WOWSteam Version 4 Indexed CV's

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Explanation of Indexed CV's

"Indexed CV's" are a method which a decoder can use to store and change more configuration options than could be possible using the 256 Standard CV's. TCS Non-sound decoders do not use Indexed CV's, since all of the configuration options can be squeezed into the Standard CV's. In WOWSound Version 4 and older decoders, TCS uses an indexed CV method which uses CV 201, 202, 203, and 204, which are described in detail below. All four of these CV's combined work as a method to "index" and manipulate the more complicated configuration options with many many possible options such as Mapping Sounds to Buttons.

How to Use Indexed CV's

Think of CV 201 through 204 as a filing cabinet. To make a change to a "file" in the "filing cabinet" you need to know the drawer and folder number where that file is. You also need to know what the info in that file is, or what you want it to be.

CV 201

CV 201 acts like the drawer - this is a "coarse" location of the information you want to edit. We use this to indicate the type of setting you would like to change.

For example, changes made to sound options and sound behaviour settings are in "drawer" number 4. Another example would be CV 201 = 6 for changing sound volumes.

CV 202

CV 202 acts like the "folder" within the "drawer" (CV 201) in which the setting (or "file" in this analogy) lives. CV 202 indicates what specific type of change you would like to make.

For example, if CV 201 is 4, and CV 202 is 19, this indicates that you would like to reconfigure the "User Options" settings. Another example would be CV 201 = 1 and CV 202 = 5, which would map a sound to Button 5.

CV 203

CV 203 is the "high byte" of the data/setting, and can vary in behaviour and usefulness depending on the situation. For some settings ("files"), the number of available options is less (0-255), meaning that this CV is not necessary and not used. In these cases, it should be set to 0. In some cases, any other random/erroneous value will not affect anything.

In bit-wise CV's like the User Options, or settings with more than 256 available setpoints however, CV 203's value WILL affect said setting, and should always be verified to be correct and taken into account before proceeding. Neglecting CV203 in some circumstances will result in erroneous programming changes that may affect other settings you were not intending to change.

CV 204

CV 204 Is used as the final step in the process. Programming a value into this CV will use the information/data in CV203 and CV204 to make a change to the setting as indicated by CV201 and CV202. Only after programming CV 204 with a value will the changes you made actually take place. You can freely manipulate CV 201, 202, and 203 without any affect taking place until you program CV 204.

Reading Indexed CV's

Note that all of the above steps are for writing to an indexed CV. In order to read the value from an Indexed CV, you need to follow these steps:

1. Determine the "drawer" or primary index value, such as 4.
2. Add a value of 100 to the primary index (CV 201). EG "4" = 104
3. Set CV 202 to the secondary index location (same as described above).
4. Program CV 204 to a value of 0, or any other bogus value. The value of CV 203 is irrelevant and can be skipped. After writing any value to CV 204, the decoder will fetch the data from the index you selected (CV 201:CV 202), and place the value(s) into CV 203 and CV 204.
5. Immediately after writing to CV 204, you can read CV 204 and/or CV 203. CV 203 may not necessarily be in use, so it may return a 0, but CV 204 will always have some sort of data in it, including 0, which can be valid data.

Sounding too complicated? We agree! That's why we created Audio Assist®, and why we also offer Programming Tools which can be used to generate all of these values for you!

Related

• WOWDiesel Version 4 Indexed CV's
• WOWSteam Version 4 Indexed CV's
• WOWElectric Version 2 Indexed CV's

List of WOWSteam Version 4 Indexed CVs

Index 1:X - Sound Button Remapping

Set CV 201 and CV 202 to a value shown in the table below to select a button to map a sound to. Then, use CV 203 and CV 204 to select the sound you would like to map to the button.

Note: it is highly recommended that you use Audio Assist to remap sound functions, as it requires much less effort and no lookup tables!

TCS Index 1.X "Sound Button Remapping"

Indexed CV	Description
1:0	Function Button 0 Sound Mapping
1:1	Function Button 1 Sound Mapping
1:2	Function Button 2 Sound Mapping
1:3	Function Button 3 Sound Mapping
1:4	Function Button 4 Sound Mapping
(...)
1:28	Function Button 28 Sound Mapping
1:29	Random Sound 1 Sound Mapping
1:30	Random Sound 2 Sound Mapping
1:31	Random Sound 3 Sound Mapping
1:32	Random Sound 4 Sound Mapping

Index 3:X - Individual Chuff Timings

Set CV 201 to 3, and CV 202 to a value between 1 and 126 to select a speed step. Then, use CV 203 and CV 204 to set the chuff timing. The higher the value, the more quickly you will hear a chuff during the rotation of the motor.

