Speed steps and LGB MTS 3 and flickering lights

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ExeterGeek

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I was reading through posts last night and I think I have the correct answer.

Currently I'm running LGB MTS 3 but my controllors are a mixture of Navigators and the LGB ones.

My understanding is that to avoid flickering light problems then I need to set the speed steps to 14 because this is what the LGB controllors can cope with (only the Massoth can cope with 28) when a loco might be controlled by either controllor?

Is my understanding correct ?

Chris
 
Flickering lights as you change speed is a symptom when your throttle is set to 28 speed steps but the loco decoder is set to 14 steps. The decoder reads the extra speed step info as light off/on instructions. If you use a mixture of different throttles, some of which cannot send 28 step info, then you need to set all throttles and decoders to 14 steps.
 
Indeed, as Nick points out the loco speed step and the handpiece are not in step with each other. LGB MTS prior the late 2004 parallel upgrade (unless modified), are only able to support 14 speed steps (legacy of the MTS1 Lenz background). If your LGB handpiece is an earlier version then it cannot 'recognise' a decoder set to 28 speed steps. MTS2P and MTS3 and Massoth all recognise 28 steps.

Only yesterday I had to programme a digital German Post Sprinter loco as it was still set to the factory default 14 steps and my NCE controller was not happy with it. Easy to reprogramme with the old LGB programmer.
 
And the original Lenz decoder (55020) was serial only, 14 speed steps and only CV 1-4 could be modified.
Massoth 55020 was better (parallel operation) and later versions (2.5) would do 28 speed steps, but not with MTS systems.
 
I had the same problem with lights switching on and off when I tried using a Fleischmann / Roco multimaus with a pre-Marklin LGB Digital loco.
 
The problem is that 14 speed steps in DCC terms is prehistoric technology, and some more modern DCC systems don't even support it. My NCE system is getting on for 10 years old yet doesn't support 14 steps, the same as Tim mentioned on his earlier post. If you send 28 step commands to a decoder set to 14 speed steps then the lights flicker as I explained in my earlier post.

Fortunately my oldest decoder seems to be a factory-fitted LGB Mikado from the early 2000's and this does support 28 speed steps (but not 128).
 
Can you not set the speed steps with MTS 3/Massoth Navigator on a loco by loco basis? I'm no expert with either of these systems but I would have expected every DCC system to be able to do that.

As regards LGB decoders supporting 28 speed steps, apart from really old ones, and as mentioned the 55020, I've found that all LGB decoders support 28 speed steps even if it isn't mentioned in the instructions. I've got quite a few old LGB engines with factory fittted DCC and all apart from the track cleaner support 28 speed steps. I don't care if the lights flash on the track cleaner they are supposed to!
 
Can you not set the speed steps with MTS 3/Massoth Navigator on a loco by loco basis? I'm no expert with either of these systems but I would have expected every DCC system to be able to do that.
Click to expand...

Yes you can...I'm running that setup and each loco can be set individually. If you're not sure what the decoder is programmed to, just change from 14 to 28 etc., on the navigator until everything works properly. Same goes for serial/parallel--you can set each loco differently from the navigator.

Keith
 
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