Product Review ESU LokProgrammer
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ค. 2024
- The ESU LokProgrammer is a device that allows LokSound decoders to be programmed with a PC (or Mac with PC emulation). Programming DCC decoders can be complex, and the LokProgrammer software makes it easier and more intuitive. The LokProgrammer works with ESU LokSound and LokPilot decoders for all model train scales. Dan evaluates the device's packaging, gives an overview of what it does, shows how to set up the hardware, and explains many features of the software. If you have ESU LokSound decoders this is definitely a worthwhile investment!
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Thanks for the review! Glad to discover that I can run the Lok Programmer from my Macbook Pro. I also like how your videos are quick and contain a lot of good information, and I can go back and pause if I need to listen more closely to what you are saying. Thanks again!
I'm glad you like the videos. I'm glad there are applications like Parallels Desktop, because it doesn't seem like ESU is going to put out a Mac version anytime soon. Thanks for watching!
Wow! I'm brand new to LokSound decoders and this helps me out A LOT! Very informative and well done. Thank you very much for the well detailed review!
You're welcome. I'm glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching!
I am a newbie when it comes to programming or changing CV levels. You covered a lot of info in a short period of time but I will save your review and view over again I am sure. Thanks for the thorough review!
I'm glad you found the video helpful! Thanks for watching!
I feel the cable issue needed either a deeper investigation, or more points off. Since you had a replacement cable, it was easy to fix. For those of us that don't have one, either a note "this driver worked" or "the cable was truly bad, and I needed to get a replacement". A driver issue probably would be worth just a 5-point deduction (at most), but a bad cable I think is a 10-15pt reduction. Aside: I a little surprised they haven't gone to the USB-printer style cable and still have a serial end.
You have a point. Sometimes my own production schedule doesn't allow for as much time as I'd like to dig deeper into weird issues like this. It would be great if they would just use USB like the rest of the world. Thanks for watching!
First do not use MAC unless it is a SD80 or 90 lol, Thanks for the informative video. Best programmer i have ever used.
It's a good product. Thanks for watching!
Great tool!! I was able to modify bad settings from a used engine I bought which had an older locksound version of 3.5 and I am starting to standardizing all my engines functions between manifacturers
Standardizing is a great idea, especially when you have more than a handful of locomotives. I've created my own set of standards for my equipment. Eventually when I have my layout running I want to print out some cheat sheets that tell people which buttons do what, and have all the locomotives work the same way. Thanks for watching!
Great review Dan! This is something I might consider getting and start getting into programming sounder decoders.
It's a worthwhile tool if you have a lot of ESU equipped models. Thanks for watching!
Great video, definitely getting the ESU Lokprogrammer for Christmas.
I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi I definitely will
Great video! Love the voice over nice and relaxing to listen.
I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!
another great review Dan, Thanks for sharing. Rob
Thanks for watching!
Very interesting review Dan. Thanks
Thanks for watching!
Great review!
Thanks for watching!
Great info Dan. Thanks
I'm glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching!
You should do a segment on
your G Scale set up Dan!!!
Great video as always!!!
I will when I start building it. Right now I just have equipment. I have plenty of space outside where I live now, but it's a matter of finding the time to do it. I want to get the indoor train room finished first. Thanks for watching!
Glad to see you are back. I subscribed
Catching up on comments... Thank you!
Good review. I bought an ESU LokProgrammer from ScaleTrains before they went out of stock. What with the chip shortage, it might be a while to restock some of these items. I figured since my stable of LokSound equipped engines is growing, I better have one of these!
It's definitely worth having if you have more than a few LokSound equipped models. I'm glad you were able to get one. Thanks for watching!
Dan I appreciate your review and explanation on this programmer. I have several scaletrains locos now and using 2,5,6 is just ok. takes too long and only gets you so close. Ive noticed that JMRI does not work with ESU decoders. so I have decided, partly based on your review, to get a LokProgrammer
thanks, David
I'm glad you found the review helpful. I wasn't aware of the JMRI issue, but I haven't used that software (yet). Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi it’s possible that I just am not doing something right with jmri and esu 🤷🏻♂️
An in depth how to edit sound files inside the programmer software would be most welcome Dan. As you state this is a complex piece to work with.
That's a good idea, though I would have to bone up on that myself. Thus far I've only downloaded pre-made sound files. I'll add it to the list for the future. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi just doing the basic upgrade itself has educational value imho.
