MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

The MiniDCC© Station is designed to control

• 4 Locos simultanously,
• 99 turnouts and
• 26 routes
in several DCC compliant operation and programming modes

for MiniDCC© Station Firmware 301e

User Manual / abstract and MiniDCC© Application Rel. 4.2.0.2
MiniDCC© Station - stand alone features
Control elements / start sequence
Operation Mode
Service Mode
Setup
MiniDCC© Application - features with a dedicated PC
Setup and Version Update
MiniDCC© Station Firmware upgrade
Turnout Save / Load, Decoder, Encoder
CV Programming
Link to control basic function of 4 locos
Admin
MiniDCC© Station - Hardware
Schematics
Parts Lists
PCBs
Hardware aspects

MiniDCC© Station and MiniDCC© Application

developed by Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada - www.miniDCC.com
© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 1 of 48
MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

MiniDCC© Station - stand alone features

Control elements Switch to switch off

the main track while
CV# programming
(optional)

2 push-buttons for
Emergency Stop and
Mode Selection

4 x 4 Keypad
(note on page 39)

4 Pots for speed setting

(in B/A or T/A mode)

The placement of control elements can vary,

depending of enclosure and personal preferences.

Start Sequence MiniDCC Station

Derosoft (c)
www.minidcc.com actual
0,5 sec Firmware-
Version 301a
Release
MiniDCC Station
Loc 003x 004x 005x 006x
Fun -----------------
Spd 000 000 000 000

Start in Operation Mode

(e.g. in 4x20 display mode )

All following pictures / instructions

are figured out in 4 x 20 display mode

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 2 of 48

MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Operation Mode

Loc 4
MiniDCC Station
Loc 3
Loc 003x 004x 005x 006x
Loc 2 Fun -----------------
Spd 000 000 000 000
Loc 1
Driection change (toggle)

Front-Light on/off (toggle)

Locos in Bot or B/A Mode

Loc 003x 004x 005x 006x

| |
| F0 Front-Light x/-
Function selection

Emergency Stop

Loc-DCC-Address
Speed decrease
Speed increase

Fun ----------------
| | | |
F1 F4 .... F1 F4

Spd 000 000 000 000

| |
| Direction /
Speed

After Setup in Bottom/A (B/A) or Top/A (T/A) mode (x/A = analog by pots):
Speed setting of locos
via pots only - corresponding columns of keypad are deactivated
after Startup or Emergency Stop from speed “0” only

Direction change is accepted after the loco is on speed “0” only

F0 front light can be switched on/off (toggle) at any time in operation mode

The red pushbutton activates the emergency stop function.

The word Emergency Stop appears on the screen (Details on next page).
The black pushbutton activates various operation and programming modes
Fun The control of functions F1 .. F4 is possible after change into function mode

Key X [x] depending on actual keyboard layout - details on page 40

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Function Control Modes - Overview

Emergency Stop Programming

Modes
1x + 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x
MiniDCC Station
Loc 003x 004x 005x 006x
1x Station Address, speed steps
Fun -----------------
Emergency Stop ! 2x CV Programming
3x Turnout Programming
On Emergency Stop, all speeds are 4x Setup
reduced to zero and all locos are 5x PC interfacing
brought to an immediate stop.
6x Rotary knob preset
The direction of travel and the status
7x Return to Operation Mode
of the headlamps remains as they
were before the stop.
The system reverts to operating mode
MiniDCC Station
after about 2 seconds. There is no Statn #1 #2 #3 #4
need to press the Stop button again. Addr 000 000 000 000
If PwSafe is On – power is removed
from track as well – Pressing Mode or
Emergency again resets power back. MiniDCC Station
To restart travelling, all speed settings Service Mode Pag/Reg
must start at “0”. CV:001 Va:000 001-00

Function Control MiniDCC Station

Turnout Control Mode
1x Turnout Sequence Playback
Rec. Route A 01 00|
2x F1 - F4 Function Control
247 Steps left
3x Return to Operation Mode

MiniDCC Station Disp Kbd TnDelay

Turnout Control Mode 20x4 B/A 50x40ms
Play Route A 01 00|
Data PwSafe Link
Save Off Off
Function Control Mode
Loc 003x 004x 005x 006x
Fun ----------------- aD1 aD2 aD3 aD4
On On Off Off

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 4 of 48

MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Turnout Control Mode 1x

Sequence
Turnout |/
A Z
Z A MiniDCC Station
Turnout Control Mode
Turnout Play Route A 01 00|
1 99 99 1

Play Route A 01 00|

| | | | |
| | | | Status “|” or “/”
| | | DCC Turnout Number 0..99
| | Step of Play-List 0..99
| Play-List A ..Z (26)
Turnout Sequencing playback

Turnout Sequencing playback mode

To <Play Back> a recorded sequence,
1) select the desired route (A .. Z) with Keys B [E] “A Z” and C [D] “Z A” and
2) press key A [F] to start the play back sequence.
3) The signal will be sent along without disturbing the continuous speed and direction data.

