SPROG II FAQ

Problem?

If you have a problem in using your SPROG II then please check the list of Frequently Asked Questions to see if you can resolve the problem. If you are still experiencing difficulties then please e-mail us using the Contact link on the left. If you are using DecoderPro then it is usually helpful to include a log of what you are trying to do. Open a DecoderPro command monitor (from the SPROG menu) log to a file and then try repeating the operation you were attempting, Send the log file to us.

If you are a new user then please ensure you have read the Getting Started Guide on the Download page (follow link on left)

Frequently Asked Questions

Section I - General Questions

Where can I buy SPROG II?
SPROG II is available direct from the UK SPROG II shop and from SPROG USA, Buy online

What are the differences between SPROG II and other DCC interface devices?
SPROG II is a stand-alone DCC decoder programmer and DCC controller. SPROG II does not provide an interface to other DCC controllers. Other DCC devices, such as Locobuffer, are designed to link the computer to an existing DCC system, and the DCC system then responds to computer-sourced commands.
For stand-alone programming, SPROG II provides a comprehensive programming solution that can be used in the layout room, or anywhere else. Also, for small layouts (needing under 1A total current), SPROG can be used to control the layout directly, without needing any additional DCC system hardware.

What software do I need to use SPROG II?
We recommend and supply DecoderPro. It is possible, but tedious, to use SPROG II with a terminal emulator. DecoderPro requires that you have Java installed on your system from Sun Microsystems; also included on the installation CD.

We strongly recommend you upgrade to the latest production version of DecoderPro; look at the online install pages.

How do I know what firmware version my SPROG II has?
In DecoderPro 2.2 and later, select the SPROG menu, and then Console; if you are using an older version of DecoderPro , open a command monitor window (from the SPROG II menu) with SPROG II connected. Open a Send Command window, and enter ?. Click the Send button (pressing Enter does nothing here). You should see the firmware version reported in the command monitor, e.g., "SPROG II Ver 1.5".

(We strongly recommend you upgrade to the latest production version, look at the online install pages)

Section II - Connecting SPROG II To Your Computer

What cable do I need to connect to SPROG II?
SPROG II is now only sold as a USB version. This is supplied with the appropriate USB cable.
Should your cable have been lost or damaged, you need a USB A to USB B cable. this is the same cable as used for most USB printers, and can be purchased from any electronics store, or from us.

Is there a Serial version of SPROG II?
SPROG II was also sold as a serial version, which is no longer available.
If you should have one, SPROG II is wired as a DCE and requires a 'straight through' cable, male to female for most PCs. Only the ground, Transmit data and receive data connections need to be present in the cable.

My SPROG II does not respond to the computer. What do I do?
This is probably the most common question.
SPROG waits for the computer to tell it what to do. Assuming all the installation process works well, plugging in the SPROG to the serial or USB port as appropriate will enable access. The Red light on SPROG will be steady, showing you have power to SPROG, but not yet to the track.
So, after all that, you would really like to know: -

which PORT has SPROG connected to it.
USB SPROGs use Virtual COMport drivers. On Windows machines, right click on "My Computer" then click Properties -> Hardware -> Device Manager. Click + next to "Ports (COM & LPT)" and note the COM port number assigned to SPROG.
If using DecoderPro, ensure this is selected in the DecoderPro preferences. More DecoderPro FAQs are below.
If you are still not connecting, it's time to use the default Windows HyperTerminal or similar serial communication program
In Windows, select Start Menu>All Programs>Accessories>Communications>HyperTerminal. Connect to COMn (The one indicated in Device Manager) (if asked, 9600 baud, others should be OK at defaults of 8 bit, No Parity, one stop, hardware flow control) press Enter, and you should get "P>" press ? then Enter and you should see "SPROG II Ver 1.5"
If not, then take a look in the Device Manager just in case the COM port got re-assigned. On my laptop, plugging the same SPROG into a different physical socket comes up with a different COM assignment.

Section III - Power Supply

What sort of power supply do I need for SPROG II?
A regulated power supply is required giving 12 - 15V DC. No NMRA conforming decoder should require more than 250mA during programming. Some decoders will draw more than this momentarily during power up and the ACK pulse generated by pulsing the motor could be more than this, depending upon the motor. We recommend a supply of at least 500mA, as available from this site. We also offer (as standard) a 1.25A supply for those higher power (especially sound) systems that take a higher inrush current.

Can I use my old DC throttle/transformer/controller as a power supply for SPROG II?
Probably not; in fact, please don't!. Many old DC powerpacks/throttles/transformers/controllers do not provide smooth DC and are unsuitable for use as a power supply for SPROG II. You may find that operation is erratic using such a unit as a power supply for SPROG II.

Section IV - Specific Decoder Problems

Which decoders has SPROG II been tested with?
Please consult the compatibility list.

What can I do if my decoder is not supported by DecoderPro?
More decoders are being added all the time. If you are familiar with XML (or wish to learn) then you could write your own definition file. More details on this procedure can be found on the JMRI webpages. Another tack is to ask on JMRIUSERS if anyone has already written the appropriate definition file.

To use new or updated decoder files:

Updated decoder files can be found in the Yahoo Groups files area, or in the a JMRI decoders repository

Download the file to your JMRI installation; default Windows installation will be at C:\Program Files\JMRI\xml\decoders. On a MAC OS X system the JMRI installations is under Applications. Download by right-click (Control-Click on Mac) on the file and selecting "Save As"; you do NOT want to read it in Explorer!

