<p>The <strong>Speed Table</strong> allows you to fine-tune the throttle response of your
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locomotive. You might opt to match all of your locomotives so they run at the same speed for
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the same throttle setting, or you might want to set the table up so that your locomotive runs
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at the actual scale speed indicated by the throttle. Or maybe you have someone in your
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operating group that likes to switch the yard at Mach 2.5, and you want to slow them down a
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bit. There are a lot of ways to use this feature. (This feature may vary by manufacturer and
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decoder series) Some decoders may only have preset curves that you can select.</p>
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<p>You now have the option of using <strong>Speed Table</strong> (this pane) which if
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selected and written to the decoder will replace the <a href="Comp_Speed.shtml"><strong>Basic
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Speed Control</strong></a> to set your locomotive's speed control mode. Which ever one you
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select last and write to your decoder will be the method used for speed control. To select
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the use of <strong>speed tables</strong>, the <strong>Use Table</strong> radio button is
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selected at the top of the pane, and in the case of Soundtraxx and QSI decoders, the drop
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down selection box must be used. See the discussion at the end of this section for an
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example.</p>
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<p>The default speed table for most decoders is a straight line from zero on the left to
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maximum on the right. The <span class="textbutton">Force Straight</span> button below
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the table duplicates that in the table.</p>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;"><img src="images/Speed_Table_Straight.png" alt="speed table"
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height="701" width="804">
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</h1>
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<p class="dp-center"><strong>Straight Line Speed Curve</strong>
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</p>
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<p>As you can see, you have both numbers and sliders to work with. Changing either a number
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or slider will make the other change to match it. If you are CV inquisitive, you can use the
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tool tip to advantage. By hovering over any of the sliders, the tool tip will reveal the CV
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to which you are pointing .</p>
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<p>The <span class="textbutton">Match ends</span> button
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will also result in a straight-line graph, but you can offset the beginning and end by any
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amount you wish. The first and last steps are used to set to minimum and maximum values for
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the straight line. The function will then draw a straight line between those two end points.
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Below is an example of the result.</p>
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<h1><img src="images/Speed_Table_Match.png" alt="speed table match" height="315" width="914">
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</h1>
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<p>If you prefer to always see the speed steps rather than hovering over the slider to see
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the tooltip, you can change DecoderPro to always show some or all of the steps.
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With the roster entry open, click on file in the top menu. The last option in the drop-down
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is Speed Table. That gives 4 options:
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<ul>
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<li>Don't show numbers</li>
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<li>Show all numbers</li>
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<li>Show 1, 4, 7, 10, ...</li>
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<li>Show 1, 7, 14, 21, 28</li>
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</ul>
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</p>
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<h1><img src="images/Speed_Table_Speedsteps.png" alt="speed steps" height="597" width="848">
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</h1>
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<p>Now if you've used DecoderPro in the past, you're probably wondering what those little
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boxes at the bottom of each slider are used for. Well, they're difficult to explain, but easy
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to use. They basically allow you to set a slider to control every slider in columns to its
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left as well as to its right. If you click two of the boxes and then move one of those
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sliders you'll see that they are linked to the sliders between them. Points to the right
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never are higher than the slider being moved, and the points to the left are never lower that
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the slider being moved. This "always increasing left to right" is normally the way the
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sliders worked, but now the ones in between the check are linked. If the slider is lowered
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and then raised the straight line is drawn between the column checked to the right and the
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column that the slider is controlling. It's difficult to describe, but try it and you'll
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see.</p>
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<p><br>
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What could that possibly be used for, you ask? Well, many decoders (like the Soundtraxx
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Tsunami in this example) do not support V-start, V-mid and V-max. So, if you are trying to
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use the simplified method of speed matching locos, these decoders won't support it. Well now
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you have a way. Check the left-hand, right-hand and middle columns. Set the left-hand column
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to V-start, the right-hand to V-max and then slide the middle slider up and down until you
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get the V-mid that you want. Now all you have to do is write this speed table to the loco and
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you've accomplished what you wanted to do, but the decoder manufacturer didn't provide
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for.</p>
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<h1><img src="images/Speed_Table_SpeedMatch.png" alt="Speed Match" height="527" width="922">
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</h1>
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<p class="dp-center"><strong>Substitute for Quick Speed Matching</strong>
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</p>
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<p>If you want to set up a loco for switching you can set a start speed that is the same for
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the first portion of the throttle revolution and lower the top speed for use in the yard as
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shown below:</p>
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<h1><img src="images/Speed_Table_Constant.png" alt="Speed Table - Constant Ratio Curve"
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height="270" width="800">
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</h1>
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<p class="dp-center"><strong>Switcher Speed Curve</strong>
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</p>
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<p>if you don't desire a strait-line response curve there are other options available. The
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Constant ratio curve gives you a response that increases slowly in the low end and rapidly at
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high throttle. This function will also draw the curve between preset end points.</p>
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<h1><img src="images/Speed_Table_Switcher.png" alt="switcher" height="335" width="807">
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</h1>
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<p class="dp-center"><strong>Constant Ratio Curve</strong>
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</p>
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<p>The <strong>Log curve</strong> reverses this response, giving you a logarithmic response
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curve with high acceleration at low speeds, but topping out quickly. It will also draw the
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curve between preset end points.</p>
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<h1><img src="images/Speed_Table_Log.png" alt="log" height="345" width="851">
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</h1>
