I have a BLI Heavy Pacific Pargon 2 that was used and the chuffing stopped working. Ok, when it is in the mood it works. Then I got a new Pargon 3 BLI PRR I1sa. Well I have had it 37 days now and it has all so stopped chuffing!
I know from talking with a friend that the problem is a reed switch. Do they all do this?
While I love Rolling Thunder, is this going to be problem with all BLI Steam now?
BLI QSI steam, not a decoder or sound problem!
Thanks for the coming answers, Ken
I hate Rust
Ken,
I've never had an issue with a BLI decoder chuff failing on me. However, IIRC, Ed (gmpullman) has had to replace a few of the reed switches in his BLI locomotives.
So, Paragon 2 decoders have been good for me. Even so - if one did fail on me, I'd immediately replace it with a TCS WOWSteam 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.
tstageHowever, IIRC, Ed (gmpullman) has had to replace a few of the reed switches in his BLI locomotives.
Tom's recollection is spot-on. It was only one locomotive, a BLI Streamlined Hudson, that had the bad reed switch sensor but I broke the new one by bending one of the leads a little too much and the glass broke (I bought four replacements from BLI so I still had a spare)
I have noticed the "chuff" drop out for a while on certain other BLI steam engines but they all seem to have come back to life a short while later.
It really is a poor design. The reed switch is a mechanical device and is subject to wear, misalignment and perhaps, the magnet wimping out on the flywheel. Since the switch is on the motor shaft it has to read that magnet at a much higher RPM than the four-beats per driver rotation that the exhaust is timed at. An optical sensor, similar to what your mouse wheel uses, would be much less prone to failure.
BLI_Chuff_detail by Edmund, on Flickr
R= reed switch: M= magnet (embedded in the brass flywheel)
Other decoders that use a motor RPM algorithm to set chuff timing work just fine after a little tweaking. It would be nice if BLI gave the option of disabling the reed switch input but I'm not aware of any work-around.
You could try to take a very strong rare-earth magnet, say from an old hard drive, and pass it over the boiler area just ahead of the cab and wave it around. It just might get the reed switch "unstuck" but if your engine is still under warranty, maybe have BLI check it out. Seems odd that it would give you trouble so early. But again, it is a mechanical device and thus subject to failure.
cudaken BLI QSI steam, not a decoder or sound problem!
BLI has not used a QSI decoder since 2009. Rolling Thunder should be a Paragon Three?
Larry Puckett has a mention of it here:
https://www.dccguy.com/?p=5067
Although he is in error by saying that the magnet is on the driver (there would have to be four) the magnet is indeed on the input drive to the gearbox, the flywheel.
Good Luck, Ed
I own several Paragon and Paragon 2 steamers, and I have never had any decoder problems with any of them. I cannot speak for Paragon 3 decoders, since I have never owned any of them.
Rich
Alton Junction
richhotrainI own several Paragon and Paragon 2 steamers, and I have never had any decoder problems with any of them.
Same here. Paragon 3 is another story. I'd say half of the P3 locomotives I bought had to have replacement decoders or trips back to Florida.
Cheers, Ed
Could you have hit F8(mute) on your DCC system? That seems to be the common problem for sounds.
NS6770fanCould you have hit F8(mute) on your DCC system? That seems to be the common problem for sounds.
NS All of the other sounds work just fine.
Thanks for all the answer folks.
Ken
A Hall sensor (more or less a solid state version of a reed switch) would be a better choice too - but that's what MTH uses so I guess BLI is avoising patent issues. Optical would be a great alternative, but maybe someone else is using that. Reed switch is absolutely the worst option, over time they have a tendency to magnetize the leaves and then they either never close or never open.
My only BLI locos are actually from their alternate PCM branding, with Loksound - never had a problem with those babies, outside of some teethign problems (pickup wire not in the plug inside the tender properly on one, resultign in poor pickup on one side, and bushing twisted on one of the sprung driver axles of the other - easily fixed and no problems since). Those have to be 13+ years old now, though they don't have a HUGE amount of run time - none in the past 6 years.
--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 Randy! I really love my PCM Steam Engines with the Loksound!
Later, Ken
Little up date. Spoke with Melody today at BLI. Seems there is a CV that will defeat the defective reed switch.
On Pardon II steam set CV 246 to 0 and CV 255 controls Chuff speed.
Paragon III steam CV 246 to 0 but CV 244 controls the Chuff speed.
Will give it a try and let you know what happens.
cudakenSpoke with Melody today at BLI.
Sounds like Melody is singing my tune that is: good information!
Thanks for sharing that, Ken. I'll file it away if (when) the reed switch fails again on any of my BLI steam. Glad they designed in a workaround.
Thanks again, Ed
cudaken Little up date. Spoke with Melody today at BLI. Seems there is a CV that will defeat the defective reed switch. On Pardon II steam set CV 246 to 0 and CV 255 controls Chuff speed. Paragon III steam CV 246 to 0 but CV 244 controls the Chuff speed. Will give it a try and let you know what happens. Ken
I'll have to file that away as well, as I have a number of BLI engines of various types.
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
I've also had a chuff sensor fail on my Paragon3 Pacific and "fixed" it by new settings for CV246 and CV220, following advice from the techs at BLI, and this should apply to all BLI steam locos. CV246 sets 8 different operation parameters through each of its 8 bits, and it's the next to highest bit that turns the chuff sensor on or off. So setting it to 192 sets the bits to 11000000, which turns off the chuff sensor (it also leaves the highest bit at 1 which leaves the smoke unit on if you have smoke). Next, CV220, which controls chuff interval timing, needs to be adjusted up or down from the factory setting of 150 to get it to synchronize with the drive wheels. After timing the chuff rate and drive wheel rpm with a stopwatch at various speed settings I determined that setting CV220 to 118 synced the chuffs to drive wheel rotation very well. The best setting may be different for other locos with different gearing. So far I've been happy with the chuff sound that I have running without a physical chuff sensor.