First attempt to program turnout decoder using ZIMO MX32

Airbuspilot

Airbuspilot

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Hi

I am working with a friend with a partially completed LGB garden railway, neither of us have any experience of DCC. I have programmed a loco on my N scale layout but using different equipment, on Monday I tried for the first time to program an accessory decoder using his ZIMO equipment. The MX32 instructions talk about Loco programming with virtually no mention of accessory programming.

The turnout decoder we are using is a ZIMO MX820D with an LGB 12010 turnout motor. The unit is presumably a motor unit rather than a solenoid type as it only has two wires.

I am using the ZIMO MX10 command station with the ZIMO MX32 handset.

Following the MX32 instructions I was able to change the address of the decoder from 3 to 50, the green ACK message came through and the 50 was in red (not sure if that's relevant?)

Setting the MX32 to a new blank page I was able to read the accessory address as 50 by pushing the TP key so I assume I was successful.

However when I connected the decoder to the track the MX 32 did not recognise the decoder. Existing, already programmed turnouts on the handset, have coloured icons, the "newly programmed" turnout was a blank square.
I assumed the MX 32 would recognise the new decoder without further action?

Having entered a new address / CV with the MX32 is it necessary to save the entry in some way to the MX32?





The info on page 13 of the decoder instructions is very confusing (for me!)

As this turnout is a motor rather than a solenoid I also need to make further CV entries to provide a longer actuation time?

#513 is the decoder address = 50
#545 = 0 - control by #1 push button on MX32
#515 (presumably I can ignore 516, 517, 518) = switch time - 30 = 3 seconds.

W key saves new info to decoder?

Do I need to make a further action with the handset?
Screenshot.png


If there is anyone with ZIMO experience I would be grateful for some help.

Thanks

Robin
 
Zimo had 2 ways to program their decoders. One was an address with 4 function selections so Address 2 can have 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 and 2-4 for switch decoders like the 820.
The other way is with the later software you can program the 820 decoder automatically from the MX32 without changing cv1 directly. Read the manual carefully.

Address 50 in CV 1 can really be 50 divided by 4 (48) and add 1 (49) and function 2 (50 minus 48) to allow the 820 to operate the output..
 
Today I actually managed to program a turnout decoder and it WORKS!!!

thanks to the explanations from Greg andStephan at ZIMO.

Robin
 
I'm curious to the solution, as I am still learning.

How did you finally set the addresses in the decoder?

Also, what addressing setting did you use on the MX32, the "DCC pair" mode?

programming_switches.JPG
 
Without your help and Stephan from ZIMO, I wouldn't have worked it out for myself. I did manage to change the CV on the programming track some days ago but the process was difficult to follow and I didn't realise it was necessary to program the MX32 as well so I wasn't able to operate the turnout.

Stephan gave me step by step instructions with the decoder connected to the main track. In his notes I assumed he wanted me to ignore the decimal value and use 50 as just 50, the MX32 accepted this but showed 50.0 on the icon, same as no 1 above.


From Stephan
- Press E + key 3 (=F2) on the MX32 to show the accessory addresses you already have entered (some are by default there) in the lower MX32 display part.
- Check if you already have an entry for "DCC [p] 3" there, if not scroll down to "NEW" (or NEU in German) press A to confirm, press A again to confirm DCC [p], enter 3 and press A to confirm to create such an entry.
- Touch on the lower part of the MX32 screen to switch to full display screen for all entered/existing DCC addresses for DCC accessory decoders.
- Make sure the red cursor stands on "DCC [p] 3", then press key TP to open PoM (=OP Prog Mode) for that particular DCC accessory decoder.
- You will see " . . . " for the CV-number, enter 1 (for CV#1) and confirm the CV-number with key A, cursors jumps to CV-value-field.
- Enter the new DCC address (f.e. "4" if you wish the main address 4 for the MX820D) and press A to confirm.
- After that leave the PoM Mode (as you see you started it with address 3) with key E to get back to driving screen of the MX32.
- Now press E+3 to show again all accessory addresses ... feel free to delete the former accessory address 3 there, simple by pressing key C (for clear) when your cursor is in the row with "DCC [p] 3".

Programming the MX32 worked as you told me by using shift W which brought up your page above. As you say on your site the moving up / down and horizontally is a bit weird but it does work after a few tries. Entering the decoder address as 50 in the appropriate slot, it took me a few tries to find how to do this but it did work after a few tries, saved with W.

When I reverted to driving mode the turnout icon hadn't changed but after making a selection it started to work and the switch motor operated correctly.

There is probably a good reason for subaddresses but until I have a better understanding it looks as if I can ignore them and just treat CV address values as integers, time will tell.

Robin
 
The subaddresses work with the main address if you are programming "normal" accessory addresses.

In the NMRA standard, there are 2 modes of addresses for accessory decoders. One has 9 bits and one has 14 bits.

The latter is an extended mode of addressing, and the address bits are such that you can use 2 of the bits for a subaddress. then there are 5 more bits for "signalling".

So, apparently in Europe, it is common to use this type of addressing, the main address and the subaddress.

Therefore if you se the "base" address of an accessory decoder, it CAN (not must) have 4 "devices" associated with that base address.... X.0, X.1, X.2, X.3..... this relates to the two addresses you see at the bottom of each programming "slot".

In the usa, every accessory decoder I have used (that is made here) just have one address per "function".... but the Zimo interprets these using the subaddress mode..

So if I program a 4 function decoder as addresses 20, 21, 22, 23, then the 4 slots will be 20 0 | 20 1 | 20 2 | 20 3

Took a while to figure it out. I've never met a person in the USA (except for people that are experts on European DCC) that understand this.

Greg
 
As previously reported I have successfully programmed a ZIMO turnout decoder by following instructions from ZIMO help and Greg.

Today we operated the layout for the first time. I was concerned about programming on the main but ZIMO say this is normal to avoid removing an installed decoder. But as feared i now have a problem and 3 of the existing 25+ switches are no longer working. The existing switches are numbered in groups 10’s, 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, I started with no 51 as my first attempt.

Existing switch no 9 is now responding to 51 and no 11 + 12 are not responding at all, all other switches are working correctly.

Can I reprogram no 9 by looking for no 51 (new no 51 is not in position yet) and reusing ZIMO procedure?

How can I interrogate nos 11+12 to find there new address and then reprogram them back to their original address?

Rather like bringing up children the first 10+ years of DCC are probably the worst.

Robin
 
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