Review a turnout sequence,

1) first select the desired route with Keys B [E] “A Z” and C [D] “Z A” and
2) then use Keys [A] and # [B] to increment or decrement the sequence
within that particular route.
(Of course, this feature will only work once a sequence as been recorded).
Non-recorded routes will display a value of 00 and remain at sequence 01.
Individual Turnout Control
To test an individual turnout,
1) enter a value between 00 and 99 using the appropriate key and
2) press key D [C] to send the DCC signal for that turnout.
The vertical bar will change to a forward slash to show a thrown turnout.
Pressing key A [F] will toggle and repeatedly move the switch.
The value entered will not disturb the sequence shown
as these can only be changed in the Record mode.

Key X [x] depending on actual keyboard layout - details on page 40

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 5 of 48
MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

F1 - F4 Function Control 2x

for all 4 Locos

Loc 4

Loc 3

Loc 2

Loc 1

MiniDCC Station
F1 on / off

F2 on / off

F3 on / off

F4 on / off

Loc 003x 004x 005x 006x

Fun xx-----------xx--
Spd 000 000 000 000

Loc 003x 004- 005x 006- (not changeable)

Fun xx----------XX-- -=off / x=on (toggle)

Spd 0000000000000000 (not changeable)

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 6 of 48

MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Station Address Programming 1x + 1x

for all 4 Locos

Loc 4

Loc 3

Loc 2

Loc 1
MiniDCC Station
Statn #1 #2 #3 #4
Speed Steps 14, 28, 128
DCC-Address decrease
DCC-Address increase

Addr 003 004 005 006

Statn #1 #2 #3 #4
|
Loco-Number
----

Addr >000>000 000<000

| |
| DCC-Address 00 .. 127
Speed Steps 14,28,128
<=14, =28, >=128 (toogle)

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

CV Programming 1x + 2x

for a single Loco only

e.g. on programming track !

Value

CV MiniDCC Station
Service Mode Pag/Reg
/ 8: CV / Value decrease

CV:001 Va:000 001-00

[A] / 7: CV / Value increase

# [B],9,6,3: CV programming

CV:001 Va:000 001-00

| | | |
| | | Data-Reg.#
| | Paging-Reg. #
| Value 000..255
CV 000..999
-----

(001 = DCC-Address)
0

CV Programming ( after selection of CV number and of CV value “Va” )

using 3, 6 and 9 do require that you confirm by pressing the # [B] key
3 uses the newer Extended protocol but again is limited to newer decoders only
6 uses the other protocol allowing all CVs to be programmed but may not be
recognized by all decoders
9 uses the more common Page/Register NMRA protocol which most old or new
decoders understand
# [B] confirmation of CV programming to prevent sending an unwanted signal to a CV
inadvertently when playing around with the keypad
(# isn’t the synonym for “number”, but for the real # key resp. [B] !!)
The « Match / Fail » message will show correctly only if the decoder returns the feedback
by energizing the motor a few milliseconds – if the decoder does not respond, you will get
a “false” even if it has programmed correctly.

Key X [x] depending on actual keyboard layout - details on page 40

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

CV checking / reading 1x + 2x

for a single Loco only

e.g. on programming track !

Value

CV
/ 8: CV / Value decrease
[A] / 7: CV / Value increase

MiniDCC Station
Service Mode Pag/Reg
CV checking / reading

CV:001 Va:000 001-00

CV:001 Va:000 001-00

| | | |
| | | Data-Reg.#
-----
0

| | Paging-Reg. #
| Value 000..255
CV 000..999
(001 = DCC-Address

CV checking / reading ( after selection of CV number and of CV value “Va” )

using A, B, C, and D [F, E, D and C]
A [F] The A [F] key uses the advance protocol to scan and identify the CV values.
It is much quicker but not supported by older decoder.
B [E] The B [E] key does the same thing but using the advanced protocol to do so
If the decoder does not support the advanced mode, then you will get a “false”
even if the CV is programmed correctly.
C [D] The C [D] key start the scan from 0 to 255 for a given CV number using the
slower Page/Register protocol.
D [C] The D [C] key validates the display combination of CV no. And CV value using
the more common Page/Register protocol – it does not reprogram but validates
what is on the display.

Key X [x] depending on actual keyboard layout - details on page 40

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Turnout / route programming 1x + 3x

Turnout |/
A Z MiniDCC Station
Turnout Control Mode
Z A Rec. Route A 01 00|
247 Steps left
Save
1 99 99 1
Rec. Route A 01 00|
| | | | |
| | | | Status “|” or “/”
| | | DCC Tournout Number 0..99
| | Step of Play-List 0..99
| Play-List A ..Z (26)
Recording of a Play-List
247 Remaining Memory for Route Definitions
Recording
1) Once a route (A .. Z) is selected (Keys B [E] “A Z” and C [D] “Z A”),
2) enter the turnout ID using the keyboard (Keys 0 .. 9)
3) then press key A [F] if you want the switch thrown (toggle)
(watch the | and / sign on the display indicating straight or thrown)
The DCC signal is also sent to the track so you can observe the turnout behaviour.
4) To record the data, press Key D [C]; the sequence number will increment to 02,
5) ready for the next turnout ID, like 2), or
6) Pressing Key [A] and # [B] allows to review the route sequence.
7) When satisfied, just revert to the operating mode
(the data are stored) and play back the route(s) as required.
Re-programming a sequence
To change the status of a turnout or the turnout ID in a sequence,
1) just select the route (Keys B [E] “A Z” and C [D] “Z A”), and the
2) sequence number (Keys 0 .. 9) and
3) enter the new route and status (Key A [F] for “|” or “/”) using the keyboard and
4) pressing Key D [C]; this will overwrite the existing ID and status.
Eraseing a sequence
To remove a turnout ID from the sequence,
1) select the proper route (Keys B [E] “A Z” and C [D] “Z A”),
2) along with the ID (Keys [A] and # [B] ) to be removed and
3) enter a value of <00>,
4) then press Key D [C] to record the data.
This will remove the ID from the slot and re-sequence
all the other Ids as well as recover the memory for future data.
© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 10 of 44
MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Setup 1x + 4x

