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Electronics DCC
#61

Greg

Just got back from running steam in Poland and just looked at the TCS Web page you are constructing.

I am truly sorry you consider me your nemesis no disrespect intended in any of my posts.

I am surprised you can not read anything in CV7. What system and programming mode are you using to read CV7? Perhaps others can try reading CV 7 on their TCS decoders with their systems to see if this is a universal result. If it is then it clearly is something they need to fix.

I would expect CV7 for TCS deciders to yield a value of a single digit of 4, or 5 or a double digit of say 47. Many manufacturers split the version number with the major release version in CV7 and a minor software version number in a manufacturer specific CV.

Greg one minor request. Please remove my post from your web page. When I contacted TCS I was given permission to post the message on LSC. I did not ask or receive permission to post anything on personal web pages.

If you wish to post the information from TCS on your web page I suggest you contact them directly for permission.

Thanks

Stan

#62

I am not referring to you Stanley on my site. You have always been helpful.

CV7 does not respond with an NCE system nor my Zimo system, both of which are very versatile, the NCE can do direct, register, paged modes, etc. The Zimo system starts in direct and drops back to either paged or register, I forget exactly, I can look it up if need be. I sort of had hoped that knowing me for what, over 10 years, that I know how to debug problems and understand DCC, and have the diligence to carefully and thoroughly investigate before publishing this information.

The Z scale decoders read CV7, but the WowSound does not, but as I mentioned, you get an audio readback, but as Kevin has stated, apparently the audio readback is not connected to the firmware version. Not great. My theory is that they use the audio readback instead of a version, but if it is meaningless…

The Z scale decoders indeed respond with 49 for CV7, which I am guessing is version 4.9. I will also read the CVs 248, 249, etc. to get more of the information there, and see if the WowSound is different in this area also. The TCS documentation is rather fragmented, and one master document serves all decoders, but I know there are exceptions, from the few I have found. The difficulty is that not all the exceptions are noted in the document.

I could take the quote out and provide a link, but your post on this site is indeed public. Reading the post is not restricted in any way, nor is it hidden from Google. In any case I expect to get first hand information soon, just want to give them all the information I have. At that point I will relay what I have learned from directly talking to a TCS representative. I need people reading that page to know that my investigation and documentation is because TCS has stated something and I am working from that knowledge, and not finding complete congruency, so this is not a rampage against TCS, but a genuine desire to rectify the issues or at least resolve what works and what does not.

As I stated, I fully hope that I can send the whole kit and kaboodle to them, every TCS decoder I own, and give them an opportunity to see what can be improved. They do me no good right now.

I’m really surprised that of the very few NMRA mandated CVs (just 4) that there’s no response to CV7, not a meaningless number but nothing back… the motor pulses but no readback… crazy.

Greg

#63

No, Stan, I think it’s clear to whom Greg is referring with the term “nemesis.” It is unfortunate, but not unexpected. Like you, I mean no disrespect towards Greg with my posts. I have tried to be helpful with his problems with these boards, but it’s obvious from this and other threads how those overtures are received. My questions for Greg are asked because it’s me who doesn’t understand something–they’re not questioning his understanding at all. Alas, Greg calls things as he sees them, and that’s the light under which he views my contributions. Nothin’ I can do 'bout that. I’m not going to change who I am; I’m not going to stop trying to be helpful. I’m not going to stop sharing my personal experiences to any who would ask. If sharing in such a manner earns me a particular epithet on another’s web page, oh well.

As the saying goes, if you’ve never ticked anyone off in your life, you’ve never stood up for what you believe.

But I’ll follow that up with this–I don’t care if you’re ticked at me; if you like trains, come on over and have a beer. Life’s too short not to enjoy what we have in common.

Later

K

#64

Can we just all relax and play nice? I’m not in the babysitting business.

#65

Maybe Bob, I’m not the one posting an entire message that is just personal about someone else. I thought that was against the rules. I’m sure I would be slapped for posting similarly… and I got slapped for trying to solve it and not involve you… so there’s no recourse for me…

Anyway, to put a close to this by me on this thread (I will start one on TCS decoders)

I sent a very detailed email to “Dan” at TCS, outlining my issues and all the CV values on all my TCS decoders.

Also, and Dan P will be saying “I told you so”, the Zimo was able to read the CV values on this WowSound most of the time, like 70% or so. The NCE system struggled and got mostly garbage and could never read back CV7, the version info.

The Zimo struggled, but then raised the programming track voltage to 14 volts, and like I said, would read the CV’s 70% of the time on average, some CV’s were only 50%

So I could read CV7 with the Zimo, which distressed me before since it is only one of the 4 MANDATED CV’s for NMRA compliance. That’s good.

I was also able to read (most of the time) the other version CV’s and also to correlate the firmware version, sound set version and date of the firmware load. As has been stated, the date might only mean when the firmware was written to the decoder, nothing to do with the version.

Also the versions for the firmware and soundset were just 4. Looking at “Dan”'s email above, he talks about firmware version 4.7.3 … so maybe the system is at 4.0.0 or maybe the complete firmware version is never reported.

I’ll get the full story very soon, I’m sure they won’t like reading my web site page, which has 25,000 hits where I present these issues that I and many people have observed.

Daniel, I want to apologize to you again for screwing up your original post, and turning this into a slugfest of who is right and who is wrong about the WowSound.

Please, anyone that wants to continue about the TCS, wait until I get a response back from TCS and I will create a brand new, truthful, factual thread on these issues.

Greg

#66

 

 

 

#67

#68

I have been playing with my TCS WOW steam decoder.

I can consistently read any CV that I have tried to read without any problem.

I am using my Revolution DCC system. Seems to work quite well.

Tom