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Precision T1 and Lok Sound Decoder

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  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Sunday, October 25, 2009 10:42 AM

I guess things really did get all reset - out of the box mine was quite in-synch, if you mean a proper 4 chuffs per revolution, at least when running slow enough to actually count. Once you get moving they blend together and you can't see the rods to count anyway. What mine needed was a minor correction of a loose wire in the tender, and I also loosened the motor screw and aligned the drive shaft better so the universal wasn't preloaded in one direction, which made the engine run with a slight hitch at the slowest speed. I think I bumped up CV2 so it would creep on speed step 1 - the BEMF in Loksound decoders is incredible.

Whistle depends on preference, but the correct one is detemined by road number, if it's 2102 or 2124 it should have the excursion whistle, I had 2111 as an in-service freight unit so the freight whistle was more appropriate. If you want an even better set of sounds and have access to a Loksound Programmer to repalce the sound files, Nick Kulp has a set of sounds he recorded off the actual 2102, basically the whistle and the auxiliaries. Different whistles were fitted for different excusrion runs so there are many 'correct' ones.

                                      --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,877 posts
Posted by maxman on Saturday, October 24, 2009 3:16 PM

rrinker

 I had to change all the volumes, for the same reason you mention, the bell and extra sounds were overwhelming the whistle and chuffs. As for swapping which whistle was used for F2, it's in the section on function remapping. I don't remember the exact CVs I changed, and I don't have the loco anymore, but it involved switching which sound slot was triggered by F6 (or maybe it was F4) and switching it to be controlled by F2, and switching the one for F2 to F6 (or F4 - honestly I don't remember exactly). The whistle by default on F2 was a multi-chime as used on excursions and the other one was a 'shriek' whistle similar to in-service freight units (I'm talking about a Reading T1 Northern, not the C&O T1).

 As for other sounds, there's a brake squeal (that might be F6), the radio chatter (F10 I think), and a bunch others - just try the different functions.

                                       --Randy

Okay, thanks again.  I just came up from the basement after spending a bunch of time trying to synchronize the chuffs with the drivers.  Wasn't very successful, but since it isn't mine I'm not going to do any more with it.  I left it better than I found it, but then the owner may have a different opinion.

The engine is the Reading T1.  I personally like the excursion horn better, but if the owner wants the other one, I'll look into remapping the function for him.  Until that time I prefer to fill whatever brain cells I have left to more modern stuff.

Regards

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Saturday, October 24, 2009 1:32 PM

 I had to change all the volumes, for the same reason you mention, the bell and extra sounds were overwhelming the whistle and chuffs. As for swapping which whistle was used for F2, it's in the section on function remapping. I don't remember the exact CVs I changed, and I don't have the loco anymore, but it involved switching which sound slot was triggered by F6 (or maybe it was F4) and switching it to be controlled by F2, and switching the one for F2 to F6 (or F4 - honestly I don't remember exactly). The whistle by default on F2 was a multi-chime as used on excursions and the other one was a 'shriek' whistle similar to in-service freight units (I'm talking about a Reading T1 Northern, not the C&O T1).

 As for other sounds, there's a brake squeal (that might be F6), the radio chatter (F10 I think), and a bunch others - just try the different functions.

                                       --Randy


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,877 posts
Posted by maxman on Saturday, October 24, 2009 11:48 AM

rrinker

 Pretty sure it's the full decoder, I was able to adjust all the volume CVs with in my T1. And even change the F2 function to control the second whistle that was on I think F6 from the factory. My T1 actually came with actual Loksound instructions as well as the Precision instruction sheet.

                                                  --Randy

 

Okay, thanks, that's good to know.  It would have been nice to have the instructions, but I'm basically trying to do a favor for another clubmember.  He was having a problem where he couldn't get any sound out of the engine (after a short) and I offered to bring it home and "look at it" after someone else tried and had no luck.  That's when I asked for the instructions and got the "they're at home someplace" answer.  Anyhow I downloaded the Broadway instructions and must have hit the correct combination of CVs because the engine is now making noise.

However, what I found was that the only two CVs listed in the Broadway instructions seemed to control the master volume and the horn volume.  So the random noises seem to overpower the whistle.  If the random noise is lowered, then the horn volume is also lowered.  But if those other two CVs listed in the Lok Sound instruction can be adjusted, maybe I can lower the random noise and still have the horn at an acceptable level.

You mentioned that you were able to re-assign the horn function to the other whistle.  Do remember how you did that?

Also, do you happen to have the list of what function button does what that came with the engine?  I didn't see this in either of the instruction sheets.  I know that F0 is the light, functions F1 and F2 are bell/horn, and F8 allows you to raise and lower master volume, but what other sounds are controlable?

Thanks and regards.

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Saturday, October 24, 2009 11:05 AM

 Pretty sure it's the full decoder, I was able to adjust all the volume CVs with in my T1. And even change the F2 function to control the second whistle that was on I think F6 from the factory. My T1 actually came with actual Loksound instructions as well as the Precision instruction 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.

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,877 posts
Precision T1 and Lok Sound Decoder
Posted by maxman on Saturday, October 24, 2009 10:23 AM

Does anyone know off the top of their head if the Lok Sound decoder that comes with the Precision T1 is the same decoder that I find here: http://www.esu.eu/uploads/tx_esudownloads/524xx_LokSound_V35_ESUKG_US_Betriebsanleitung_Auflage_IV_ebook_01.pdf 

Or is it a stripped down version? 

I'm trying to adjust the individual sounds and the instructions for the engine that I found at the Broadway site only show master volume and horn volume CVs, while the instruction above has two additional CVs for bell and auxiliary sounds.  I'd call Broadway but they're not there over the weekend.

Thanks. 

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