I have been asked from time to time about the LokProgrammer and it's software. Others here have also stated how much they like the programmer and how it has made their lives easier. I thought I would post some info for those who are not familiar with the program.

Most of what the software does is simplifies and shows in graphic form what your function buttons would do based on that particular program.

Down the left side of the screen are tabs that allow you to change different features in the decoder. For these examples, I have ticked the Function mapping screen.



In this screen shot I have clicked the conditions pull down screen for function F3. In this column you can create Boolean algebra conditions for an output. At present, F3 will operate no matter the state of any of the other functions (ignore), but I could configure F3 to depend on any of the other functions. In this example, I can create conditions for F3 that would depend on the state of F2. You can do "AND" equations, (F3 on AND F2 on = function on) or you can do AND-NOT equations, (F3 on and F2 off = function on). You can do this for any function supported by the decoder.





In this screen shot I am showing how you would pick which output(s) is activated when function 4 is pressed. All physical outputs are shown in the pull down and I can pick and choose any of the outputs I desire just by ticking the box. You will see some outputs are identified with their function. Aux 1 is the smoke and aux 2 is the firebox led. The physical outputs can be configured in the function outputs screen on the left. There I can give the voltage applied (on/off pulse actually for the output) and can configure the headlamp for two brightness via a screen offering options for front light (1) and front light (2). Here I can make the front lights full bright when running forward and dim when in reverse. Something I do with my steam lokos since they do not have red marker lamps. For the rear lights, I make them off in forward and full bright in reverse. The forward/reverse for a function is configured by simply picking the function and direction desired in the left column and ticking the boxes I want for the physical outputs. In the function output screen I can also state the output is a Seuthe smoke generator and can determine the voltage applied at stop, speed step 1 and full speed (three different values). You could also do a simple double A switching light configuration. You will typically have a full brightness for the headlamps on both ends. Set up a function button to turn on those headlamps at each end and turn off the taillamps so they are not lit at the same time.





In this screen shot I am showing how you can configure the logic functions. In the example I am choosing to disable acceleration and brake delay with function 6. I could also add shunting speed under that function just by ticking the box labeled "switching mode".





The last column is where you pick which sound file(s) is activated by a function button. You can also activate physical, logical and sound files by the same function button if desired. On my telex equiped lokos, I activate the physical function of the telex and the sound file for coupler noise. In the function outputs screen I can configure the coupler Waltz parameters for the telex. Once I tell the software a physical output is a coupler, additional features are shown that allows me to set the reverse time, forward time and coupler force activated when I press the function button configured for the coupler output.



With the manual CV input screen on the left, once picked, the main screen will show the actual values then needed for the CVs. The software is a free download at ESU. With it and your controller you can quickly and accurately determine the correct value for the CVs and write them with your controller, or buy the LokProgrammer hardware and it will load the changes in about 30 seconds. If you wish to change sound files on a decoder or update the decoder's firmware, you must use the LokProgrammer hardware.

Not shown, but further down the page are lines for forward and reverse, stopped or running. Here is where you would map the outputs needed for a slider changeover relay. This then automatically makes the sider powering the loko direction dependant.

Edited by user 25 July 2016 13:29:30(UTC)  | Reason: Spelling

This is a post I made in a different thread, but I am also including it here since it adds a lot of info to this thread and shows how complex the decoder programs can be

Whoa. I really had no plans of posting these screen shots since the discussion is the D&H decoder. Then I saw the sophistication of the program ESU created for the Brawa V100, which is a part of this discussion. I thought some here would find it interesting.

The front headlamps are under three function or SUSI outputs. I haven't dug deep enough into the program to see where the actual switch is located. Those three functions are Aux 3, 4 and 5. Conversely, the rear headlamps are under three different functions, Aux 6, 9 and 10. See the top two lines of the first screenshot. So as I suspected, there are a lot of aux outputs (6) to generate the triple headlamps just so the special headlamp arrangements in the shunting functions buttons (F8, 9,10 and 11) will work as needed. In the conditions column for F0 they have added "not F9 not F10". This is how they turn off those white headlamps they do not want lit when shunting mode F9 and F10 are selected. They needed the "and X not Y" equation though because you do need F0 selected before you can select any of the shunting light functions (f8 through F11) see * paragraph 4 below. This "and not" equation is how they turn off the unwanted white headlamps for those two shunting modes. If you did not turn them off with the "and not" equation, then you would just have three white headlamp lit at that end when it is the direction of travel no matter what shunting function you selected.

The taillamps at the rear of the loko, line 5, "Physical output rear lights (1)" are activated when F3 is pressed and not F8 nor F9 nor F10 nor F11. So they go out when any of the four shunting light functions (F8 through F11) are selected. So the taillamps do not automatically light when F0 is activated, you must press F3 to turn on taillamps. They are direction dependent. Note (f) and (r), the direction component in the "conditions" column.

Lines 11, 12 and 13 of the first screenshot are the physical outputs when a shunting mode function button is selected. To get all the possible permutations, they used an aux output for each of the three white lamps at each end (repeat info from paragraph 1) and then build the light formation needed for that country's shunting mode by building it one lamp at a time until all the lamps that are needed to get that formation are activated. * The conditions line for these shunting modes is read "F0 and Fx". So you will not get the shunting function to activate unless you also active F0, the headlamp function button. * Except for the shunting function under F11. Note they use the direction component (f) and (r), but they have not used an "F0 and F11" equation in the "condition" column there. It is simply F11.

They also operate the coupling sound, see "sound" column, when functions F4 or F5 are pressed to operate the telex, aux 7 and aux 8 in the "physical outputs" column. And you get a fan sound when F6 is pressed to active the cooling fan, Aux1(1). I did not do a screen shot of the function output aux1(1), but I did notice the function is speed dependent and the fan will run faster as the speed increases. I did not check to see if the "coupler waltz" feature is activated when the telex couplers are operated, but as this is a feature the ESU V4 decoders support, I would bet it is there.

There is an incredible amount of stuff going on in this program. I have merely scratched the surface. I wonder if the D&H decoder has this level of sophistication? I would guess so since the circuit board for the connections to the physical outputs is probably the same and it's just who's 21MTC decoder is plugged into it. But they do not necessarily have to create all the shunting light functions. They may just offer the simple triple headlamp at both ends. I am sure many of those who write computer code can see and explain much more than I can. I might be able to understand it, but I could never write something so sophisticated. This has been an incredible learning experience that will surely help me with my own decoder programs. I imagine I will reference it frequently for now on.






Oh yeah, It is a program written for an MFX compatible V4M4 decoder, see just under the "help" pull down at the top left of the screenshot. But, it lists more than 16 functions in the "Conditions" column. I have never seen this before in a LokProgrammer file written for an M4 compatible decoder. I know MFX only supports 16 functions, so I guess those at 17 and up, which are not available in MFX, get ignored.