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CV Settings

1K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  John 
#1 ·
Having fitted decoders to an M7 and a Standard 5MT I am wondering if there is any one place to go to obtain CV settings so that the model will perform as the prototype. I have found the settings for the M7 in the Resources section of this forum but can not find anything for the Standard. Is there a central reference point for performance changing CV's and if not does anyone have settings for my Standard.

Thanks R
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
This idea of having suggested settings does come up periodically, but it isn't that practical. There is quite a lot of variation from example to example in model loco performance, different makes of decoder vary significantly in their characteristics, and operators have widely diverging tastes on what constitutes realistic performance. It is very much a matter of 'suck it and see', tinker with the settings until you have it the way you like it.

That said, I do feel it is worth proceeding in CV setting with a systematic method.

Set CV3 and CV 4 to 0 so there is no inertia to intefere with what you see.

Adjust CV2 so that the loco just starts on speed step 1 (0)

Assess maximum speed, change if required using CV5 (255)

Now see how the loco performs at the middle speed setting, adjust up or down to taste using CV6 (150)

Now set values in CV3 and CV4 to give the rates of acceleration and deceleration you prefer. (40, 35)

The values in brackets were my choices on a Lenz gold in a Bachmann 5MT to be used on passenger and fitted freight; they may not suit you at all! I would alter the CV 3 and 4 values on the fly to give more inertia if on a fitted freight, faster acceleration if running light engine on the main line.
 
#4 ·
Dear Randolph,

If you want to try different CV settings and make sure you can re-use the same settings on a number of locos, you might want to consider the SPROG with DecoderPro. SPROG is the hardware component and DecoderPro the s/w which is Open Source and free. If you order SPROG, you get a CD with all the s/w included.

With this, you can create CV settings that you like and then copy them from one loco to another. Or just use DecoderPro to create a "back-up" copy of the CV settings on your PC, so you can go back to a "good" set, after a number of changes that turn out be somehow "bad" for the loco. Once you start changing the CV settings on a number of locos, you will find this device helps a lot to keep track of everything you are doing.
 
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