Note: This is an advanced feature which is made easier with a graphical user interface such as JMRI. These settings can be done in real-time using mainline programming, and often require a lot of trial-and-error to get right. You may consider the use of a CAM to trigger your chuffs for prefectly-timed chuff sounds.

TCS Index 3.X "Individual Chuff Timing"

Indexed CV	Description
3:1	Speed Step 1 Chuff Timing
3:2	Speed Step 2 Chuff Timing
(...)
3:126	Speed Step 126 Chuff Timing

Index 4:X - Sound Options

This is the primary index which holds most of the configuration options for the WOWSound decoder, especially those pertaining to how the decoder operates.

TCS Index 4.x "Sound Options" For Version 4.0

Indexed CV	Name/Feature	Description
4:1	Cylinder Cox Shut-off Speed Step	Above this speed step (of 128), the Cylinder Cocks sound will stop playing, either when turned on automatically or manually. Range of values is 0-126. A value of 0 will never allow the cylinder cocks to play; a value of 126 will never cut out the cylinder cocks automatically (must be turned off with button). Default = 16
4:2	Random Sound Channel #1 Frequency	Random Sound Channel 1 is reserved for the Air Pump/Air Compressor. Higher values = higher frequency of playing. Default = 215
4:3	Random Sound Channel #2 Frequency	Higher values = higher frequency of playing. Default = 96
4:4	Random Sound Channel #3 Frequency	Higher values = higher frequency of playing. Default = 64
4:5	Random Sound Channel #4 Frequency	Higher values = higher frequency of playing. Default = 1
4:6	Random Sounds Overall Frequency	Higher values = lower frequency of playing. Default = 768 (3:0)
4:7	Random Sounds Cut-out Speed Step	When the locomotive is moving above this speed step (of 128), the Random Sounds will not play. Default = 15
4:8	Rotate Whistle Pointer / Whistle Set Selection	Uses CV 204 to select the Whistle Type from the List of Sounds.
4:9	(Not Used)
4:10	Master Volume
4:11	Chuff Set Selection	Uses CV 204 to select the Chuff Set number from the List of Sounds.
4:12	Automatic Sounds Selection	(0)*  Snifter Valves (1)*  Rod Clank (2)*  Idling Sound (3)   VERSION 4.6 ONLY not used in V4.0 and older (4)   Enable Automatic Forward Whistle Quill (5)   Enable Automatic Reverse Whistle Quill (6)   Enable Automatic Stop Whistle Quill (7)*  Enable Direction Change Sound (power reverser) (8)*  Enable Random Sound 1 (9)*  Enable Random Sound 2 (10)* Enable Random Sound 3 (11)* Enable Random Sound 4 (12) VERSION 4.6 ONLY not used in V4.0 and older (12-15) NU *Default is all on except Automatic Whistles and Bell Default (XXXX1111 1000X111) = 3975 (15:135)
4:13	Brake Grinding Noise Start Speed	Speed step at which "squeals" stop and "grinding" starts while braking. Brake grinding noises are sounds more accurate to low speeds and heavy brake application. Range of Values is 0-126. A Value of 0 disables brake grinding and only uses brake squeal. Default = 15
4:14	Dual-Enabled Functions	For functions F0F-F12, set bit to have a function button available in both Light Mode and Sound Mode. *Default is F0F, F0R, and F8 (mute) dual-enabled. Default (XXX00010 00000011) = 515 (2:3)
4:15	WOWSteam V4.6 ONLY	See Below
4:16	Chuff Rate Overall Adjustment	Percentage of adjustment to increase or decrease the chuff rate at all speed steps. Valid range of values is 1-200 Default = 100 (X:100)
4:17	Rod Clank Set Selection	Determines which set of Rod clank sounds are played. The number of Rod Clank sound sets is determined by the Sound List.
4:18	Cylinder Cox Auto Turn-on Time	Sets how long the locomotive must be stationary before the cylinder cox will come on automatically the next time the locomotive starts moving. Valid Range of values 1 - 65535 Default = 256 (1:0)
4:19	User Options	(0)   Enable CAM (1)   (Not Used) (2)   Enable Mute on startup (3)*  Allow Articulated Chuff to Slip (4)*  Enable Rotate whistle/bell Audio feedback (5)*  Enable Light Mode/Sound Mode Audio feedback (6)*  Enable Audio auto shutoff timer (7)*  "Momentary F2" - Improves performance while in Audio Assist with some throttles. (8)   Enable Articulated Chuff (9)   (Not Used) (10)  Reverse Directional Whistles (11)* Enable Power Braking (12)* Enable Momentum Mode Audio Feedback (13)* Enable Johnson Bar Audio Feedback (14)  Enable "Function Pagination" | WOWSteam Version 4.6 ONLY (15)  [reserved] *Default (X0111000 11111000) = 14584 (56:248)
4:20	Articulated Chuff Slip Rate	Determines how frequently articulated chuffs slip in and out of sync. The higher the number the more frequently it happens. Valid values are 0-255 Default = 240 (X:240)
4:21	Automatic Audio Shut-off Timer	This feature will automatically mute the decoder after the set period of time. To completely disable this feature, see Index 4:19 "User Options." This feature will extend the life of your decoder by muting the sound when stationary without any user input received. A value of 256 equals approximately three minutes. Valid range of values is 1-65535 Default = 1200 (4:176) - Approximately 15 Minutes
