Quantum Programmer Review
By Paul Turvill
General
The long awaited Quantum Programmer from QSI Solutions is here, and for anyone having a stable of QSI-equipped locomotives, it should prove to be a very useful—if not essential—tool. The Quantum Programmer (QP) ships with its own “wall-wart” power supply, a USB cable, a terminal block for connecting it to your programming track, and two software applications, Quantum CVManager and Q1Upgrade.
Q1Upgrade is used to install new downloaded firmware versions into any QSI decoder equipped with a firmware chip that is Version 7 or higher. Quantum CVManager, as its name implies, provides a competent set of utilities for programming decoders (including non-QSI models), in either Service Mode or Operations Mode, all on any length of electrically isolated track.
Installation
The Quantum Programmer is a standalone USB device that installs between your computer and a “programming track,” which is simply any length of track that is electrically isolated from any other power sources, much the same as the programming tracks recommended for use with major brands of DCC equipment. The physical installation is as simple as connecting a USB cable from your computer to the Quantum Programmer, and a pair of wires from the terminal strip provided on the QP to the rails of your programming track.
The software applications are installed by simply double-clicking the installation files in the appropriate Windows drive or folder. By default, Quantum CVManager and Q1Upgrade install in their own subfolders in the Program Files folder of Windows, and desktop icons are automatically created. The required drivers for the USB port are also automatically installed, and my Windows XP installation found and enabled the drivers without difficulty. Earlier versions of Windows may require additional steps to ensure that the USB drivers are working correctly. *There is literature included with the Quantum Programmer Bundle that walks you through the additional steps mentioned above. Important note : QSI Programmer is not compatible with Windows 98 or earlier versions.
Using QuantumCVManager
Starting with several models from Broadway Limited Imports (BLI) and the Walthers/Life-Like Proto 2000 series (P2K), along with a handful of Version 7 firmware chips from QSI Solutions, I hooked up the QP to a length of flex track and set about running it through its paces.
First, since all of my Version 6 models had been speed profiled and optimized for running with Railroad & Co.’s TrainController software, I started QCVM and used its Retrieve function to read back and save my CV settings to files—one file for each locomotive. This is done by first opening a new file from the menu, and selecting the appropriate model from the list that’s built into QCVM, and finally, selecting the “All CVs” option from the dropdown menu at the top of the screen, and clicking the Retrieve button. When dealing with Version 6 firmware, it became evident that QCVM’s main purpose is dealing with Version 7 firmware, as there are a number of CVs listed in the hard-coded profiles that aren’t available in Version 6 chips. Nonetheless, the retrieval and save operations went without any serious hitches. QCVM simply skips over any non-existent CVs and goes on to the next in line.
With my current Version 6 settings all saved, the next chore was to replace the Version 6 chips with new Version 7 ones. For the most part this is a straightforward operation: remove the diesel shell or tender body, pop out the old chip with an appropriate tool (under $10 from QSI Solutions; also available at a variety of prices from other sources), and carefully orienting and pressing the new chip into place. On most models, the chip socket is right on top and easily accessible without further disassembly; on a few, notably the BLI SW/NW and GG1 models, the chip is mounted on the “underside” of the decoder board, and requires the removal of a couple of screws to get to it.
After swapping the chips, and before reassembling the shells, I test ran each loco at the default address of 03 to ensure that my handiwork was successful.
With Version 7 chips successfully installed, the next job was to start QCVM again, and with each loco on the programming track in turn, to open the previously saved loco files and program the CV values saved from the Version 6 firmware. One variant that’s available here is to use QCVM’s Verify option rather than the Program option; this yields a popup window showing the differences between the file (“Doc”) and the values currently in the various CVs (“Decoder”). Then the user can select any of the values in the popup window and either merge the selected values from the file to the decoder (“DocDecoder” option) or from the decoder to the file (“DocDecoder”). This method is useful in a number of situations, for example, transferring speed table data from one loco to another while leaving other settings unchanged.
In general, I found that the defaults for most of the “V.7-only” CVs were good starting points, especially those for BEMF and “PID” settings. QSI Solutions has customized the defaults to approximate the requirements of each of the listed models.
After programming each Version 7 chip with my chosen values, I saved the file, using each loco’s road number for the Save As file name.
Every one of my upgraded units ran beautifully after the upgrade, the most dramatic change being the vastly improved slow-speed performance provided by Regulated Throttle Control (RTC), the premier feature of Version 7 firmware.
Q1aUpgrade
During the time I was busy upgrading my roster to new chips, a number of updated firmware files appeared on the QSI Solutions Web site. This gave me a splendid opportunity to try out the Q1aUpgrade application.