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<p class="dp-center"><strong>Logarithmic Speed Curve</strong>
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</p>
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<p>The <span class="textbutton">Shift left</span> button moves the entire
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speed table to the left one space with each click on the button. The example below shows a
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linear 0-255 speed table that has been <strong>Shifted left</strong> three times.</p>
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<h1><img src="images/Speed_Table_ShiftLeft.png" alt="shift left" height="369" width="840">
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</h1>
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<p class="dp-center"><strong>Curve Shifted Left</strong>
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</p>
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<p>The <span class="textbutton">Shft right</span> button moves the entire
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speed table to the right one space with each click on the button. The example below shows a
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linear 0-255 speed table that has been <strong>Shifted right</strong> three times.</p>
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<h1><img src="images/Speed_Table_ShiftRight.png" alt="shift right" height="331" width="824">
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</h1>
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<p class="dp-center"><strong>Curve Shifted Right</strong>
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</p>
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<p>Of course, you can enter the numbers individually or move the sliders one at a time to
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create your own fully customized speed table. To aid you with setting the individual values,
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the slider value is shown at the top of each slider. Also, by hovering the mouse at a slider
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column the number of the CV being entered will be revealed.</p>
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<p>One very important thing to remember: <span class="ACCENT"><strong>No matter how pretty
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your speed table looks, it has absolutely no effect on the locomotive unless you write it to
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the decoder!</strong></span></p>
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<p>And this point is especially pertinent with the QSI and Soundtraxx Tsunami decoders,
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because they have a separate drop down box like the QSI box below. They require that you
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select the <strong>user defined</strong> speed table entry in this box or your table will not
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be written to the decoder. Interestingly, Tsunami puts the selection at the bottom of the
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list making it very easy to miss.</p>
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<p class="dp-center"><img src="images/Speed_Table_QSI.png" alt="QSI speed table" height="308"
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width="799"><br>
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</p>
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<hr>
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<a id="gotchas"></a> There are some "gotchas" with programming speed curves in various
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decoders:
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<ul>
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<li>The NMRA S9.2.2 specifies that all decoders must provide CV2 (Vstart). The provision of
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CV6 (Vhigh) and CV5 (Vhigh) is optional. These three CVs are to be active only when Bit 4
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of CV29 is 0. Speed tables are optional and use CVs 66 (Fwd Trim) 67-94 (the actual speed
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curve) and 95 (Rev Trim). These thirty CVs are to be active only when Bit 4 of CV29 is 1.
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The disadvantage of this speed table specification is that any tweaking of starting or
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maximum speeds requires reshaping of the entire speed curve.</li>
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<li>SoundTraxx Tsunami decoders differ from the standard. When the speed table is active
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(Bit 4 of CV29 is 1), the value in CV2 is not ignored but is effectively (in the decoder) a
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dded to CVs 67-94 in the speed table, pushing it upwards. The advantage of this variation
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from the NMRA standard is that you can tweak the starting speed without reshaping the whole
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curve, but the disadvantage is that you can effectively flatten the top end of the speed
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table it the maximum speed was already high.</li>
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<li>QSI decoders differ from the standard. When the speed table is active (Bit 4 of CV29 is
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1), the values in CVs 2 and 5 are not ignored. If either of CVs 2 or 5 are non-zero, these
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become the actual Vstart and/or Vhigh and the effective values in CVs 67-94 are compressed
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or expanded (scaled) in the decoder so the actual curve starts and/or ends on any non-zero
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value in Vstart and/or Vhigh. The advantage of this variation from the NMRA standard is
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that you can tweak both starting and maximum speeds without reshaping the whole curve, but
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the disadvantage is that if your speed table already covered a restricted range, the curve
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will be expanded, with possible integer multiplication errors producing glitches in the
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speed table.</li>
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<li>ESU V4 and Select decoders differ from the standard (except in some early firmware
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versions) . When the speed table is active (Bit 4 of CV29 is 1), the values in CVs 2 and 5
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are not ignored, but ALWAYS specify the actual Vstart and Vhigh of the loco. In addition
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the value of CV67 is fixed (read only) at 1 and the value of CV94 is fixed (read only) at
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255. You therefore need to fit your speed table curve shape between these fixed end points.
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The effective values in CVs 67-94 are compressed (in the decoder) so the actual curve
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always starts and ends on the values in Vstart and Vhigh. The advantage of this variation
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from the NMRA standard is that you can tweak both starting and maximum speeds without
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reshaping the whole curve and without the possible multiplicative errors in the QSI
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approach. The LokProgrammer and JMRI DecoderPro software both enforce the restrictions on
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CVs 67 and 94 so you know what your speed table will actually look like. Also, the minimum
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value for CV2 is 1, so you cannot set the loco to be stationary at step 1.</li>
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</ul>
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The important thing to make very clear is that ALL FOUR DIFFERENT APPROACHES ALLOW FULL
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CONTROL OF SETTING THE ENTIRE SPEED RANGE OF THE LOCO. There is no limitation on setting of
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starting or maximum speed. But you MUST be aware of the different ways of setting up
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different decoders. The other important point is that THIS DOES NOT PREVENT SPEED MATCHING of
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different brands, you just have to be aware of the different ways of setting up each brand.
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<p>The best way of avoiding problems is with any brand or mix thereof is to match speed steps
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in this order 1,28,14,7,21,... This will avoid any problems with any brand.</p>
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<p>Footnote: Speed tables must always increase monotonically (i.e. no speed step can have a
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value lower than the previous speed step). Failure to do observe this restriction can cause
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strange behaviour in some decoders so both LokProgrammer and JMRI DecoderPro prevent you from
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doing so.</p>
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<hr>
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<div class="dp-right">
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<p><a href="Comp_FMap.shtml"></a> <a href="Comp_Speed.shtml">Previous |</a> <a href=
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"Comp_FMap.shtml">Next</a></p>
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<p><a href="index.shtml#Advanced%20Programmer">Back to Index</a>
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