Hi, I have just bought two Atlas HO locomotives, the U30B and the GP40-2, both Atlas Gold with the QSI Quantum fitted.
The U30B does everything as expected, but for the GP40 when I press the F7 key in motion nothing happens – it is supposed to trigger brake / flange squeal. Also, when I double press the F9 key in neutral nothing happens – it is supposed to trigger the three stages of shut-down. All other keys work normally.
Both these keys and functions work normally on the U30B. My controller is a Bachmann Dynamis wireless which has keys F1-F20. I know keys can be re-programmed to different functions, but I have tried all the keys and none triggers either the brake squeal or the shut-down on the GP40. Any idea what is happening?
I know I can re-set all functions to factory default settings, but I don’t know if that is the default for a GP40 or the default for the basic chip, and I don’t want to lose any Atlas GP40 specific settings by mistake.
Grateful for any advice,
Bill.
Doing the reset won;t wipe out any of the sounds or operating functions, just reset the address and any of the control CVs so that any speed tables will be gone, settings for momentum will be reset, and mos timportantly, the functions will be reset to factory default. There's another thing that gets reset - there's a CV that control the threshold for the brake squeal, and if this got set too high, you'll have to be rocketing around at full throttle to trigger the squeal. But since the F9 doesn;t work on this one but does ont he other, it could be that the functions were modified, so a reset is definitely the first thing to try. If all works, then you cna reset the address to the one you really want, and redo the momentum and stuff if you set it previously.
The other thing is - are they of the same vintage? The F9 shutdown has been in QSI all along, not sure about the brake squeal. If one has a newer version firmware, this could be the difference.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Hi Randy, thanks for your advice. I did the reset using the magic wand but it made no difference to the behaviour of the decoder. The loco is one of the GP40 batch listed on the Atlas website as announced June 2009, whilst the U30B is listed as September 2008, and the DCC manuals for both locos are identical. I have noticed that the mute button (F8) also has no effect on the GP40. Unfortunately my Dynamis does not have the Pro-Box which allows reading of CVs. As I bought it mail order I would rather fix it than have to send it back. I guess it is an opportunity to learn about DCC.
The reset should have cleared everything, but it's also very picky - and you have to remove power and restore it, either shut off track power or tip the loco off the track. If you got the horn honk sounds indicating reset, then it did so, if not, it didn;t really reset.
The fact that F8 also is not operating indicates some sort of an issue, either it was remapped, along with F7 for the brake squeal, or the decoder is defective. A full reset would fix any function remapping and restore the default function keys.
Hi, Randy, thanks again. I know the reset activated because the loco spoke the word RESET, as per the manual. I did it with the magic wand on my old DC layout, as recommended in the QSI manual, then put it back on my DCC test track to test the functions. I will have a go at programming when I have read a book or two, but meanwhile I can live with it as everything else works as it should.
Sometimes on my QSI equipped engines I've had to try hitting the function key for the shutdown mode a couple of times to get it to work. I think you have to space it out "just right", too close together or too far apart and it doesn't read it.
BTW I could be wrong, but I thought it you had to hit the button three times to enter shutdown, not two??
There's multiple levels of shutdown, that's what gets confusing. Kinda wish they didn;t have that final stage in there at all, not even sure what purpose it serves, when you can just mute all sounds so you don;t have a cacaphony from the engine yard. That final stage has resulted in more posts on message boards and forums about a 'dead' loco than anything I can think of - when in that mode the loco acts as if it were completely dead, it only responds to the startup command, everything else is 100% dead with no response.
I don't think any of that is the issue here, not when it pretty much works fine EXCEPT F7 brake squeal and F8 mute. All that can be remapped, but a reset is supposed to fix that sort of thing. And even if it were somethign in the DCC system, with it reset and using address 3, and sort of wierd issues with the settings stored for the original address would not affect it. However, it can;t hurt to reset the command station and/or throttle if possible.
Hi, thanks. QSI Quantum shutdown has three stages and you have to press the F9 key twice within two seconds to initiate each stage. QSI shutdown is a dramatic process, at least on my U30B, but I am not sure that if a real engine sounded like stage three it would not go straight into the repair shops. I assume it was recorded from a real U30B, but perhaps a senior on a heritage line.
Considering shutdown is basically, cut off the fuel until it stops turning, yeah, they do sound like they are rattling apart. Can't find the video I saw the other day, of an excustion with one of the RCT&HS Alcos, not a GE but Alcos starting up are really neat, many of them had air starters, so instead of the whum whum whum cranking over of an EMD, there's a wzzzzzzzzzzzttttttt<rumble rumble rumble> when they fire up. Trying to find one that got it right but the clips of QSI and Tsunamis that I found don't have the air starter.