I have a six year old ESU Loksound decoder, maybe v.3.2 or so, that I haven't used since about 2010. I would not have put it away unserviceable because I don't like loose ends like that, so it was packaged up working normally. Fired it up the other day, but it would produce no sounds. Lights work fine, and motor control is the typical quality for Loksound.
Crandell.
Is this one of the locos where you have to press F8 to wake up the sound decoder? My Loksound Selects are set like that by default. My Lokrogrammer adjusts the CVs to have the sound on at start up.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
That was going to be my suggestion - perhaps it is mutedm so try F8. Those should be Loksound 3.5 in those, so any attmepts at reset etc. should follow the 3.5 instructions.
Since it runs and programs, it's likely that the connector is thoroughly attached and at least the control portion of the decoder is functional. It would be somewhat odd for the sound part to go out, but it is possible. It also might be a loose speaker wire inside the tender - My one T1 had one of the track pickup wires loose, in that the connector wasn;t firmly seated in the plastic shell, thus it never went over the pin on the circuit board when the connector was plugged in - a little hard to spot, but on close inspection you would see the connector pin sticking up above the shell. There's no chuff sensor, so that pin being bad betweent he loco and tender wouldn;t cuase this, and even if there was one, you would still get the idle sounds and bell adn whistle.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thanks, fellas. Tried F8 a number of times as well. The odd part was the woot-woot for the first reset. That made sense, and the loco would only respond on Address 03, as we would expect. But the sound died down after the second woot and hasn't come back since. There has to be a reason why the sound would return for a single momentary indication of a reset, but not during the three or four other attempts I have made since then. It's baffling. I have a sinking feeling the amplifier is hooped if a wire isn't the problem.
Is it all the sounds? Do you get bell or whistle? Strange that the toot came out but no other sounds? Maybe the volume is turned down for some reason? Can you read any CVs?
Pete, I cannot read CVs with my SEB...the old clunk. A reset should have the loco unable to respond on its usual address, but it would respond on 03. And that is what happens. If the reset is good, the sound problems, and any others due to glitchy CV programming, should go away. That the loco runs and lights on 03, but that it will also accept an address assignment back to 2200, and runs on that address, suggests there is something else amiss. I just wish I knew if I have to send the decoder away or get a new one.
Does anyone know if ESU repairs decoders? I wanted to ask them some questions, but their website contact function is down until summer vacations are over at the end of Aug.
Crandell
I would say you are right, David. I'll have to think about a Titan vs. LokSound. It might just be a dollar decision more than anything. I really like the Titan in my A Class.
Have to swap speakers though, for best sound. The 3.5's use 100 ohm. On a Select they will be very very quiet. I think PCM uses two 50 ohm in series. I've not considered swapping out my T1's as I have a special sound project for the 3.5 that has sounds from an actual Reading T1. It can be converted to a v4 project, but the motor control is pretty darn good on a 3.5 so I don;t knwo what it really would buy me.
Thanks for the tip, Randy. I'll be sure to keep the ohm specs in mind.
This afternoon I removed the shell and had a good look at all the wiring and connections. The insualtion looks okay, and the solders are good as well. I wiggled a few connections, wiggled the main chip, removed all the little plugs and reinserted, and repowered the loco...nada. With power on, I wiggled all the tether wires. Nada. The loco still moves. So, I would guess it's the amplifier or some other sound circuit essential.