D [F]: Value decrease

# [B]: Value increase
[A] Display (toggle)

(toggle)

Disp Kbd TnDelay

20x4 B/A 50x40ms
0 Keyboard

Disp Kbd TnDelay

| | |
| | TurnoutDelay / TurnoutPulse **
| Keyboard: Bot,B/A,Top,T/A (toggle) *
Display: 16x2 / 20x4 (toggle)

Kbd Keyboard readout: Speed control

Bot: bottom to top digitally with keys
Top: top to bottom of columns 1 and 2
B/A: bottom to top, locos analog analog per pots
T/A: top to bottom, locos analog
After Setup in B/A or T/A mode:
Speed increasing and decreasing of locos
* via pots only - the corresponding 2 columns of keypad are deactivated
* after Startup or Emergency Stop starting from speed “0” only

TnDelay Turnout timing setup

TnDelay: delay time between 2 commands in milliseconds
TnPulse: pulse time of commands

Key X [x] depending on actual keyboard layout - details on page 40

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Data Save / Load 1x + 5x

Data PwSafe Link

D [C] Load / Save Data Save Off Off
[A] Data save / load

PwSafe Off / On

Data PwSafe Link

# [B] Link Off / On

Save Off Off

| | | |
| | | Off / On (toggle)
| | Off / On (toggle)
| Send / Wait for EEPROM data
Save / Load (toggle)
0

DATA (UART to USB Converter required) using MiniDCC.exe application

Once in this menu, the “ ” should toggle from Save to Load on the bottom line.
Both Save and Load are activated with the “D [C]” button.
• In Save mode, you will see an “ ” briefly showing after the Save word “Save ”.
this is indicating that the entire EEPROM data is being sent to the UART pins;
• If you do the same when the LOAD option is ON and you press the “D [C]” button,
the MiniStation will append an after the Load “Load ” and the MiniStation is
waiting for the UART device at the other hand to send the DATA that will replace
the EEPROM data. Since you don’t have anything connected, the watchdog will
time out after about 8 seconds and the MiniStation will reset.
When you are ready to connect the UART pins to a USB converter, you can use the
MiniDCC.exe application to Read and Write to the EEPROM data - for example, once
the proper COM port is selected in the Settings menu, you can connect and then move
on to the Turnout Load / Save tab.
If you then go into the MiniDCC menu and select SAVE and then press “D [C]”, the
EEPROM data should appear immediately in the top window – If you don’t have any
turnout programmed, you will till see the first line of data has your station address plus
other options selected (i.e. 16x2 display...).
Once the info is displayed there, you can the change the menu to “Load” and press
the “D [C]” and immediately click the “Start Upload” button – If everything is well, the
“Load ” will change to “Load “ to show that the upload is complete.You can save and
retrieve the date in the top window as a file on your PC to recover turnout information
without having to re-enter all the info by hand...
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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

PwSave and Link 1x + 5x

Data PwSafe Link

Save Off Off
PwSafe Off / On
[A] Data save / load

Data PwSafe Link

# [B] Link Off / On

Save Off Off

D [C] Load / Save

| | | |
| | | Off / On (toggle)
| | Off / On (toggle)
| Send / Wait for EEPROM data
Save / Load (toggle)
0

PwSave

PwSafe (local service - no UART to USB Converter required)

To avoid accidents while configuring / programming we implemented a special feature:
If PwSafe is On – as well, pressing
Mode
Emergency Stop
power is removed from track
Pressing “Mode” or “Emergency Stop” again resets power back.

Link

Link (UART to USB Converter required) using MiniDCC© Application

Speed, direction, FrontLight (F0 / FL, Functions F1 .. F4 and Emergency Stop
can be adjusted from MiniDCC© Application, as well from MiniDCC© Station.

The settings are displayed simultaneously

in the MiniDCC© Application, as well as on the display of MiniDCC© Station.

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 13 of 48

MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Rotary knob preset 1x + 6x

aD1
aD1 aD2
aD2 aD3
aD3 aD4
aD4
On
On On
On Off
Off Off
Off
|
|
Off
Off /
/ On
On (toggle)
(toggle)

aDx analog Direction

To use this function the

D [C] pot 4
Pot 2

# [B] Pot 3
[A] Pot 1

MiniDCC© Station has to be

switched into analoge mode
B/A or T/A (see page 11)
0

Specifics

aDx = Off zero speed at left limit stop

max. speed at right limit stop
0
change of direction by keypad /
pots push button at speed zero only !
When returning from an emergency stop,
the user must goto left limit stop (speed
zero) to become active again.