4:22	Not Used
4:23	Minimum Chuff Volume	This setting will set the minimum volume the chuff volume can fall to, regardless of the BEMF/load. Changing this setting will prevent the sound from behaving prototypical, but can force the decoder to always "chuff chuff chuff" as long as it is moving. Valid range of values is 0 - 32767 Default = 0 (chuff/throttle can shut off completely)
4:24	Rotate Bell / Bell Selection	Uses CV 204 to select the Bell type from the List of Sounds.
4:25	Grade Crossing Quill Options	TCS records multiple grade crossing quills, and puts up to three of them in the decoder. This CVs selection controls which quills will play when the Grade X Quill Button is pressed. (0)* Short Quill, (1)* Medium Quill (2)* Long Quill (3 - 6) Not used (7) Randomize Quill Play Order If a value of zero is entered, the short quill is defaulted to. In order to disable the whistle quill function, the button mapping for Grade X Quill must be overwritten or disabled. Default = 7 (X:7)
4:26	Cylinder Cox Set	Determines which set of cox sounds are active NOTE: Using CV programming to assign a cylinder cox sound to a button will put the cylinder cocks sound type on that button, but might not set up the correct set. I.E. if you remap the "cylinder cox set 2" sound onto a button, but don't change this CV, that button will play a "cylinder cox set 1" instead. Changing this CV will affect any button or buttons already mapped with the Cylinder Cox sound type. Valid values are 1-2 Default = 1 (X:1)
4:27	Idling Sounds Selection	Determines which "Idling Sounds" sound plays while the locomotive is idle. Valid values are determined by the Sound List.
4:28	Not Used
4:29	Chuff Volume Change Time	Controls how fast the chuff volume can change from one level to another in response to a change in the load. This setting effectively adds "hysteresis" to the chuff volume if you feel the locomotive's chuff sound response is too sensitive and changes too quickly. A change of "1" adds or subtracts approximately 0.5 milliseconds to the responsiveness. This setting only affects the responsiveness when coasting at a set speed, and does not affect the performance and responsiveness when changing speed. See 4:32 "Chuff Volume Velocity Factor" for more info. Default = 4500 (17:148) | (Approximately 2.25 seconds transition time from min to max)
4:30	BEMF Low Calibration (Forward)
4:31	BEMF High Calibration (Forward)
4:32	Chuff Volume Velocity Factor	This CV controls the effects accelerating and decelerating have upon the chuff volume. The higher the value the more drastic the change in volume from accelerating and decelerating. Default = 612 (2:100) | (Approximately 0.3 seconds to transition from min to max)
4:33	BEMF Low Calibration (Reverse)
4:34	BEMF High Calibration (Reverse)
4:35	Rod Clank Volume from BEMF	At the calculated minimum BEMF volume (BEMF Low Calibration) rod clank will be at full volume (rod clank type volume) and will fade away as the load increases. This CV is a percentage above the BEMF Low Calibration value that the rod clank will cut out. Valid values are 0-100 Default = 30 (X:30)
4:42	Throttle Mode Selection	0 = Traditional Throttle Mode 1 = Prototype Throttle Mode This setting controls how the chuff sound behaves: In "traditional" mode, the chuff volume is constant and determined by the "Chuff" Sound Type Volume. Snifters will play at their maximum programmable volume when the throttle is shut off, rod clank will not play at all. In "Prototype" throttle mode, the chuff volume is determined by the velocity, speed, BEMF/load, and calibration settings. The snifter valve and rod clank volume are also controlled dynamically by prototype throttle mode. Snifters will play when the throttle is deemed to be "off" and rod clank will start playing when the throttle is deemed to be appropriate (See Index 4:35) Default = 1 (Prototype Throttle Mode)
4:43-4:44	Not Used
4:45	DCC Mode Auto Bell Cutout Speed	Speed step (of 126) at and above which the DCC Mode Auto Bell will not play when enabled. Valid range of values is 2 to 126. ***VERSION 4.6 ONLY*** Default = 15
4:46	Not Used
4:47	Thermal Overload Limit	***WOW501 ONLY*** This CV sets the temperature at which the decoder will trip the thermal overload. It is not recommended to adjust this CV unless otherwise guided to do so by TCS technical support. If the thermal overload is tripping, your decoder is overheating!
4:48	DC Mode Quill Delta - Regulated Supply Mode	Default = 431
4:49	WOWSteam V4.6 ONLY	See Below
4:50	Switching Mode Acceleration	Default = 5
4:51	Switching Mode Deceleration	Default = 5
4:52	Mainline Mode Acceleration	Default = 20
4:53	Mainline Mode Deceleration	Default = 60