My first effort was a pair of BLI E7s, equipped with Mars lights and potentiometers for master volume control. I selected the correct set of downloads based on the descriptions on the site, extracted them from their ZIP files, and placed them in a Q1aU subfolder.
With the first E7 on the programming track, I proceeded through the mostly intuitive steps on the opening (and only) Q1aU screen: (1) get the firmware information from the loco, (2) open an appropriate firmware (*.q1a) file, (3) check the file’s compatibility with the loco, (3) optionally, listen to the various new sounds on the computer’s audio system, (4) run a Confidence Test, and (5) write the new firmware to the chip. Technically, step (4) is also optional, but it’s a good idea to take the time to do it, because any interruption in data flow due to dirty rails or wheels, or a bad connection can render a chip unusable during the reprogramming process.
The final step, writing the new firmware to the chip takes several minutes, and there is a constantly updated progress bar on the screen while it is happening. I found the upgrade process fairly easy and relatively painless. In more than a dozen upgrades, I have yet to experience a failure.
Naturally, after receiving new firmware, each locomotive is once again set to factory defaults, including being set to the basic address of 03. At this point, you’ll be happy to have those saved QCVM files of the settings from the previous firmware version. There’s no need to even remove the loco from the programming track between upgrading the firmware and reprogramming your custom settings. I just closed Q1aU, then started QCVM, opened the appropriate loco file, selected “All CVs” and clicked the Program button.
Mission accomplished. But—
Revisiting QuantumCVManager
You may want to check the various settings available for your new firmware using the latest version of QCVM. For example, I found to my delight, that QSI Solutions have chosen to add incremental updates to the software as new features become available in the hardware and firmware. For example, there’s now a CV51.5, undocumented at this writing, which allows the user to set a timeout period after which the locomotive’s sounds will be automatically muted if it remains inactive. A value of 0 disables the feature, while a non-zero value represents the number of “tens of seconds” after which the unit will be muted (e.g., a value of 3 equals 30 seconds, etc.).
More Nifty Features
One of the more intriguing things QSI Solutions has done is to provide a “Universal” version of both the Version 7 chip and downloadable firmware. This Universal chip will fit any QSI decoder, and will accept the contents of any firmware file. Conversely, any Version 7 chip will accept the Universal firmware (from file 999-0v7-18-4s.q1a), which will in turn allow it to accept another firmware file.
A word of warning before moving on: QSI Solutions advises that there is a significant difference between chips originally loaded with firmware for locos with volume adjustment potentiometers (“pot”) and those with magnetic reed switches (“reed”). Attempting to convert a “pot” chip to a “reed” chip or vice versa using the following procedure could result in an unusable chip, which would have to go back to QSI Solutions for reprogramming. If you decide to convert a chip from one model to another, be sure that both models are of the same type, either “pot” or “reed.”
Somehow, I ended up with a spare Version 7 chip for a BLI Heavy Mikado, and no chips for my U28Bs, although the firmware file for the U28B was on the Web site. With high hopes, I installed the Mikado chip in the U28B, put it on the programming track and started Q1aUpgrade. After reading in the loco data and loading the U28B file, the compatibility check, of course, said the computerese equivalent of “Nothing doing.”
So I loaded file 999-0v7-18-4s.q1a and re-ran the compatibility check, and passed. With rising hopes, I went through the rest of the process, converting the former Mikado chip in my U28B to a Universal one. When this process completed without problems, I then re-read the loco data (Universal), loaded the U28B file, and re-ran the compatibility check. Again, it passed. One more pass through the Update process (success!), and I now had an U28B complete with Version 7 firmware. Back once again to QCVM, and I had the latest RTC-enabled U28B!
*Note: The universal upgrade chip is not a guaranteed way to get any software into any locomotive. Attempting to put reed switch software into a locomotive with a potentiometer or vice versa may result in unpredictable operational characteristics.
Quantum Programmer with Non-QSI Decoders
The Q1aUpgrade application, of course, is of no use with makes of decoders other than QSI. However, Quantum CVManager does include an “Other Decoder” option which allows access to all of the CVs specified in NMRA standards, and a number of other “manufacturer specific” CVs as well.
Further, since the Quantum Programmer and QCVM permit programming in either Service or Operations Mode on the same track, it could become a very useful tool with both QSI and other makes of decoders for such operations as speed matching and real-time “tweaking” of BEMF settings and other performance-related CVs.
While I was unable to read back CV values from any make of mobile decoder other than QSI, I found that I could program every make of decoder I tried without difficulty. Since performance-related feedback during Operations Mode programming is usually visual (as in watching the effect on movement as CVs are adjusted, or listening to changes in sound volume), the lack of read back function can probably be considered a minor inconvenience, rather than a major setback.