0 aDx = On zero speed at middle position (center)

max. speed at left or right limit stop
change of direction left resp. right of center
When returning from an emergency stop,
user must cross the middle point for
the pot to become active again.

Both methods can be used mixed, e.g.

aDx = Off for an express train
aDx = On for a shunting loco

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 14 of 48

MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Firmware Upgrade

MiniDCC© Station Firmware Upgrade can be processed

in Bootloader Mode (USB to UART Converter required) information under
or via the ICSP Interface (PIC programmer required) “Hardware aspects”

In both cases don’t forget to set up the parameters after the upgrade again,
like loco addresses, speed steps (e.g. 127) and keyboard readout (e.g. B/A).
It is expendable using the updater application MiniDCC.exe
saving the EEPROM of MiniDCC© Station (Turnout Save) before upgrading and
writing them back (Turnout Load) to MiniDCC© Station after Firmware Upgrade.

In both cases disconnect the “normal” power source and power the
MiniDCC© Station via the USB to UART converter resp. by the PIC programmer

Further information by “ReadMe” on Page 35.

via ICSP-Interface ( PIC programmer requierd )

See ICSP ( In Circuit Serial Programming) BootLoader Mode

connections on page 46
for more details on how to proceed.

Updater application ( UART to USB Converter required )

Jump to the bootloader mode

by holding the Emergency stop switch and BootLoader Mode
resetting (SW3) or
remove and apply power.

(Holding the Menu switch while resetting will

toggle the display between between 2x16 and 4x20.)

This is the easyer method to upgrade the MiniDCC© Station Firmware,

without using an dedicated PIC programmer.

More details you’ll find in the section MiniDCC© Application

resp. concernig the USB to UART converter in the section “Hardware aspects”

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 15 of 48

MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

MiniDCC© Application - features with a dedicated PC

MiniDCC.exe is a powerfull application to transfer various data between

a dedicated PC and the MiniDCC© Station
Bootloader Mode
MiniDCC© Station Firmware Upgrade
Turnout Load / Save
Turnout Decoder
Turnout Encoder
CV Programming
Link Mode to control basic functions of the MiniDCC© Station
(speed, direction, F0, F1 .. F4) of 4 locos via GUI of MiniDCC.

4.1.01

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 16 of 48

MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

To download and update the application, resp.

MiniDCC© Application
Upgrade the Firmware of MiniDCC© Station
a internet connection is required.
http://www.minidcc.com/

Bootloader Mode

Download
Download the MiniDCCsetup.zip
from the Internet www.minidcc.com
into a directory of your choice.

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 17 of 48

MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

MiniDCC© Application - Installation

Then extract it to

and install it

(Icon on desctop)
MiniDCCsetup.exe is installing the recent version of MiniDCC.exe.

MiniDCC © Application - Version Update

Select “Version Update”, either

the last update is downloaded (status of download in the bottom line) or
the version is already the most recent no update necessary
press OK to continue resp. to restart the MiniDCC© Application

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 18 of 48

MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Communication Setup

Windows PC MiniDCC© Application

After installing the USB to UART converter

the virtual COM interface appears in the (screendump of MiniDCC.exe)
device manager of your PC

(screendumps of WinXP).
Device-Manager

Settings

57.600
57.600

None

keine None

You can control the actual settings

in the last row of the MiniDCC.exe window.

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 19 of 48

MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Firmware Upgrade in BootLoader Mode

Don’t forget to set up the parameters after the Firmware upgrade again,
like loco addresses, speed steps (e.g. 127) and keyboard readout (e.g. B/A).
It is expendable using the updater application MiniDCC.exe
saving the EEPROM of MiniDCC© Station (Turnout Save) before upgrading and
writing them back (Turnout Load) to MiniDCC© Station after Firmware Upgrade.

Selectionof Hex- File

MiniDCC© Application

Select “Firmware Upgrade”

look for the available HEX files The various versions of the HEX
files are coming directly from the
select the appropriate HEX file
Web server, they are not included
transfer the hex-file by pressing in the application.
the Load into the “load” field

Upload Preparation

MiniDCC© Station must be switched in “Bootloader Mode”

by holding the Emergency stop switch and Bootloader Mode
resetting (SW3) or, BootLoader Mode
remove and apply power.

Respect the different succession

of both solutions, outlined on the
next 2 pages, please.
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MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Firmware Upgrade in BootLoader Mode BootLoader Mode

MiniDCC© Station resetting by

Upload Preparation / Start
pusch button SW3

MiniDCC© Station should be in “normal” Operation Mode

Press the button Connect

Window will turn yellow indicating a correct connect
Set the MiniDCC© Station into BootLoader mode (see page 19)
by holding the Emergency stop switch and resetting by Reset (SW3)
The bottom screen will show a message from the MiniDCC© Station,
indicating it is ready for Uploads
start upload by pressing Start Upload
© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 21 of 48
MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Firmware Upgrade in BootLoader Mode BootLoader Mode

MiniDCC© Station resetting by

Upload Preparation / Start
remove and apply power

Set the MiniDCC© Station into BootLoader mode

BootLoader Mode
by holding the Emergency stop switch and
resetting by remove and apply power.

