QSI Titan advanced function mapping

Note:

Even though I have years of experience in DCC, CVs, and even a degree in computer science, I found that I was copying information from the QSI 5.2.0 manual into this site, correcting it, clarifying it, and modifying it, and then re-publishing tons of information just too much work, and I was still left with a manual with problems.

So I decided to make my own update to the QSI 5.2.0 manual, and please request a copy of my current 5.3.x QSI manual. This manual is evolving, but errors corrected, confusion reduced, and I just cannot keep duplicating the old manual and then copying it into the web site, where it should be a reference document.

I'll add it to the files portion of the QSI-Solutions groups.io forum, and all are welcome to join. https://groups.io/g/QSI-Solutions You can also email me if you are not a "joiner", but the forum is a no-nonsense, non-commercial site.

For now, go by section numbers, since the page numbering will vary until I update the TOC and Index.

Overview:

This page is to try to demystify the customization of the Titan decoder. Most will apply to the other Titans, but they do have fewer lighting ports

The Titan allows very flexible mapping of these 3 main components:

• FUNCTION KEYS
• OUTPUT (lighting) PORTS
• FEATURES (like ditch lights and various sounds)

 Unfortunately, as with any system that has many options or flexibility, this can be complex.

NMRA Function key mapping not supported in the QSI - note well

The NMRA mapping allows mapping QSI "features" to a function key for F0 through F12. This table also allows mapping more than one item to a Function Key. Usually you can map up to 8 different items to that Function Key. This allowed a person to map for example the horn and ditch lights to a function key.

These are CVs 33 through 46 (page 66)

A reasonable idea when you basically had only maybe 6 outputs on the decoder.

When sound came around, manufacturers extended the use of the table to include sounds as well as the physical "function outputs" on the decoder.

Since you can (usually) map up to 8 "things" to a Function Key, that suffices for many situations.

Updated QSI Terminology - Important

In the original QSI manuals, the mappings for Function keys is called OUTPUT MAPPING, and never could this cause more confusion.

There is mapping of FEATURES to FUNCTION KEYS  (I call this FUNCTION KEY MAPPING TO FEATURES)

There is mapping of FEATURES to physical OUTPUT PORTS (I call this OUTPUT PORT MAPPING)

Unfortunately QSI calls FUNCTION KEY MAPPING: OUTPUT MAPPING in the manual. Too misleading!

This conflict has been handled in my updated 5.3.x manuals. No more referring to the original document.

How to customize your decoder, FUNCTION KEY mapping & more

The first thing that most people will want is the AUTOMATIC mappings of FEATURES, i.e. things that happen when the loco changes direction or stops.
Most of the lighting FEATURES (table in section 5.6.1) can be set to activate automatically when the loco is in reverse, forwards, or enters neutral.
These states are defined in section 1.5

In addition to mapping individual FEATURES, there also exists 3 "Automatic Lighting Groups" where multiple lighting FEATURES can be managed as a group.
Automatic Lighting Groups are is buried deep in the manual at section 5.7.28.

So, normal steps are:

1. Determine what other FEATURES are to be used, and map these to operate automatically (either individually or in a group) or not
2. put most, if not all "automatic" stuff in Multiple Automatic Lights #1, and also this is normally tied to the F0 function key also, so an overall "all lights on/off" is controllable.
3. then you would normally assign certain FEATURES to a physical OUTPUT PORT (a.k.a. LED1 through LEDx)
4. Optionally you would map a FEATURE to a FUNCTION KEY, things like cab lights, or perhaps a particular sound.

Note: FEATURES can include both lighting functions and sound functions.

In the end case, it's a very flexible system, but it does have some restrictions over other NMRA-TYPE mappings:

• when you want to mix automatic functions and also control/override with a function key.
• when you want to control some things automatically in a Automatic Lighting Group (the only groupings available) that is not allowed in the group
• There are some other restrictions on what FEATURES can be mapped to FUNCTION KEYS
• There are some other restrictions on what FEATURES are available in all "motion modes", i.e. moving or in neutral.

Can we get started now?

So the first thing is to look at all the FEATURES at your disposal. Again updated list of FEATURES is in section 5.6.1

Notice the directional states available, and the comments. It's quite a list, and my list is much more complete that the published one.

Notes on FEATURES:

• List of FEATURE ID numbers is section 5.6.1
• In the original document, not all FEATURES were in the original table, some more "sprinkled" through other QSI documents, often the user guide packaged with the decoder.
• notice that some automatic FEATURES also have an explicit "override" FEATURE too. Look at the first one: Headlight in automatic mode is FEATURE 70, but there is FEATURE 71 that can override it to allow the user to force it on and off.
• Note that the firebox flicker FEATURE 122 can be used to modulate a smoke unit fan to sync it in time with chuffs (look at the specific page on this site on how to set this up)
• Note FEATURE numbers are NOT the same as the Individual Sound Identifiers (section 5.5.1). The latter are used for setting individual volumes.
  