Index 5.X - User Preset and Resets

Set CV 201 and CV 202 to a value shown in the table below to select a button to map a sound to. Then, use the two numbers in the "Value" column to program CV 203 and CV 204. Once CV 204 is written to, the reset will start or preset will be loaded. A few seconds may be required for the operation to complete.

NOTE: It is only possible to save the current decoder settings to a User Preset by using Audio Assist. Loading an un-saved user preset will be the same as performing a factory reset.

Note: it is highly recommended that you use Audio Assist to perform these operations, as it requires much less effort and no lookup tables!

TCS Index 5 "User Presets and Resets"

Indexed CV	Value	Description
5:0	0:2	Complete Decoder Reset (Factory Reset)
5:0	0:3	Reset Sound Button Mappings Only
5:0	0:4	Reset Volumes of all Individual Sounds
5:0	0:5	Reset All Chuff Timing Values
5:0	0:6	Reset all Sound CVs (Index 4.x)
5:0	0:7	Reset Volumes of all Sound Types
5:0	0:8	Load User Preset #1
5:0	0:9	Load User Preset #2
5:0	0:10	Load User Preset #3

Index 6.X - Sound Type Volumes

Index 6 is used for sound type volume control. To change the volume of a sound type, start by setting CV 201 to 6 to select the Sound Type Volumes Index. CV 202 is used to set the sound type Volume Level as a percentage from 0 to 100%. Values above 100 are invalid and must not be used. Use CV 204 to select the sound type. Refer to the table below.

NOTE: For this index, CV 203 is not used and is irrelevant. A value of 0 in 203 should be used.

NOTE: In Version 4.6, new sound types were added (starting at 26), which changes the CV204 value for Sound Type Selection. Refer to the table below.

Note: it is highly recommended that you use Audio Assist to change sound type volumes, as it requires much less effort and no lookup tables!

TCS Index 6 "Sound Type Volume Control"

CV201	CV202	CV204	Sound Type	Default
6	[Volume]	1	Air Pump	45
6	[Volume]	2	Ash Dump	100
6	[Volume]	3	Bell	40
6	[Volume]	4	Blow Down	100
6	[Volume]	5	Blower	20
6	[Volume]	6	Brake Release	30
6	[Volume]	7	Brake Squeal	50
6	[Volume]	8	Chuff	100
6	[Volume]	9	Coupler Clank	40
6	[Volume]	10	Cylinder Cocks	40
6	[Volume]	11	Power Reverser	30
6	[Volume]	12	Whistle Forward Quill	100
6	[Volume]	13	Generator	20
6	[Volume]	14	Idling Sounds	10
6	[Volume]	15	Injectors	20
6	[Volume]	16	Johnson Bar Down	15
6	[Volume]	17	Johnson Bar Up	15
6	[Volume]	20	Whistle Reverse Quill	100
6	[Volume]	21	Rod Clank	25
6	[Volume]	23	Safeties	60
6	[Volume]	24	Coal Shoveling	15
6	[Volume]	25	Snifter Valve	20
6	[Volume]	26	Whistle Stop Quill	100
6	[Volume]	27	Water Filling	100
6	[Volume]	28	Playable (Long) Whistle	100
6	[Volume]	29	Whistle Grade X Quill	100
6	[Volume]	30	Whistle Short Blast	100
Version 4.6 Sound Types (26 and Beyond)
6	[Volume]	26	Arriving Station Announcements (V4.6 Only)	80
6	[Volume]	27	Departing Station Announcements (V4.6 Only)	80
6	[Volume]	28	Whistle Stop Quill	100
6	[Volume]	29	Water Filling	100
6	[Volume]	30	Playable (Long) Whistle	100
6	[Volume]	31	Whistle Grade X Quill	100
6	[Volume]	32	Whistle Short Blast	100