Press the button Connect

Window will turn yellow indicating a correct connect
The bottom screen stays blank
Start upload by pressing Start Upload
© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 22 of 48
MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Firmware Upgrade in BootLoader Mode

Upload
Bootloader Mode
MiniDCC© Application MiniDCC© Station

BootLoader Mode
P:0B9A

40 - 60
Seconds

BootLoader Mode
Ugrade Done !

Automatic Restart
MiniDCC Station
Derosoft (c)
www.minidcc.com
Version 301a

MiniDCC Station
Loc 003x 004x 005x 006x
Fun -----------------
Spd 000 000 000 000

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 23 of 48

MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Data Save / Turnout Save

All EEPROM data of the MiniDCC© Station, incl. loco addresses, speed settings, keybord
readout, turnout stati and routes are transfered to file “xxxxxxxx.Tout” of the dedicated PC.

MiniDCC© Application Bootloader Mode

MiniDCC© Station

Data PwSafe Link

Save On Off

PwSafe must be On !!

Application is waiting for Input

push D [C] on keypad

Data PwSafe Link

Save On Off

Select “Turnout Load/Save”

switch Data to “Save” (toggle)
push D [C] on keypad to activate the upload to PC ( )
the EEPROM content is displayed
the data can be stored in a Turnout Data File “xxxxxxxx.Tout”
© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 24 of 48
MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Data Load / Turnout Safe

All data of File “xxxxxxxx.Tout” on dedicated PC, incl. loco addresses, speed settings,
keybord readout, turnout stati and routes are transfered into the EEPROM of the
MiniDCC© Station and are active after a Restart.

Bootloader Mode
MiniDCC© Application MiniDCC© Station

Data PwSafe Link

Load On Off

PwSafe must be On !!

Content of
Data file
push D [C] on keypad

Data PwSafe Link

Load On Off

MiniDCC© Station
is waiting for Input

Select “Turnout Load/Save”

select and load the Turnout Data file “xxxxxxxx.Tout”
switch Data to “Load” (toggle)
push D [C] on keypad to set MiniDCC© Station “wait for Input” mode ( )
Start Upload to transfer the Data into the EEPROM of MiniDCC© Station
© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 25 of 48
MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Turnout Decoder / Turnout Encoder - Preamble

The Turnout Decoder and Turnout Encoder work with

the content of yellow window in the “Turnout Save/Load” tab.

Turnout Save / Load

If you have a full window (with the entire EEPROM data in the window –
either by Loading the xxxx.Tout file or Reading you actual EEPROM) then you can
“Import” this info into the other two tabs “Turnout Decoder” and “Turnout Encoder”.

Turnout Save (from MiniDCC© Station) or

File xxxxx.Tout (Load from xxxx.Tout Directory)

Import from memory

Turnout Encoder Turnout Decoder

(Read only)

Export into memory

Turnout Load Turnout Data File

(to MiniDCC© Station) (Save as xxxx.Tout)
© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 26 of 48
MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Turnout Decoder The Turnout decoder is a “Read Only” function

Open the”Turnout Decoder” tab

“Import” the info from “Turnout Load/Save” tab into the “Turnout Decoder”
The “Turnout Decoder” tab show you the actual turnout routes and positions.

pressing in MiniDCC© Application

( in lower right part of Window ),
a protocol of the Turnout Decoder results is available.

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 27 of 48

MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Turnout Encoder - getting the turnout routes and positions

Open the”Turnout Decoder” tab

“Import” the info from “Turnout Load/Save” tab into the “Turnout Encoder”

The “Turnout Encoder” tab show you the actual turnout routes and positions.

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MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Turnout Encoder - edit of turnout routes and positions

Actual turnout routes and positions

Turnout routes and positions can be edited directly by
two digit entry (00 .. FF), followed by
“/“ by character: / or R or O
“|” by character: L or |
Close by character C or Space
When you press the “Export” button in the Turnout Encoder tab,
then the window will change with the new information
e.g. from “15/ 16R 17L 18T 19O 20| “ to “15/ 16/ 17| 18/ 19/ 20| “
and the information is transfered to the common memory window.

It can either be uploaded again through

saved or the “Load” feature
to file, (item 5 on page 23)
Turnout Data File Turnout Load
(save as xxxx.Tout) (to MiniDCC© Station)
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MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

CV Programming

This application only reads CVs and does not re-program them !!

CV Reading - Preparation

MiniDCC© Station

1x MiniDCC Station
Service Mode Pag/Reg
+ CV:001 Va:000 001-00
2x MiniDCC Station
Service Mode Pag/Reg
Pressing key “#” [B] on Keypad CV:001 Va:000 001-00
of MiniDCC© Station Start CV Upload...
0 #
initialtes the request *
MiniDCC© Application

Select CV Programming Mode section

Select the CV you want to read (Custom = individually, Default = CV# 1..5, All)
on the 3 Pages (CV# 1.. 64, 65..172, 173..255) and then return to Page 1
© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 30 of 48
MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

CV Programming

CV Reading

pressing in MiniDCC© Application

starts the process and all selected CVs are read
the job can be controlled in the
task window of MiniDCC© Application MiniDCC Station
Service Mode Pag/Reg
progress can be controlled on
display of MiniDCC© Station CV:00x Va:yyy
The CV result is shown besides each
CV chosen.

pressing in MiniDCC© Application

( in lower right part of Window ),
a protocol of the CV results is available.

