Installing the QSI programmer and driver

Overview:

The programmer has a USB interface, and here are some tricks to installing the driver. This is because certain versions of the USB driver are not "signed" and Windows won't normally allow this.

In addition, there are some cases that certain versions of the user software (the program to load sound files, and the JMRI-like configuration program) need DIFFERENT versions of driver and this also interacts with the Windows operating system version. Fun huh?

So, I'll give you a step by step installation for various operating systems. Read this carefully and do not skip steps.

Note: Since I primarily work with the LS Titan, and want the great new features very few people know about (using the ET / Emulator Technology features) I do not use the latest version of CVManager. The "engineering" menu was eliminated after version 3.0.x.x.x (starting with 3.1.x.x.x). If anyone can tell me what the subsequent versions have that is missing, let me know, all I know is all the new and great features (like louder 4th chuff, and changing the waveform for the chuff for different speeds) are only in 3.0.0.x

Prerequisites:

• Windows 10 or 11 computer (PRO version recommended)
• Turn off BitLocker on all drives strongly recommended, you will normally encounter problems
• Do not plug in the USB dongle/programmer! You need to install the driver first!
• driver to be used: commonly called: qprog_usbdriver_winxp_3_2 (yes it works on everything!!  also it is really version 3.2.0.0)
• Q2Upgrade install .exe: I use the latest install I can find: 3.1.0.1 (the latest I can find)
• Quantum upgrade standalone .exe file: version: 3.1.0.5 from 2016 (the latest I can find)
• CVManager install .exe: version 3.0.0.000
• CVManager standaline .exe: 3.0.0.018 (latest version with the "engineering" menu with all the extras)

Note: to install the 2 softwares, you need the "install" package.... when QSI updated the program itself, it just supplied the program only, not the whole install. So you have to run the install file, and then copy over the updated program into the system directory.

Special procedures for installing the hardware driver on Windows 11/10/8

OK, so a feature first (strictly) introduced in windows 10 called "driver signing policy" basically makes it impossible to load a unsigned driver without going through some hoops. Since it costs $$, QSI did not sign up. Really stupid.

The USB driver comes in a zip file from Silabs. Download the zip file, and put it in a new subdirectory, best not to do this on the desktop.

Now extract the zip file, all you have to do is (using the file explorer) right click on it, and extract all, and it will put the extracted files in a subdirectory of your directory you made for the zip file.

Now, you need to put your computer into a special mode to accept unsigned drivers. This mode is called "allow unsigned drivers" You will set this up, the computer will reboot, and after installing the driver, this special mode will go away after the next reboot. Note well: if you don't get the driver installed and you reboot, you need to start the procedure over.

Please note: some newer versions of the programs may need a different driver, I found this on the newer CVManager. Since I use the Titan ET features, I use the older driver as already explained.

Again, reminding you to make sure bitlocker is off on your install drive, which is usually C:

Put computer in the mode to allow unsigned drivers:

Windows 11:

• Right click on the time in the lower right
• click "Notifications Settings"
• Click "System" on the left menu
• Scroll down to "Recovery" and select it
• On the "Advanced Startup"line, click RESTART on the right
• the computer will reboot, log back in
• you are ready to continue at INSTALL THE DRIVER below

Windows 10:

• Open the action center (you should know what this is otherwise google it)
• go to all settings
• then update & security
• then recovery (left column menu)
• then advanced startup (you will hit the "restart now" button
• now troubleshoot (it will mention that advanced options are here)
• now select advanced options
• select startup settings
• this next screen will list the options that will be available, notice one of them is "disable driver signature enforcement"
• hit the restart button at bottom (computer will restart but quickly)
• now you get a text screen with all the options, use the cursor down key (no mouse!) to highlight "disable driver signature enforcement" and then hit enter
• computer will do what looks like a normal restart
• you are ready to continue at INSTALL THE DRIVER below, Note: as soon as the next reboot, you are no longer in this special mode

Windows 8:

• click the settings icon on the home screen (the gear)
• choose the "power" icon
• select "general" and then the "restart now" button (this is quick)
• select troubleshoot
• now select advanced options
• select startup settings
• this next screen will list the options that will be available, notice one of them is "disable driver signature enforcement"
• hit the restart button at bottom (computer will restart but quickly)
• now you get a screen with all the options, use the cursor down key (no mouse!) to highlight "disable driver signature enforcement" and then hit enter
• computer will do what looks like a normal restart
• you are ready to continue at INSTALL THE DRIVER below

Earlier windows versions:

You can install the driver on XP, Vista and Windows 7 without any special preparation.

Note well: there is/was a different driver for Vista 64 bit.

