Digitrax PR1 Decoder Programmer

You should look at a Locobuffer

which is a better and more reliable answer than a PR1. This provides buffered communication with the LocoNet, which the PR1 does not do.

Jeff Law New Zealand

Try:

It takes a little setting up, but gives you an exceptional interface, and will interface a huge number of systems. Best of all, the software is free!

Doug Menke

Kevin, forget about the (old or new) PR1 and get a SPROG from Andrew Crosland. Works great with DecoderPro and they both have active, helpful support.

SPROG:

JMRI / DecoderPro:

HTH, Stevert

I use the PR1 but several friends recommend the JMRI Decoder Pro program. Some say that the hardware connection I use for PR1 will work with Decoder Pro, some say it will not. Which is it? The hardware consists of a 4 wire lead that connects to the track and to a 14v battery power source at one end and then, using a telephone-type jack, plugs into a connecter which then plugs into the the computer.

Any advice?

Carter Braxton

The PR1 is not an interface to the LocoNet. It is a standalone decoder programmer. It works with Win 98 but not with WinXP because of the way the program accesses the com port.

To use Decoder Pro you can use the MS-100 but the other devises are better in that they provide some buffering between the LocoNet and the Communications port.

Howard Garner

Mine works great with a proper power supply (or two batteries) but I'd sell it back in a heartbeat if I could put the money toward an MS100 or LocoBuffer...

I've used the PR1 when I still had a spare PC laptop. My experience was that things worked well enough with a proper power supply, but it was still touchy. Sometimes I'd program something, and it somehow would not "take." Read back of values was also sporadic depending on the decoder: Digitrax worked best, NCE and Soundtrax almost never. I haven't tried it at all with my newer BLI (QSI) sound decoders or the MRC decoder in the Athearn Challenger.

The think I liked best was the fact that PR1 kept a database of all my decoders which I printed out prior to retiring my old 486 MSDOS laptop so I have the records.

When I get around to it, I'll do the Decoder Pro + SPROG thing. Decoder Pro runs on Mac OS X (I've downloaded it and it is just fine as far as I can test without an interface). It looks like SPROG II has a USB adapter or cable of some sort, or I have a Keyspan USB/Seriel adapter which probably would work.

I liked using the PR1 because there was no command station involved. I don't use a computer to run my trains, so don't have one hooked up in the train room. I had a length of track, the power supply and the computer in my regular office area and work bench (next to the train room). I'd install a decoder and test and program it right there before getting it anywhere near the actual layout. Then I'd take it to the layout and determine starting voltage, etc. as necessary in OPS mode. Take the engine back to the PR1 area, read out the decoder CVs with the new start values, etc. and save it.

The Decoder Pro / Sprog should work similarly.

Ed

in article csk3d2$9oe$ snipped-for-privacy@lust.ihug.co.nz, Nigel Nichols at snipped-for-privacy@wave.co.nz wrote on 1/18/05 2:52 PM:

I appreciate all the responses. I'm glad the PR1 was out of stock at LoysToys... The LocoBuffer/DecoderPro combo looks like a good combination.

Kevin MacDowell