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MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Link for remote control of 4 locos

MiniDCC© Station Data PwSafe Link

Save On On
MiniDCC© Station must be
prepared for remote control

Link must be switched “On” (toggle) Disp Kbd TnDelay

If you would be in Analog mode (B/A or 20x4 Bot 50x40ms
T/A), you couldn’t use the speed control
on the PC side, since they are equivalent
Bootloader Mode
to using the Keypad.

On the Link issue, actually the “Save” and “Load” function

are disabled when Link is “On” and enabled when Link is “Off”.

MiniDCC© Application

Start the Link by pressing the appropiete control button

The remote control display is represented.

The array “MiniDCC Station USB Link” has a blue background
and all loco information are empty.

The remote control starts after pressing to one of the 4 loco information tabs.
The array “MiniDCC Station USB Link” changes to yellow background
and the loco information are picked up from MiniDCC© Station and displayed
(see on next page)
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MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Link for remote control of 4 locos

Loco information field contains

• loco number ( setting from the MiniDCC© Station only )
• speed ( display only )
• direction ( toggle by pressing the loco appropriete field )

Speed regulator ( slide control knob )

If slide control knob returns automatoically to
start position a analog mode B/A or T/A is activated.
Change to digital mode Bot or Top, please.

Front Light F0 ( toggle by pressing the loco apropriete field )

Function Keys F1 .. F4 ( toggle by pressing the loco apropriete field )
Emergency Stop ( function dependant of PwSave Setting of
MiniDCC© Station)

Speed, direction, FrontLight (F0 / FL, Functions F1 .. F4 and Emergency Stop

can be adjusted from MiniDCC© Application, as well from MiniDCC© Station
(Speed with the keypad column 1 and 2 only - not analog by pots).
The settings are displayed simultaneously
in the MiniDCC© Application, as well as on the display of MiniDCC© Station.

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MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Admin - USB Drivers

The drivers for the UART/USB converter, basing on MicroChip PIC 16F1455
placed e.g. on interface board (doughter board) for WinXP resp. Win7, 8, 10 can be
downloaded, or
installed directly;
for Linux systems the installation of drivers isn’t necessary.

Using an external “FTDI-CP2102 UART-to-USB-Bridge”

the obove mentioned drivers will work in most cases without problems.
Otherwise, or using other converters the supplied drivers should be installed.

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MiniDCC© Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

ReadMe

Selecting ReadMe
MiniDCC© Station Firmware Updater Instructions are displayed
Selecting “Instruction Manual” the most actual User Manual is displayed.
For further information you can visit the MiniDCC© web site www.minidcc.com

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 35 of 48

MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Hardware-Overview

To setup a complete MiniDCC© Station is necessary:

MiniDCC© Station Board

These parts
Extension Board can be ordered
via “shopping store”
LCD display
on www.MiniDCC.com
Keypad Details and options
see page 38.
Potentiometer 4x

2 or 3 push buttons (Emergency, Mode Select, Reset)

enclosure and 4 potentiometer knobs

internal connecting cables by DIY

Depending of chosen option of both boards,

missing parts of parts list has to be obtained and
you should have certain experience in soldering these parts,
and in any case in manufactoring the internal cables.

For customizing of enclosure and mounting of the operation

and display elements you should have basic mechanical skills.

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Hardware - wiring

E.g. LCD-Display
4 x 20 characters

MiniDCC© Station
Main Board

Output Input
Track Power

USB
Flat
Telephone
e.g. keypad of
telephone type

e.g. Extension Board for

potentiometers with moment push button
necessary
for direction control
cables

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Shopping Store and Downloads

On left lower corner of our main page

the shopping store can be found to
ordert various items.

A one time worldwide shipping and

handling fee of $10.00 CAD
is added to final order

MiniDCC© Station
Microcontroller PIC 16F1938, pre-programmed incl. bootloader
(without PCB, parts, etc.)
bare PCB* (MiniStation and MiniBooster on one board)
assembled and tested PCB* (MiniStation and MiniBooster on one board)
* not including the keypad, pots and LCD, order these items separately, please.
Latest .hex-file for miccrocontroller PIC 16F1938 for download

Extension Bords type A (doughter boards)

for 4 pots for speed control (direction control via keypad)
bare PCB
PCB with all parts incl. UART/USB converter, but without pots
assembled and tested PCB with UART/USB converter and 4 pots
Extension Boards type B (doughter boards)
for 4 pots for speed and direction control (pot with push-button)
bare PCB
PCB with all parts incl. UART/USB converter, but without pots
assembled and tested PCB with UART/USB converter and 4 pots
UART/USB converter for Extension Borads type A and B, as well as for own designs
UART/USB converter with pre-programmed PIC 16F1455

Keypad 4x4 Matrix optional

flat type (0 ......... F)
telephone type (0 .. D , ,#)

Pots optional for

speed control (pot only) for extension board type A
speed and direction control (pot + push button) for extension board type B

LCD (white on blue background) optional

16 characters x 2 rows
20 characters x 4 rows

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

MiniDCC© Station

LCD

LCD LCD
7805
LMD18200

Pots
16F1938
3.3

RN1

Keypad
Track Power
Output Input

Dimensions of PCB: 80 x 39 mm

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

MiniDCC© Station - Schematic

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 40 of 48

MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

MiniDCC© Station - System Setup

!
For setup of MiniDCC© Station you need either
a pre-programmed 16F1938 micro-controller, or
a 16F1938 micro-controller, a suitable hex-file
(e.g. 38-300e.hex - by download) and a PIC programmer.

