DCS 4.30 Lashup problem

Chris,

I'm thinking that the SD35 is wired differently for its marker lights than other engines. This would possibly cause the new lashup process, which was completely rewritten, to affect the marker lights.

I'm going to refer this thread to MTH for review. They're busy so it might be a while.

Chris,

MTH has some questions for you. Since you don't have an E-mail address listed, I'm posting them here. Please respond to the ER-mail address in my profile:

• What is the MTH product number of the engine?
• What position in the lashup was this engine, i.e., lead, middle or trailing?
• Was it facing forward or backward?
• How many engines were in the lashup altogether?
• Did you use the FSV soft key after changing the member engine settings?

Chris,

MTH has a solution. See the extract from their E-mail to me, below:

I found the issue. It's in the default Ditch Light setup when you shut down
and then start-up the lash-up.

For this particular guy's issue all he has to do is select the SD-35, go to
the CONTROL menu, select DITCH LIGHTS and then set them to ON.

Now he needs to go back to his lash-up "engine" that contains the SD-35 and
hit FSV to save the setting. 

Number Boards no longer flicker.

Apparently, the default for Ditch has been set to Flash and that's not
correct. The good news is the FSV and independent light saving per engine
allows you to overcome this bug.

Let me know if this works for you.

Hello Barry,

I would like to report that was the cause of the Flickering Number Boards.

I set the Ditch Lights to on and saved the setting for the Lash up with the FSV Soft key.

All is working as it should.

Thank you For Getting the answer so fast.

Regards Chris

Chris,

I'm glad that I could help.

Good Job Barry and MTH!

That is just so cool and neat and great that you can get this much help

and information on this forum!!! I love it. 

Thanks Barry and MTH. 

FYI...

This particular scenario has now been addressed so that it will no longer possibly happen.

DCS 4.31 should be up on MTH's Protosound2.com web site tomorrow or Wednesday.

I am posting to report that I too have experienced this issue with two of my multiple unit configurations since doing the release 4.3 upgrade over the weekend.  The first is a set of three 20-2801-1 Boston & Maine GP-9s where all three units had flashing number boards upon startup and running.  Also saw this with a pair of 20-2896-1 Erie GP-7s and here again it affected both units.  The fix outlined above with the ditch light soft keys did indeed stop the number board flashing.  I did not experience this issue with any of the other multiple unit sets I have but all of those are much older and have the earlier 5 volt main boards. 

Glad to see MTH making a fix and I want to thank you folks for posting the above as this would be very frustrating if I hadn't seen it was a programming bug as I would have assumed it was operator error or that something was broken.

Thanks,   Glenn

Glenn,

 if I hadn't seen it was a programming bug as I would have assumed it was operator error or that something was broken.

i really wouldn't classify this as a programming "bug". Rather, it's a consequence of a default setting for the engine that's not normally used (these engine's lack ditch lights) that was set incorrectly in the engine for the purposes of the new lashup code. I assume what  DCS 4.31 is doing is setting the lashup values for ditch lights to "off".

It's also the new lashup code that allows the situation in 4.30 to be user correctable.

Note that often the ditch light circuit is used for other than ditch lights.

Hello all. Great site and love the smart people here. I too have the same problem. I purchased my first SD35 Espee awhile back and it did the same thing. I could not get the number boards to stop flashing. Then I bought a second Espee SD35 and it did the same thing. Now I have some information from this post and will try when I get home. Thanks!!!!

 It's a tough time right now whenever we are struggling thru new DCS releases that have flaws. Layout problems blur the lines of what's up with the software.

 I just built another consist. Usually the lights are off in the trailing engines. This time, they are all on. Yesterday's build they were off. So I know something else is wrong. It's not a big deal to go to an engine and correct it. It's that I'm seeing varying conditions that are keeping me on my toes. The very first consist I rebuilt after upgrading, I swore I hit the FSV after correcting the engines. The next session, the ditch lights were flashing again.

 I don't want to just fan flames about bashing something. Overall, this version is working. It just has new flaws that need to be learned. When an engine won't come out of in-active, I wonder if it's the software causing it. When a fresh consist won't come out, I figured I hit the wrong button.

 I just ordered a spare remote. Now I don't know whether to update it from 4.2 that's inside to 4.3 or put the TIU back??????? My old remote was struggling before this software update that adds to my problems.

 I can handle flashing lights, clickity clack being on, etc. I'm just having some anomalies that seem to be occurring. I can't pin it down to 4.3 yet or something else?