Finally, install the driver:

Note:

Sometimes you need to log in as the actual local administrator user. By default, this user is often disabled. Google "enable administrator user windows 10"

Do not plug in the QSI programmer hardware! You need to install the software first!

Get and unzip the driver files:

make a new directory for the SiLabs driver zip file, then extract the files using winrar, winzip, or even just right click on the file and select "extract to"..

the original name for this file is; qprog_usbdriver_winxp_3_2.zip (the actual version of the driver is 3.2.0.0, with a date of 2009_11_1)

Run setup:

Now navigate to the place you unzipped this file and run the QP_USBXp_Installer.exe file (remember you may not see the ".exe" if you do not display file extensions)

If you get an error, you might have to right click on the QP_USBXp.inf file (by this time you may want to be sure you display file extensions)

(you might also be able to set the UAC - User Account Settings to the lowest setting, but this way always works)

Installing the inf file will give you to choice to go ahead or not... "install this software anyway"

Note: if you are installing to Windows 7 or below, you can try the "troubleshoot this file", but normally you do not need to.

For Windows 8, it often needs to be installed in a troubleshooting / compatibility mode for windows 8/8,1

If you get stopped from running the program, you can change the  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\EnableLUA to 0 in regedit. you will probably have to reboot.

Driver installed:

Once the software installs,

Apply power to the programmer

THEN plug in the programmer, and you should hear the USB happy sound, boo-beep, the second note higher than the first..

Note: I recommend you now reboot your computer, to take yourself OUT of the allow unsigned driver mode... this might protect from overwriting the installed driver with one from the later installs of CVManager and Quantum Upgrade.

Next: CVManager & Quantum Upgrade softwares

OK! OK!, I know you want to get going, but understand the software versions first!

There are different versions of the softwares, and some need different drivers. My recommendations here are for what I believe is the optimum setup to utilize all the features of the Titan. This setup works with everything.

This setup works with the latest version of Quantum Upgrade (previously called Q2Upgrade)

But this driver/setup does NOT work with the latest CVManager. It does work with the latest CVManager that has "engineering" menu and all the latest special features. For some reason, QSI removed this menu from versions later than 3.0.x.xxxx.

By the way, if someone can demonstrate to me that there are features in CVManager 3.1.x.xxx that 3.0.0.180 does not have, let me know...

Install Quantum Upgrade / Q2Upgrade

Remember: QSI distributed this software in 2 ways, as the full "install" file, and as a separate executable only....

You must install a full "install" executable first, and then copy the separate executable directly over the installed program executable.

So, in the case for this setup, you run Quantum Upgrade 3.1.0.1 install.exe, then you copy over the individual 3.1.0.5 executable.

You can rename the new exe file from "Quantum Upgrade 3.1.0.5.exe" to just "Quantum Upgrade"

Validating the driver install after installing Quantum Upgrade

Using/debugging programmer after driver installation: Firmware version/upgrading

You need to install the software driver first, which makes the programmer available via a "COM" port. The following sections address the selection and installation of the driver. DO THAT NEXT, and then come back here.

After installation, you should check for upgrade of the firmware in the programming "dongle" at least when you get one. It's in a really weird place in the programming software.

• right click on the upper left of the title bar of the Quantum Upgrade window, right on the words "Q2Upgrade"
• Yes, there is nothing up there, but when you do it, you get a menu you cannot get any other way.

• Now click on "Quantum Programmer...", click that, and then you get another menu.

• Click "retrieve firmware version".. you will then see the version in your dongle. If you get nothing back, then you are NOT communicating with the dongle, or it is dead.
• Also check "get error status"
• If your firmware version is not 2.0.5, then you should be able to upgrade the firmware. This is the latest firmware.

Now if everything is good so far, we can check the "final stage" of the programmer, the connection to the decoder.

• Click on the "Diagnostics..." menu
• now you get the menu below:

• Click the "Measure Baseline Current" button.
• You should see something between 2 (decoder only) to about 15 (maybe some lights)
• ZERO means that there is no connection detected, either you are not connected to the decoder, or the output of the programmer is bad (broken)
• very high, like over 100 means you have a dead short (either short circuit across the output, or the programmer is bad or the decoder is bad.

OK, now you can test and program Quantum Revolution and Titan decoders!

Now install Quantum CV Manager

Greg's preference - latest CVManager that has all the extra Titan ET menus/cvs in it

install 3.0.0.000 (the base complete install)

then copy the last version ( .exe only) to the program files directory - version 3.0.0.018 and you can rename it to: "QuantumCVManager.exe"

Now you can use your softwares.

Misc notes for greg:

for the latest programs, that I don't use, I believe the Silabs CP210x USB to UART Bridge, version 10.1.10.103, dates 1/8/21 works on win 10 & 11..