Firmware upgrades (after first setup) can be processed either

via ICSP interface by an external PIC programmer, or
very comfortable by means of MiniDCC© Application.

MiniDCC© Station - Parts list

Platine MiniDCC© Station PCB (pictures on pages 40 and 41)

C1 capacitor 47µF to 100µF / 25V min - Electrolytic
C2, C3 10 nF ceramic disk
C4 1µF / 10V Tanatalum capacitor
C5 1 nF ceramic capacitor
RN1 resistor network (parallel) or 8 discrete 510 Ω to 1 kΩ
R2 51 Ω or straight jumper (depending of LED backlight requirements)
R3, R4 resistor 2,2 kΩ to 4,7 kΩ
R5 resistor 270 Ω to 1 kΩ
R6 resistor 33 kΩ (critical - do not substitute - used in sensing CVs)
R7 resistor 1 kΩ
Pots 1 .. 4 potentiometer 5 kΩ to 10 kΩ, with optional direction switch# (on interface PCB)
LED1 regular LED (yellow or white)
LED2 bipolar Red/White LED or back to back discrete LEDs (antiparallel see page 45)
POT potentiometer 5 kΩ (contrast control of LCD)
SW1 .. SW3 spst miniatur switches# (Menu, Emergencs Stop, Reset)
possibly addional or alternativ external switches
U1 dual half bridge LM18200T
U2 5V voltage regulator (or any electronic substitute)
U3 micro controller PIC 16F1938 (28 pins) with 28 pin IC socket (recommended)
ZD Zener Diode 5,1 V (e.g. IN2318)
J1 .. J3 various Molex pin connectors as required - 2,54 mm pitch
LCD 16x2 or 20x4 standard LCD display (Hitachi HD44780 compatible)
keypad 4x4 Matrix (flat or telephone type)
enclosure depending of your own idea

# Switches have to be open in normal position and closed if pushed

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Extension boards - doughter boards

The extension boards offers with simple and well arranged 1:1 wiring to
MiniDCC© Station following functions:
USB A interface via UART/USB converter
connectors for 4 pots (with / without moment push button for direction control)
two alternative connectors to either flat (0…F) or telephone (0...D, ,#) type keypads.
Both boards offers a USB/UART converter, using Microchip PIC 16F1455, to provide a
simple but efficient USB access to firmware updates and allows saving and loading of
turnouts route if desired, as well as controlling/programming basic functions of 4 locos
via the MiniDCC© Application.
The WinXP or Win7,8,10 drivers for the UART/USB converter can be downloaded or
directly installed via the tab “Admin” > “USB Drivers” of DCC© Application ( Page 34);
for Linux systems the installation of drivers isn’t necessary.

from / to MiniDCC© Station

UART Pots Keypad

USB Keypad
Flat alternatively
Telephone use

Extension board for

potentiometers with
moment push button
for direction control;
this can be handled
also parallely via keypad.

USB

Extension board for

Potentiometers without
moment push button.
Direction control
is handled via keypad.

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

interface PCB for

Interface board - Schematic potentiometers with
moment push button
for direction control

SW4 .. SW7: optional push-on switch

Parts list: on R1 .. R4 (Direction Control)

U1 Processor Microchip 16F1455 (pre-programmed)

D1 Schottky diode 1N5817 (low dropout preferred - 1N4001 acceptable)
D2 standard LED
R1 .. R4 Potentiometer 5 to 10 kΩ (push button optional)
R5 Resistor 750 Ω (depending of LED also 820 Ω or 1 kΩ
J7 USB A connector
J1 .. J6 Molex connectors 2,54 mm
C1 1µF / 10V Tantalum Capacitor
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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Hardware aspects

Our manual is illustrated with the Enclosure

Enclosure
“Hommond Electronics 1599HSTSGY”
(220 x 110 x 40 mm).
With the interface PCBs this enclosure
could be to flat !!

Keypad

For various applications the market offers

different layouts of keypads, e.g.
telephone hexadezimal
0 .. 9, *, #, A .. D 0 .. 9, A .. F
e.g. Accord “KB1604-PNB” e.g. EOZ “ECO 15250.06”

The manual
refers to the “telephone layout” x, #, A .. D and indicates
the equivalent “hexadezimal” keys A .. F small and in [ ] brackets
figures out the functions with a stylized keypad, 0 .. 9 only

Telephone hexadezimal
A = [F]
B = [E]
C = [D]
D = [C]
# = [B]
= [A]

Alternatively to “normal” Pots and change direction

Pots
via the keys of 3rd column of keypad, you can use
potentiometers with momentary push switch like
Alps “RK0971114Z07”.