Notes on Automatic FEATURES:

• some features can also be automatic, i.e. will be controlled by directional state.
• also most of these automatic functions can be additionally explicitly be turned on and off

Notes on initial state control

Notes on FEATURES, specific to Multiple Automatic Lights groups

• Notice that the 3 different Multiple Automatic Lights groups, they each have a feature code (see table 5.6.1)
• Their feature codes are 136, 137, 138, details start in section 5.7.28
• Each group has a restricted list of possible features, i.e. cannot have all lighting functions possible, it's easiest to see which functions are possible in CVManager, or by looking them up directly in section 5.7.28.
• here's the features in Automatic lights #2 (#1 is usually for normal lights, and #3 is often already in use)
  • 96 - rear ohbl
  • 92 - ohbl
  • 88 - rear ditch lights
  • 84 - ditch lights
  • 80 - rear mars
  • 76 - mars
  • 73 - reverse light
  • 70 - headlight
  • 113 - step lights
  • 109 - truck lights
  • 106 - rear marker lights
  • 104 - front marker lights
  • 102 - rear number board lights
  • 100 - front number board lights
  • engine room 2 light
  • engine room light
  • 122 - firebox
  • 118 - rear cab lights
  • 116 - front cab lights

So for my GP60 project, I want a single function key to turn the fan and heater on and off,

therefore I need these 2 features to be in a group (so far so good)

but the 3 groups are only automatic, no way to turn the GROUP on and off with a singly function ke

therefore I need independent functions to at least turn both the fan and heater off...

I could perhaps turn the fan and heater on with an automatic group, as long as the 2 features in that group each have explicit on and off.

I also might be able to do something with initial state, perhaps turn both off for safety? or perhaps turn both on? (probably not a good idea, since turning on automatically without fluid is bad)

idea: what if I use rear ditch lights? might be able to turn the strobe off?

make the fan left rear ditch light, make heater right rear ditch light

bit 0 - 0 - no automatic ditch lights

bit 1 = 1 - explicit on off of ditch lights

bit 2 = 0 - don't dim ditch lights

bit 3 = 0 - don't strobe ditch lights (both on all the time

bit 4 0, no strobe with horn

bit 5 =0, no strobe with bell

bit 7 = 0, don't turn ditch lights off if the headlight goes off or dim

initial star

These are FEATURES that actually can be GROUPS of individual FEATURES.

It seems that groups 1 and 3 are often default, group 1 is to control the normally expected lights, group 3 is unusual in that it has the rear mars light, which I think may have been to turn smoke on and off... we'll see.

Notes on OUTPUT PORTS:

• OUTPUT PORT MAPPING is in section 7.1 (CV 115.PI.SI)
  
• not all CV115 FEATURE to PORT MAPPING was in the original table, I have updated the table in section 7.1 (CV 115.PI.SI)
• Port 12 seems to have a heavy duty transistor on it, so you can directly drive over an amp to run a smoke heating element directly.
• I'll add more limitations on current for the 12 ports (LS Titan)
• Note since, like all decoders, these PORTS are open collector, you can either use the on board 5v supply or the rectified track voltage, or even a separate supply (just make sure you connect it's ground to the decoder ground.
• You can see what physical connections are mapped to which ports on the pictures in the basic pages.

Notes on FUNCTION KEYs:

• FUNCTION KEY MAPPING is in section 5.6 (CV 53.PI.SI)
  
• Once I realized that in the software "output" numbers in the documentation are actually 2 added to the function key number, I was off exploring. (outputs 1 and 2 are FL(f) and FL(r) or as many people are used to, F0 for front and F0 for rear. (FUNCTION KEY mapping is in section 5.6)

Example:

• So, your F1 function is on output/index 3 (1+2=3), and F28 is output/index 30
• Note each "CV53" has 2 settings, one for when it is in FWD or REV, and the other for Neutral (NFF and NFR)
• So the primary index (cv49) is 1 through 30 for FUNCTION KEYS 0 through 28
• The secondary index (CV50) is either 0 or 1, 0 for fwd/rev, and 1 for neutral
• (the data below is from my GP60 project) (remember this is a diesel) and will be updated as I customize it.
• (pi = primary index, CV49, si = secondary index, CV50, per standard QSI notation)

So off to my example of programming form my GP60

The table below shows the FUNCTION KEY mapping to FEATURES in my GP60

Notes on my specific implementation:

• I noticed a lot of function keys are mapped to the short air let-off, instead of FEATURE ID 0, I guess that might help prove you pushed the key? I'd prefer to map them to FEATURE ID 0.
• may change grade crossing to work when stopped, fun to demo.
• if I want to enable fan and heater, maybe I should use multiple automatic lights group 2, need to look at why group 3 exists

Also mention the 2 CVs for Initial state of some misc lights, sections 5.7.26, 5.7.27

Examples for my GP60 project

So the following table shows what FEATURES are mapped to what PORTS

I've made a table for my own use here on the specific mappings for my GP60 project

 so all ports: 1-12 are indeed mapped in my GP60 with a LS Titan

double check table

1. use rear number board lights for fan
2. use port 7 for rear number board lights (115.102.0 = 7)
3. assign rear number board lights to multiple lights #3 (55.138.1 ??)
4. use rear cab light for heater
5. use port 12 for rear cab light ( 1156.118.0 = 12)
6. assign rear cab light to multiple lights #3 (55.138.2  ??)
7. assign function 12 to multiple lights #3 moving and neutral (53.14.0 & 53.14.1 = 138)
8. modify rear number board lights to no automatic control initial state off (55.102.0=0)
9. now you use feature 103 for explicit control..
10. can you put a feature in some group?
11. modify rear cab light to no automatic control initial state off (55.118.0)
12. tweak brightness on rear cab light to not overheat heater

 use mult lights 3 to control fan and heater

put rear number board lights and rear cab light group 3, use F12 to toggle

rear number board lights are on port 7, (J3 pin3, fan)

rear cab light on port 12, (j1-8 heater)

the fan common will use the 5v supply, and I'll need to figure the heater, it likes about 9 volts, and maybe I should use the dimming function