"CV" is a generic computer term for a configuration variable. They determine the various states and functions stored in a loco's decoder. The printed docs with my ESU decoders were weak but I found great ESU online documentation which explain the use of every CV function for their V4 decoders.

These are often things like acceleration rate, top speed, sound levels, etc. ESU seems to have mapped their CVs to different functions over subsequent generations of decoders and ESU and Märklin map their CVs to different functions as well. So you must translate the meaning of the CV values from one decoder to the next, not the specific values for each CV.

Hi Dennis,

I believe this is correct, if you mean all CV’s values.

As far as I know you cannot read all CV on a Marklin decoder, save it in a profile and transfer those settings into another decoder.

You can however with an Ecos lokprogrammer on even slightly older Esu decoder read the whole decoder profile, change the settings and save it and overwrite this profile to another Esu decoder.

With Marklin programmer tool I believe you can do something similiar but only with Marklin decoders and of an similiar decoder type.

You can on the other hand read individually CV, note the settings down, and then write these values to another decoder, in most cases...

All manufactures are nowadays complying with the DCC framework for CV, so most of the CV are similiar like address, max speed, accelerated, de acceleration, motor settings etc. however each manufacture also have their own custom made CV with extended configuration etc.

Note regarding Mfx. It was designed by Marklin for an easy plug and play system, so the idea is that you use the graphic user interface to change settings like max speed, min speed etc. If you download a Marklin decoder manuals you will note a much longer CV list available than with Mfx. So if you want to do more changes on a Marklin decoder I suggest using it as DCC instead.

My suggestion is to first download the decoder manual. If it’s an ESU you are in luck as their manuals are superb and very well written. Then try first with simply stuff like changing value for max speed etc. suggest to use programming tracks and not on the main track. If you get in trouble you can reset decoder to factory setting by writing value 8 in CV 8.

Good luck!

Brgds Lasse