The trains ran great yesterday. So, what will they do next? I will rebuild everything and eliminate any human error issues on my part. I have too many consists that maybe being re-used incorrectly. I have no way to label which engine faced which direction and even keeping them sorted is getting tuff with so many duplicates in different scales. So, I'll start from scratch with consists.

 I thought one of the purposes of the new DCS release, was to allow the user to lock in the consist changes he has made. Doesn't that include the sound volume issues between versions of engines in the consist? (some PS3 were lower volumes)

Joe,

Doesn't that include the sound volume issues between versions of engines in the consist?

Yes and no...

Whether sound levels are set in an individual engine that's been started up, or in the same engine when it's part of a staretd-up lashup, they are one-in-the-same.

That is to say, regardless as to whether an engine's sound levels are set when it's separately started up and running, or whether it's set when the engine is in the started-up lashup and then saved with the FSV soft key, either way the sound levels are the same for the engine and also when it's a member in any lashup.

Barry,

Where is the version 4.3.1 that you talked about that corrects the flickering light problem. The only version I can find on their web site is 4.3.0

DCS 4.31 is in beta test.

I actually had the same issue, I have a premier GP-7 and the same flickering issue.  However, with mine the flickering kept up even after removed from the lashup.  I had to feature reset and it solved it.  But in the lash up it continues.  I will try the ditch light fix ...

Any updates as to when the new software update will be available?  Besides the flickering number boards, I also have a problem with the sound cutting out. This only happens in the lash up.  The same two engines running alone and chasing each other work fine with no sound problems.

Ed

Barry successfully helped me out applying some functions like turning the number boards off, using the railroad crossing horn signal while running a lash-up beween a P3 AC6000 and ES44AC in another thread. However, I now have the issue that the sounds cut out of the lash-up, particularly at higher speeds (35+ mph).  At first I thought that it may be dirty track, but after applying a lot of elbow grease, I'm still having the same issue.  No issues when running the engines around outside of the lash-up. 

-Ed Abbot

Make sure you turn off "clickity clack" . It is set to on by default with 4.3

What does turning off "clickity clack" have to do with the sound cutting out in a lashup? By the way when the sound does cut out, the "clickity clack" is the only sound that can be heard.

Ed 

That's what the soundset is programmed to do. It mutes all other sounds so the clickity clack is more pronounced I guess.

Joe has it right.

The current DCS 4.31 beta has clickity-clack turned off by default.

This does not answer my question but is good to know. What if anything,  does clickity-clack have to do with losing sound in a lash up under version 4.3.0. What is the hold up on the new release? You originally said that the 4.3.1 would be available the next day, and that was back in March 2014.

What if anything,  does clickity-clack have to do with losing sound in a lash up under version 4.3.0

By having clickity-clack on by default, all other sounds turn off after the engine goes for 30 seconds (approx.) above 30 SMPH (approx.)

It isn't "clickety-clack" because I turn it off for all my engines.  Additionally, the engine sounds cut in and out as a lash-up all occur at the same speed at different locations and different time intervals on the layout.  The sound fade in/out doesn't occur as individual engines.  Perhaps as a lash-up, the DCS is more "sensitive" to any sort of track dects that wouldn't be an issue with a single engine?

-Ed Abbot

My lash-up problems continue and probably will never be resolved as MTH doesn't appear to be releasing DCS 4.31, which was supposed to fix the problem(s) ... which has been in Beta testing mode for, what, a year now?

Ed,

It isn't "clickety-clack" because I turn it off for all my engines.

If my memory is accurate, every time you start up a lashup under DCS 4.30, ckickity-clack is on by default, regardless if it's been turned off for the member engines.

Wouldn't it be cool if 4.31 came out soon and resolved this issue.

Good morning

Where is the SFV button I don't seem to have it on my screen. 

DCS 4.20

Clem k

Clem,

Do you mean SFS for forward signal?

Regardless, if you don't see a soft key in the "more" list, the engine's sound file doesn't have it.

If you were describing the "save" soft key to lock in the settings, it came out in 4.3

Hi Barry

I was referring to the SFV soft key, for the lash up fix of original poster.

Clem

PS Thank you Joe

Clem,

That feature and soft key are new for DCS 4.30.

No worries, I'm sure it'll hit the streets at some point.

What is the status on the 4.31 release of the software update. This has to be one of the longest beta tests I have ever heard of (I am a retired IS/IT Pro, and have seen far to many Alpha/Beta tests). It was once reported that it should be available around April 2014.

Ed

Inquiring minds would love to know the answer to that one, Ed. 

I posted this question back in early January. Any news at all on release of 4.31?