Hi,
I have the Bachmann 2-8-4 Berkshire N scale with sound. I run DCC. Everytime I turn the power on the sound of the engine is switched on automatically. I then press F8 to switch it off. I only want to have it switched on when I run it. Unfortunatelly next time I turn the power on it makes noises again. How can I reverse this? All of the other trains are silent when the power is turned on and only get loud when I press the corresponding F key.
Regards,Stefan
Mike
Water Level Route may be correct but you can also ask at the Bachmann forums. There are many users there along with Bachmann reps. Below is a link to the HO forum.
Bachmann has all kinds of info about Bachmann products at the site also. Loco diagrams, parts page, CV list, repair page, etc.
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/board,2.0.html
I have a couple with onboard sound and I could just unplug the decoder and plug in a different one. Unsoldering the speaker wires and soldering in the new speakers wires is all I would have to do.
The Sound Value might have a different PC board decoder install compared to my Spectrum with onboard sound.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
I had a locomotive that would do that and I was able to change a CV so that the sound would NOT come on at start up. I think it was on a QSI sound decoder but, unfortunately, I do not recall the CV or the value. Someone on the Bachmann forum may know of a similar trick for your sound decoder.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Thanks for your answers. This doesn't sound good but still gives me some hope. I'll ask my question in the Bachmann forum.
Stefan
Full Tsunamis can be changed by setting some CVs, perhaps this feature is left off the SOund Value version. QSI - you shouldn;t have had to do anything, they won;t start up themselves if you've done the shutdown, that's what always had so many people thinking their loco was broken, they'd put it in shutdown and then next time they tried to run it, it wouldn't even move.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I forget which locomotive it was, Randy. I know I don't have any Tsunamis. Perhaps it was my PCM F3 with the Loksound decoder...
What I did is set the time sound off function. Even though the sound still comes on when I power up, it does not stay on the whole time.
How did you do that?
Cut one of the speaker wires.
Which decoder could I buy to replace the built-in decoder?
Water Level RouteYou can't as far as I know. It's part of Bachmann's "Sound Value" line of stripped down decoders from Soundtraxx. Sound on at power up seems to be the only way to go. I have one of their HO locomotives with this and it is destined to either have the decoder replaced, or the locomotive as a whole will be replaced. It drives me nuts.
Me too!! My HO Sound Value 2-6-0 was not a value as I will swap the decoder to cure this annoyance. Maybe upcoming Bachmann locos will be different.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
peahrensHO Sound Value 2-6-0
eufonist Which decoder could I buy to replace the built-in decoder?
RR Baron
Make a note of the CV setting of the Master Volume then set it to Zero. then when you want sound just reset it to the previous setting.
I think that CV 128 is the master volume, set that to 0 for start up then reset for sound
Regards Colin
All you need to do is dedicate a track to park the loco on. Then cut a gap in one of the rails, and wire a switch between the power and that rail. Then park the loco, and flip the switch off.
Leave the track unpowered when you start up the layout, and when you get ready to run the engine, flip the switch on, problem solved.
eufonist How did you do that?
Hope this helps.
Another option might be to set all the background sound CV's - like blowdown, steam hiss, generator whine, etc. - down to zero. Leave it so the only sounds not zero are chuff, whistle and bell. At least then when you power up the track, it won't make any noise until it moves or you activate the bell or whistle.
Setting CV 113 doesn't change anything. As mentioned above by some other guys this CV is not available in this decoder. I tried it anyway but it doesn't work.
But Stix's idea is very good. I tried the different volume CVs. At least I set CV 132 Airpump to zero. That really makes a big difference!! What's left is a constant white noise. I only could reduce it by reducing the main volume. I didn't find a CV for that. Any ideas?
All of the other CVs remained as they were. So I have a chuffing sound while driving and I can ring the bell etc...
Ya it does look CV132 - Air pump is the only 'background' sound that has it's own volume control. I guess you could set the CVs for the whistle, chuff and bell (CV 129-130-131) to their maximum, and then turn down the master volume CV128. That way at least the background sounds would be as low as possible.
http://www.soundtraxx.com/factory/OEM_pages/bachmann/bachmann_ho_284berkshire_sv.pdf
p.s. The tracks in / near my enginehouse (and the roundhouse stall tracks on my old layout) are in a separate power block with an on-off switch. I turn that block's power off when I turn the layout off so if I start up the layout next time to work on something I don't have to worry about the engines on those tracks making noise.
I set the CVs as Stix suggested. That works but this decoder really is not good. It's not only that I can't set the volume for the white noise (whatever it is) but I can't set the volume for the horn neither. So now after adjusting the CVs the air pump is off, the white noise low and the chuffing and bell are loud. But the horns are low, too. Since there's no CV for the horns I can't change that.
I leave it that way. It's the best I can get without replacing the decoder. I still can do that later.
Thanx, Stefan
CV 129 controls the whistle volume. 225 is the default, so you can set it a little higher (to 255).
CV 115 selects the whistle type. Each 2-8-4 has three choices, depending on the road name. CV 115 default is 0, try 1 and 2. Sometimes one whistle type is louder than another; at least I find the higher pitched more "shrill" ones sometimes sound louder than the lower pitched "steamboat" whistles that kinda blend in with the chuff sound.
http://www.soundtraxx.com/factory/OEM_pages/bachmann/bachmann_n_284berkshire_sv.pdf
If the 'white noise' is kind of a hissing noise, it could be a background sound, or it could mean there's a problem with the decoder. I have an HO 2-10-0 with the 'sound value' decoder, and it doesn't have anything like that. Could indicate a short or failure in the decoder or speaker....
I already set the volumes CV 129-131 to the maximum. I'll try the different whistle sounds.
The white noise is not a hissing and it's definitely the engine making that noise. It's a constant sound like a heater when the gas or hot air floats through the pipes. That makes sense here but I'ld prefer to turn that off, too. Unfortunately I can't do that but having it low is not bad because it blends into the many other noises on the layout. And as soon as one train is running you don't here it anyway.
If it's more of a whine than a hiss, it could be the generator sound. If it is, it will be off when the headlights are off.
The sound is still there even with the headlights off. But I tested the different whistles. While CV 115=0 is the steamboat I didn't like 115=1 but 2. 2 is actually louder than 0 so I set that and now I'm quite satisfied.