New Indexed CVs Unique to WOWSteam Version 4.6

This section includes only the new Sound Options for WOWSteam V4.6 decoders. These Indexed CVs are included within index 4.X but may not be present in Version 4.0 or have been modified for Version 4.6

TCS Index 4.x "Sound Options" For Version 4.6

Indexed CV	Description
NOTE: ALL OF THE INDEXED CV NUMBERS LISTED ABOVE IN THE SAME PRIMARY INDEX (4:X) STILL APPLY. THE CVs LISTED IN THIS TABLE ARE ADDITIONS OR REVISIONS TO THE PREVIOUS TABLE
4:12	Automatic Sounds Selection	(0)*  Snifter Valves (1)*  Rod Clank (2)*  Idling Sound (3)   Enable Automatic Bell | VERSION 4.6 ONLY not used in V4.0 and older (4)   Enable Automatic Forward Whistle Quill (5)   Enable Automatic Reverse Whistle Quill (6)   Enable Automatic Stop Whistle Quill (7)*  Enable Direction Change Sound (power reverser) (8)*  Enable Random Sound 1 (9)*  Enable Random Sound 2 (10)* Enable Random Sound 3 (11)* Enable Random Sound 4 (12) Disable DCC Mode Auto Bell in Reverse (Note: This feature was implemented in decoders manufactured on or after September 12th 2024) (12-15) NU *Default is all on except Automatic Whistles and Bell Default (XXX01111 10000111) = 3975 (15:135)
4:15	DC Mode Sounds Selection	(0)*  DC mode automatic bell enabled (1)*  DC mode Forward Sound (2)*  DC mode Reverse Sound (3)*  DC mode stop sound (4)*  DC mode quill enabled (5-15) NU *Default is all on. Default (XXXXXXXX XXX11111) = 31 (X:31)
4:41	DC Mode Chuff Volume	Sets the chuff volume level while in DC mode. If you are using a high power speaker and an power pack with poor regulation, loud chuffs can cause a significant drop in voltage. Lowering the maximum chuff volume can alleviate this issue. Default = 5888
4:43	DC Mode Start Voltage - Regulated Supply Mode	Default = 2400
4:44	DC Mode Bell Cutout Voltage - Regulated Supply Mode	Default = 2525
4:45	Automatic Bell Cutout Speed	Speed step (of 126) at and above which the DCC Mode Auto Bell will not play (when enabled). Valid range of values is 2 to 126. ***VERSION 4.6 ONLY*** Default = 15
4:46	DC Mode Motor Hysteresis - Regulated Supply Mode	Default = 600
4:48	DC Mode Quill Delta - Regulated Supply Mode	Default = 431
4:49	Track Voltage BEMF Offset Factor	Default = 0
4:54	DC Mode Max ADC Value - Regulated Supply Mode	Sets the expected maximum ADC value the decoder can expect to see when running in Analog mode. This gives the decoder a range that can be used to determine which speed to go depending on the track voltage. By default=, this CV is set to the maximum resolution size, which means the decoder will max out at about 14.5V on the rails. This CV will not help for DC power packs with higher max outputs than 15V, but for max outputs below 15V, the speed step range can be tuned; additionally, going above the ADC range, or increasing this CV, can limit the speed step at full throttle. This often does sound nicer, and gives more of a range in the "nice chuff rate zone" where speed is limited but enjoy-ability is increased. Range of values is 0-4250. Recommended absolute minimum value is 2800. This CV MUST NOT be less than or equal to the Motor Start Voltage Default = 4250 (16:154)
4:66	DC Mode Start Voltage - Unregulated Supply Mode	Default = 2816
4:67	DC Mode Motor Hysteresis - Unregulated Supply Mode	Default = 1250
4:68	DC Mode Motor Hysteresis - Unregulated Supply Mode	Default = 12
4:69	DC Mode Bell Cutout Voltage - Unregulated Supply Mode	Default = 2500
4:70	DC Mode Quill Delta - Unregulated Supply Mode	Default = 1000
4:72	DC Mode Speed Step Hysteresis - Regulated Supply Mode	Default = 8