Good choice with the screw terminals
They make connecting wires easier, for sure. Thanks for watching!
nice review
There is a adapter chip inside the cable, maybe the newer cable uses a different chip than the old one and so needs a different driver to work.
That's possible. I kind of wish ESU would just use a simple USB cable. Thanks for watching!
I was expecting a prototype accuracy for this, guess it scored so high you didn’t need to include it lol. Great review!
Haha... yes, well, it kind of IS the prototype. Thanks for watching!
thank you for this video
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
Greetings Daniel. Thanks for the videos . I’ve enjoyed your channel since finding it a few months ago. Your wife has been a lovely addition. My wife also models with me. A question on the programmer in this video, does it program only esu decoders or can you program other brands as well? Thanks, Kent
The LokProgrammer is meant for ESU decoders. At least one person commented that it can work at least to some degree with other brands, but I haven't tried that myself. Thanks for watching!
Great review Dan, one question I have for this ESU Lokprogramer does it talk to other manufacturer decoders
It's meant for ESU decoders. I haven't really tried using it with other brands. Thanks for watching!
It's a little expensive, but if you have more than 5 Loksound decoders, it's worth it just for the upgrade factor of your existing decoders !!
I think it's well worth it, but I have been using Loksound exclusively for years now and have quite a few engines with Loksound installed. I really like how the decoders are software upgradeable. If they put out a sound set that's better or more appropriate for your model, you can change it without having to rip everything apart. Thanks for watching!
thank you getail video set up ESU LOKPROGRAMMER UNIT
Thanks for watching!
Did you check the couplers on the Lokprogrammer with the coupler height gauge?
Haha. Thanks for watching!
I would really like to use one of these for a couple locomotives of mine. I'm an NKP steam guy and I have a pair of brass models of their L1 class Hudsons as well as a pair of Proto Heritage Berkshires. Once I get one of the Hudsons running on dcc, I have a recording of nkp 175's whistle I'm wanting to sample and upload into a decoder and similarly, to keep some variations of sound that are still accurate to prototype, I would like to sample nkp 757's whistle from 760 from the Berkshires at Bellevue event, most notably the last of 757's whistle blasts when she had finally gotten her voice warmed up. That sound will go to my model of 776 while 765 can recieve any decoder with her whistle in it but it would be interesting to program a decoder specifically for nkp 765 with the sounds of her air compressors and injector as standing next to her while she's being serviced, the usual sounds in a decoder are absolutely nothing like the real deal.
I have not yet delved into creating my own sound projects, but it is something that you can do with the Lokprogrammer unit and the software. That's one of the cool capabilities of the ESU decoders. Good luck with your sound projects and thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi
I've also heard about JMRI and its capabilities. Do you know if JMRI can do the same as LokProgramer? I've heard DecoderPro can upload different sound packages in decoders but I wasn't sure JMRI is more like a universal LokProgramer. It's just that in my eyes, I don't see the price tag of the LokProgramer hardware unless I put ESU decoders in everything I own.
Hello, great video, thanks a lot. I try to run my lokprogrammer on my 2017 MacBook and I have an issue with the COM3 USB port, which is not recognized as a "true" USB port, so there is no way to run correctly the lokprogrammer. What is the exact FTDI driver you downloaded to make it running? Thanks for your help.
I'm glad you liked the video. It's been so long since I set up my MacBook that I don't remember what driver I installed. I think it was from the FTDI website. It would be nice if ESU would update the LokProgrammer to use a USB port. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the great review. I would have subtracted an additional five points, maybe even ten, for the use of a serial port. I know that the transfer speed between the programmer and loco/decoder may not warrant a faster connection, but seriously, a serial port? ESU can and should do better than that, especially considering we're now into the third decade of the twenty-first century and USB type-A has been available since the mid-1990s. Plus, have you seen what ESU is charging for a replacement cable? Maybe the reason why they used a serial port is because they know that if anyone needs a replacement, they'll have to buy it from them. After all, who actually has a serial cable any more?
I agree that the use of a serial cable seems very antiquated. USB is used almost everywhere these days and it seems like it would make more sense to just use that. I hope that they'll redesign the unit eventually and go in that direction. Thanks for watching!
Thank you. Is there any functional or performance difference between old and new LokProgrammer versions?
