Using Decoder Pro

Setting Up the Programmer

We shall assume you've been through the previous section (Getting Started) , have your computer hooked up to your command station/booster with any necessary interface device, and are now ready to actually program a decoder.

On opening the software, you'll see the splash page again, and be given three options:

Service Mode (Programming Track) - Program the locomotive on the dedicated programming track. Not all command stations support a dedicated programming track, and some will only "broadcast" programming commands, which can mean every locomotive on the layout gets the same programming! If in doubt, check your documentation.
Operations Mode (Main Track) - Also known as "programming on the main", "POM", or "ops mode" programming, this lets you program a specific decoder on the layout, even while it is operating. However, because it addresses a specific decoder, you cannot change a decoder's address using this method!
Quit - Rather obviously, exit the program.

Since it's highly unlikely that you'd have gotten this far if you were a quitter, click on the "Service Mode" programming button. You'll see this screen:

There are several parts to this window.

The first lets you set the programming mode that will be used by your DCC system to talk to decoders. We'll describe this later, and you can leave it alone for now.
The next lets you select the settings for an existing locomotive on your layout. Since you're just starting to use DecoderPro, you can also leave this alone for now.
Below that is the large, light-colored box where you can select the particular type of decoder in a locomotive. We'll discuss how that works next.
Below that is a place where you select a particular format for the programming tool you'll soon be using, an "Open" button to proceed, and a space for status messages. We'll cover all those later in this walk-through.

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How to select the right decoder programmer

Because there are such a wide variety of decoders that have different features and capabilities, it is necessary to set up the programmer for the specific decoder you have installed in your locomotive.

With the decoder-equipped locomotive on the programming track, click on the "Ident" button towards the middle ot the window on the right hand side, right across from "Decoder Installed". DecoderPro will attempt to identify the decoder in the locomotive by asking it what it is! This can take a little bit of time - since the decoder can only answer "yes" or "no", the software has to play "Twenty Questions" with it for a while to get the right answers. When the program finds the correct decoder, it will display it in the appropriate section of the white portion of the window and the "Open Programmer" button will become active.

This method will only work if your command station is capable of reading back CVs. Many lower end and/or older systems do not provide this capability. If the command station cannot read CVs from the programming track, then you will have to select the decoder manually from the list provided as described below. If DecoderPro knows your system cannot read CVs, then the Ident buttons will not be available.

If you have a decoder that hasn't been added to the list yet, DecoderPro might not come up with the specific decoder. In this case, open the manufacturer's folder and find the right decoder or one closely related. Another option would be to open the NMRA decoder, a generic standard file that (for basic programming, at least) should cover your needs.

Note that in this example the "Programmer format" has been set to "Basic". This is a good place to start if you're new to DCC decoder programming, because you won't be able to do much damage if you make mistakes.

Once you've selected a decoder, or DecoderPro has done it for you, the "Open Programmer" button will be activated. Click on it to move to the next step.

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The Basic Programmer

The Roster Entry Screen

The DecoderPro roster is a simply a database of all locomotives that your installation of DecoderPro has programmed. DecoderPro stores the configuration information for each of your locomotives in the roster along with the additional information seen in the screen below:

Most of these fields are self-explanatory. However, note that the first field (ID) becomes the file name for the locomotive. Some people like to use the locomotive number, two spaces, and then the locomotive type for this field. In the event you want to look something up later or restore some data that got corrupted this makes things easier. The "Comment" field is a good place to put the date you purchased the locomotive, price, or any other information you might feel is important to record.

The "Save" button writes the current decoder information to the drive and folder where the program is installed.

The "Reset to Defaults" button returns the values in the computer to those that would be in the decoder as shipped from the factory. It does not write those values to the decoder! To do so, you would have to press either the "Write Sheet" or "Write All" buttons.

Some brief comments on Programming Modes

At the bottom of the window there are several programming mode options: Paged mode, Direct bit, Direct byte, Register mode, and Address mode. For most newer decoders, stay with"Paged mode" or whichever Direct mode your Command Station supports (modes your command station doesn't support will be disabled and "greyed out" visually). Your decoder documentation should let you know if programming in some other mode is necessary... but if you are having problems, experiment.

Address Mode is an outdated programming method that is included here for the sake of full compliance with the NMRA DCC standard. Register Mode is an expanded form of Address Mode, and is still used by some older and/or lower end decoders, particularly some from MRC and Wangrow. It is inherently limited in its ability to access all CVs in a decoder. Paged Mode is an expansion of Register mode that gives full access to all decoder CVs. Direct Mode is another method, not yet supported by all decoders, that allows full access. There are two ways of implementing Direct Mode. The radio button(s) for the method(s) your command station supports will be activated.

If you experience difficulty programming a decoder in Paged Mode, try Direct Mode, then Register Mode, and finally Address Mode. The EasyDCC AD4 Accessory Decoder can only be programmed in Direct Mode.

To actually change programming modes while in a DecoderPro programmer pane, look at the bottom of the pane for the "Set" button.

Click it and the following window will open:

Click on the appropriate radio button to change programming modes. Simple, isn't it?

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Using the Basic Programmer

At the top of the window are two tabs: "Roster Entry" and "Basic". We have been working in the "Roster Entry" pane of the window. Now, click on the "Basic" tab to change panes. You will see a screen similar to the following:

You will see three options you can change, highlighted in yellow:

The decoder address (should be unique among your locomotives)
Two radio buttons that let you toggle between 2 digit (one byte, normal) or 4 digit (two byte, extended) addressing
Analog operation (enables the decoder running under regular DC voltage/analog control)

The yellow highlighting indicates these options are "probable" settings and have not been confirmed from the decoder. Settings that have been changed by the user and have not been written back to the decoder appear in a darker yellow color. You will see examples of this throughout the manual. To read the actual settings for these options, click on the "Read Sheet" button. The individual settings will turn red while they are in the process of being read (clever, eh?), and will turn white once the values have been read sucessfully from the decoder. Once again, DecoderPro must play "Twenty Questions" to get this information, and sometimes even has to ask a couple of times.

Be patient, especially with older computers. At the very bottom of the pane (where it says "idle") you will see a running account of exactly what DecoderPro is doing, for example, the specific CV being read.

Again, the Read sheet and Read all functions are dependant on your command station. If your system does not have the capability to read CVs, then these buttons will not be available.

If you wish to change the address of the locomotive, simply click in the text box and type in the new address. To turn on or off 4 digit addressing, click on the check box. To enable/disable analog (regular DC) operation, select the appropriate entry from the pulldown menu. When you are finished, click on "Write sheet" to send the new values to the decoder. It's that easy!

Writing usually takes much less time than reading, because the value can be sent directly. As the write operation proceeds, the data will change from yellow to white. If there is difficulty writing to the decoder, the data will change to red. The software will automatically keep trying until the write operation is sucessful.

To finish this "basic" programming of a decoder, click once more on the "Roster Entry" tab, then click on the "Save" button. Your new decoder settings have now been written not only to the decoder, but also saved to a computer file where they may be recalled in the future. You may now close the programming pane.

If you forget to write the settings to the decoder, or to save the file to the computer, you will be prompted to do so when you close the programming pane. You may elect not to do so.

Now, let's explore the Comprehensive Programmer!

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