Picked up a nice BLI Paragon PRR M! today at a local train show and while going through the factory literature I cam across a disclaimer of sorts stating that The regulated throttle control and speed control features are not available on this unit at this time.
Whats this all about and are the features available now and if so how would I get them etc. I recall the lawsuit with Mikes Train House bla bla bla but if it isn't costing me money or making me money I pretty much don't pay attention to it. I have several other BLI locomotives but never recall coming across this before. It runs real nice and all the functions seem to work or at least as far as I can tell they do.Just took it right out of the box set it on the track called up the address number I assumed correctly when I thought he used the road number as the address and it chuffed away like a champ. So what am I missing here guys?
I'm pretty sure this is missing from ALL QSI equipped BLI locos, as they switched to their in-house decoder and the Blue Line series and now Paragon 2 series without incorporatign the QSI upgrade chips. You can enable all feature by gettign the QSI upgrade chip for your loco - it also enables you to repalce the sounds with other QSI sound files, if you have the Quantum Programmer. RTC and plain BEMF are missign from the original OEM QSI decoders prior to the upgrade chip. BEMF will enable better startup and slow speed runnign, especially on a mechanically more complex steam loco. RTC is an extreme for of speed control that runs the loco at a specific scale MPH speed up and down hills, with 5 cars or 50 coupled on. Not very realistic, so I don't know how many people even miss it. But BEMF itself is quite useful - my PCM loco could always start and maintain a lower minimum speed than the BLI ones. PCM locos had Loksound decoders insteadof QSI, and ESU's decoders, both sound and non-sound, have some of the best BEMF there is.
In addition, some of the upgrade chips have some improved sound files, but not all - often it's horn options for the diesels If you are satisfied with the performance of your locos then you probbaly don't need the upgrade chip. As for the notice in the box, the first BLI locos didn;t have it, then when the legal issues were going on they started putting the notice in the box. So you may have older runs prior to the notice, or if you purchased any of them second hand the original owner may have tossed that sheet.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Randy,
Thanks for the info no all of my other BLI were purchased new this one today was the first used one. I am going to see what kind of deal I cam make with him on a few other the other ones he has left. I called him when I got home and he said I was his biggest customer of the day.........lol So I guess there were a lot of dirt poor people at that show if I was one of the best.........lol.
I'll have to look in my boxes tomorrow the notice is more then likely in them too. So then I take it the legal issue has been resolved between the two. I avoid the words legal and lawsuit like the plague.
Yes, everything legal related to that particular issue has been cleared up, and QSI started offering replacement chips to add back in the features had to leave out. And add a few more, like I mentioned - the upgrade chips have user-replaceable sounds, but like all other sound decoders that offer this, only when using QSI's proprietary programmer. Unlinke Loksound and Digitrax sound decoders, you can't make your own sound sets though..