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Hardware aspects

Both types of displays, e.g.

Display MiniDCC Station blue: EA W204B-NLW
Loc 003x 004x 005x 006x yellow (out of production)
MiniDCC Station
Fun ----------------- can be used with same
Spd Loc
000 003x
000 004x
000 005x
000 006x functionality
Fun -----------------
(The white / blue display
Spd 000 000 000 000
needs less current)

Push buttons Emergency All push buttons can vary

in color and placement
depending on personal
Mode Select preferences

Reset

This double pole switch switches OFF

Switch optional Prog
the main track while CV programming
on your separate programming track,
Main
to avoid programming of several locos
(not figured out in the schematic)

Overtemp alarm
LEDs optional
LED1 is a regular LED (e.g. blue, white or yellow)
They aren’t It provides the thermal warning of Booster.
mandatory It becomes active at 145 °C (junction temperat ure
for operation, of LMD 18200T); however the chip will not shut
they are for itself down until 170 °C is reached at the junction .
control only !
DCC Output Control
LED2 is a bipolar LED (e.g. red and green)
If something goes wrong with the booster, then
you only see either a RED or a GREEN light.
When things are right, you see an “Orange” sort
of glow indicating the proper DCC signal with the
polarity reversal operating normally.

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MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Hardware aspects

USB

Connecting a UART pins to a USB

converter you can use the MiniDCC©
Application to Read from / Write to
MiniDCC© Station EEPROM data as
well as Upgrade the Firmware directly
without using a PIC programmer.
For example, once the proper COM
port is selected in the Settings menu,
you can connect and then move on
to the Firmware Upgrade tab or the
Turnout Load / Save tab.

In Link Mode basic functions of the MiniDCC© Station (speed,

direction, F0, F1 .. F4) of 4 locos can be controlled via a GUI.
Firmware Upgrade of MiniDCC© Station with 57.600 Bit/s
needs about 40 to 60 seconds.
Disconnect the “normal” power source and power the
MiniDCC© Station via the USB to UART converter !

ICSP
VPP / MCLR

+5V (Vdd)

GND(Vss)

Data (PGD)

Clock (PGC)

Connecting the ICSP pins (in circuit serial programming)

to a PIC programmer, the PIC can be programmed directly.
Firmware Upgrade of MiniDCC© Station
needs about 10 seconds.
Disconnect the “normal” power source and power the
MiniDCC© Station via the PIC programmer !
© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 46 of 48
MiniDCC© Station for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

Summary

MiniDCC© Station Version 2.0

The MiniDCC© Station has been improved considerably over the years.
We have moved to a 28 pin template to allow for added features such as 4 discrete
potentiometers for speed control, an RS232/USB link for firmware upgrades as well
as Turnouts (Switches) route saving and loading using a PC.
Now you can control
up to 4 trains simultaneously,
up to 99 different turnouts / switches on 26 different routes (over 240 events) and
program all your decoders (Write and Read) using any one of the 3 NMRA standards
with some few some limitations
Loco addresses up to 127 (no extended addresses)
functions F0, F1 .. F4
standard function decoder addresses
PC USB interface needs an additional TTL-USB converter.

The memory assigned to Turnout routes as been increased to double the size available
under the old 16F628. An extended Menu offers choice of display (16x2 or 20x4),
Keypad or Potentiometer control, saving and retrieving Turnout routes, etc.

MiniDCC© Booster
While the MiniDCC© Station can operate with any compatible
NMRA booster, the optional MiniDCC© Booster (on same PCB)
integrates the function of READING as well as WRITING to
CVs using the usual NMRA protocol and complete power
shutdown upon Emergency Stops.
The used H-Bridge LMD18200T is an efficient MosFet bridge,
providing up to 3 amps of DCC power with full short circuit
and high temperature protection built-in.

Restrictions
Please note that this release based on a Microchip PIC16F1938, while compatible
with the NMRA standard, does not support the following features such as:
MM (Motorola / Maerklin Protocol)
LocoNet (Digitrax)
RailCom (bi-directional communication)
PoM (Programming on Main track)
JMRI (Java Model Railroad Interface)

but the development of MiniDCC© Station / Application isn’t finished yet .....

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 47 of 48

MiniDCC© Station / Application for model railroad control MiniDCC © Station

MiniDCC© Station, developed by Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada

offers already very powerful features for model railroad control
- standalone, without a dedicated PC.

The unit is easy to build and quite inexpensive compared to commercially

available systems.

MiniDCC© Application can Read and Write certain EEPROM data, as well as
Upgrade the FIRMWARE directly and allows remote control of 4 locos.

Have a lot of fun with our MiniDCC© Station and MiniDCC© Application !!

On our Homepage: www.minidcc.com you’ll find e.g.

our Mail-Address
Shop for PCBs and Parts for MiniDCC© Station with Prices
Download of MiniDCC© Application (for free)
Schematic, Parts List, Manuals (english and german),
further Information and Links

© Robert Côté and John Zajdler, Canada Page 48 of 48