I don't think so. I didn't notice a difference when I tested it. I didn't try comparing read/write times though. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi Awesome. Thanks. All my trains, both US and Japanese are Kato Ho gauge. I found indirectly that Kato is working on their own sound decoder. So I am waiting for it. I think based on that I'll decide whether to purchase Lokprogrammer or not.
Can you show us how to save the LokSound V5 sound files from the decoder to a hard drive? There is a lot of people saying it can not be saved!
You might want to watch my SP Consist Build Episode 14 video, which is a recent one here on the channel. You most definitely can save your sound files and settings. I have a file saved for every LokSound equipped model I own. It's useful if a decoder needs to be reset, as not just the sounds, but all the other CV settings can be restored. Maybe what they're talking about is extracting the sound file from the decoder itself and saving that? I'm not sure about that one. I get my sound files from the LokSound website, load the sounds into my model, and then re-save it after I've finished programming all the lighting, function key assignments, etc. Thanks for watching!
hi I would like to know how I can program the decoder for timed output of a digital hook thanks.
I don't really know. It sounds like you want the decoder to turn one of the outputs on and off at a specific interval? I haven't ever tried anything like that. There's an ESU Loksound mailing list (loksound at groups.io) if you're not aware of it already. You might try asking there. Sorry I can't be more help with this one. Thanks for watching!
I have an esu built engine (31182) except the lokprogrammer can’t find It. It says “ lokprogrammer cannot recognize device” put the the virtual throttle works, but I can’t program her. Any ideas?
I am not that familiar with the locomotives ESU has produced. Do you happen to know what type of decoder is in it? I can only guess but it could be a software issue. For example, if you're using the LokProgrammer software for 4-series decoders to try to program a 5-series decoder, it might have issues. There are different versions of the LokProgrammer software. I don't know if that will help or not. I hope you can get it working. There's a Loksound email list on groups.io that you might want to join if you're not already on it. You could ask your question there. A lot of the people on the list seem to have good technical knowledge of the ESU decoders. Thanks for watching!
Question, if you have a Lokprogrammer for a windows laptop, does you have to have a USB adapter cables or no?
The Lokprogrammer has a cable with a USB connector on the end and an RS-232 connector on the other (the end that actually plugs into the Lokprogrammer box), so if your laptop doesn't have a USB port, you might need an adaptor. My Mac has USB-C ports so I use a USB to USB-C adaptor cable. I hope that answers your question. If you have a laptop with an RS-232 port you might be able to use a cable with those connectors, but I haven't tried that. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi oh ok
Do you need a LokProgammer to remap functions on ESU V5?
No, you can do it with CV programming. You'll need a DCC controller that's capable of addressing higher-numbered CVs. Some of the old Digitrax controllers could only go up to 256. It is a lot easier with a LokProgrammer, though. Thanks for watching!
Hi. Do you tutor online.
I have LGB G scale on all ESU Decoder.
Do you mean like a video call?
M2 chip OSX and Parallels simply doesn't work. FYI. USBC to Serial issues. Bummer.
That is a bummer. My Mac is a few years old and has an Intel chip. It would be really nice if ESU would put a USB port on these things, since literally almost everything else uses those. Thanks for watching!
If you are in the US purchase at your own risk. They block their website from US customers.
If you mean the LokSound / ESU website, I've never had any trouble accessing it, and I'm in the USA. Thanks for watching!
I can not download the file .FTE, what is wrong do you think?
I assume you're talking about downloading files from the ESU website? I'm not familiar with the .fte format. Most of the files I've downloaded are .esux (sound files) or .exe (apps or installers). The links on their site have always worked for me. They do make you scroll down through some legalese and click a download button for each file. I hope you find the files you need. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi My computers Window needed more updates that solved the problem😄
@Rune Ljungströmmer That's great! I'm glad you got it working.
Great post but $150.00 to program a ESU decoder Is absolutely ridiculous. Other decoders can be programed in JMRI for free. Soundtraxx decoders have multiple loco sounds built right into them and their new Blunomni will expand that ease with just using your phone to change CV's. ESU makes great decoders, but they are definitely not user friendly.
It makes sense to me to have the LokProgrammer because I have a huge fleet of locomotives and all of them have ESU decoders, so spreading the cost out per engine it's not that much. I believe that JMRI will work with ESU as well, maybe not for loading new sound sets, but for most other programming. I haven't tried it since I have the LokProgrammer. Thanks for watching!