Bachmann Online Forum

Discussion Boards => General Discussion => Topic started by: pilotat6 on November 04, 2008, 01:28:01 PM

Title: Deselect an engine Address ?
Post by: pilotat6 on November 04, 2008, 01:28:01 PM
Is it possible to deselect an Address with the EZ Command DCC System?
If so ... how it it accomplished.  This would allow my sound module to "Shut Down" the engine.
Title: Re: Deselect an engine Address ?
Post by: Stephen D. Richards on November 04, 2008, 01:40:09 PM
Try pressing the function button.  When the light is flashing then push the number eight button.  This should shut your sound down.  Hope that helps,  Stephen
Title: Re: Deselect an engine Address ?
Post by: pilotat6 on November 04, 2008, 01:47:00 PM
Function 8 seems to lower the volume but not "deselect" the address.  Deselecting would play my digitrax "Engine Shut Down" sound routine ,before stopping all sounds.

Am I missing something, or is deselecting an advanced function ?
Title: Re: Deselect an engine Address ?
Post by: Stephen D. Richards on November 04, 2008, 02:14:25 PM
Generally it doesn't "de-select", but on mine it turns the sound off.  If this doesn't work then you may have to go into the CV for some more advanced function.  Stephen
Title: Re: Deselect an engine Address ?
Post by: pilotat6 on November 04, 2008, 02:44:44 PM
Thanks for your reply Steven.
I'll do some experimenting.
Digitrax told me I had to "Deselect" the address to get the "Shut Down" sound of the diesel engine.  But they didn't tell me how that was accomplished.  Maybe it's a function on their DCC systems?  They also said CV-6 was for non-Digitrax systems ... set to 6 the sound times out after "deselect" ... set to 0 = no time out.  Have tried both numbers without any results.  New & Still learning !
Title: Re: Deselect an engine Address ?
Post by: Jim Banner on November 04, 2008, 08:24:28 PM
I think we are mixing apples and oranges here. 

"Deselecting" an address takes it out of the command station, freeing up a slot for use by another address.  This is quite different from just turning off the sound.  In some decoders, it triggers a sequence of sounds that would be produced by a locomotive when it is being shut down, i.e. the prime mover is being shut off.  I am assuming that pilotat6's sound module is of this type.

The E-Z Command effectively has ten control channels (Digitrax calls them "slots".)  Each of these has an address permanently associated with it.  Selecting a different address for the throttle to control does not deselect any addresses.  That is, the locomotive with the previous address still keeps going with the same speed and direction, even when you switch the throttle of your E-Z Command to a different address. 

Compare this to the usual sequence with a Digitrax system.  The slots can contain any of about 10,000 addresses.  When a locomotive has not been used for a while, the command station tosses its address out of whatever slot it was in, making that slot available for running a different locomotive.  (Digitrax calls this process "purging.")  I suspect the sound system detects this by the lack of speed updates to the locomotive, but I am not sure.  Whatever it detects, it triggers the shut down sound sequence.