It is an xml file, and so will not read easily if you double-click it. To read it (which I recommend in general to see the author's comments), open WordPad or a similar plain text editor, and then find and open this file.

Having found the right file, and read the comments, it has to go into the right place (C:\Program Files\JMRI\xml\decoders unless you moved it) and then open DecoderPro, pick from the menu on the first screen Debug>Recreate Decoder Index then quit DecoderPro, restart and check the decoder list for the new type to be present.

Problems with ZTC decoders

ZTC decoders should now program correctly. Other makes of decoder will probably still respond but if you have problems, you can turn of ZTC compatibility mode using "Z 0".

Unfortunately, it has been found that, even with this fix, ZTC202 decoders do not work with SPROGII.

Problems with Digitrax decoders in direct mode
DecoderPro originally defaulted to paged mode programming when using SPROG. When this was changed to direct mode, a bug was uncovered in the SPROG II firmware which prevents Digitrax decoders being programmed in direct mode. To work around this bug, select paged mode programming in DecoderPro when programming digitrax decoders. This is fixed in version 1.4 firmware and later.

Will SPROG II work with Broadway Ltd sound equipped locos?
The short answer is yes, but the full answer is a little longer. These locos are notorious for the inrush current when they are powered up. SPROG II has been demonstrated to cope with this so long as the power supply is of sufficient capacity. If you see problems, you can also include a low value current limit resistor fitted in one of the programming track leads.

Section V - Using DecoderPro With SPROG II

How do I use DecoderPro with SPROG II?
To configure DecoderPro to work with SPROG II you must start DecoderPro and select SPROG II from the File|Preferences menu.
JMRI DecoderPro will look for a port to connect to. It will find from the system a list of actual and apparent ports, and will show that list in Preferences. You select the one that has SPROG connected to it, and save the Preferences; you will exit DecoderPro when prompted to save the preferences.
Start DecoderPro again and proceed as for any DCC decoder programming system.
Once Decoder Pro is running and the main menu screen appears, select Use Programming Track, and in the Service Mode Programmer window that appears, click IDENT. Now the Red light on SPROG will flash, indicating Track Power.
"Error talking to Command Station" messages mean the serial or USB cable does not connect, or your serial or USB port is still not set right.

Does SPROG II support the DecoderPro throttle?
Yes but you require SPROG II version 1.3 or later firmware for the function buttons to operate correctly. You turn the track power on and off using the Power Control under the tools menu, or by clicking the colored light in the top of the Throttle window. Any programming operation will always leave the track power turned off.

Function control should now work, explanation follows...

Back in the early days of SPROG there was a mismatch between the JMRI code for sending function control packets and what SPROG expects. The JMRI code sends the packet including the error check byte. SPROG then tries to add the error check byte resulting in the packet going to the track having one extra byte. Some decoders happily ignore the extra byte and just work, some decoders check the byte count and ignore the whole packet, some accept the packet and do strange things. Hence the confusion with some people saying it works, some seeing problems, it just depends which decoders you are using.
The command sequence given above disables the error check byte in SPROG and then writes the new mode to EEPROM so it will persist next time you turn on your SPROG.

Can SPROG II be used as a computer controlled command station/booster?
Yes, for small layouts, within the power capacity of SPROG II and the power supply. An upgrade to SPROG IIs firmware gives full computer controlled command station functionality, either for small layouts or larger layouts when used with an external booster. You need to have SPROG II firmware 1.3 or later, and DecoderPro 1.9.2 or later.

What does "Error timeout talking to Command Station" mean?

"Error talking to Command Station" messages mean the serial or USB cable does not connect, or your serial or USB port is still not set right.
This is often caused by a mismatch between the COM port selected in DecoderPro preferences (edit menu) and the COM port to which the SPROG is actually connected.

USB SPROGs use Virtual COMport drivers.
On Windows machines, right click on "My Computer" then click Properties -> Hardware -> Device Manager. Click + next to "Ports (COM & LPT)" and note the COM port number assigned to SPROG. Ensure this is selected in the DecoderPro preferences.

If this is showing the right PORT, but not getting DecoderPro to run, then we can look at the Config file and go from there.
On a MAC, run the application System Preferences and select Network (Go to > Applications > System Preferences > Network). You should see a port named tty.usbserial-xxxxxxxx (the xxxxxx often reads "feedcode").

Config File

DecoderPro stores the Preference settings in a file named DecoderProConfig2.xml, located on Windows in C:\Documents and Settings\\JMRI (unless you have deliberately moved it). On a MAC it is at -> Library -> Preferences ->JMRI.
This file sometimes gets confused, and it is totally safe to remove it; it will be recreated next time you open DecoderPro and you select preferences again.
If you are not connecting DecoderPro to the SPROG successfully, close DecoderPro, delete the DecoderProConfig2.xml file, and then start DecoderPro again.
You should now be prompted to select Preferences again. If not, the file you deleted is not the one DecoderPro is trying to use; search for any other files with this name and delete all of them!

Section VI - Using SPROG II with sound decoders

• Can I use SPROG II to program new sounds into my sound decoder?
• Will SPROG II work with Broadway Ltd sound equipped locos?
• Will SPROG II work with BLI Blueline decoders?
• Will SPROG II work with QSI decoders?
• What about other sound decoders?