I'm wondering if anybody else is having (or has had) this problem, and if there is any fix for it, outside of sending them back to the manufacturer for repairs. I have 2, BlueLine Light Mikado's, Nickel Plate Road #587 (I plan to kitbash it with a "pre-Walthers" Proto 2000 Heritage NKP Berkshire that quit working some time ago) and Southern #4501. Both of them have Digitrax DZ143PS DCC decoders installed in them. I'm using a MRC Prodigy Advance DCC system (the original , not the newer "2" version.) The problem I'm having is that neither engine has the correct chuff rate, they both have anywhere from 2-1/2 to 3 chuffs per revolution of the wheel. The only programming I have done to these engines, is changing the address of the locos to represent the cab numbers, CV180 for the bell ring rate, and CV2 to change the starting voltage, so they will start moving on speed step 1 of 128, there is really no problem with the slow speed of the engine. Is there a known CV for this type of engine that needs to be reprogrammed for the chuff rate (or is there one at all?) I can't find one in the manuals, both the supplied manual and the Tech Ref. available online through BLI, and I have searched many forums relating to this topic. Also, is there any way to change the whistle on the engine as it does not sound real to me, I don't mind the pitch or the overall sound of the whistle, I just don't like that it plays a "special" ending after every long whistle blast, and I don't mean the "alternate ending" as described in the manual. Check out these links to see what I mean, if you don't already know. These are not my videos, but I have the very same type of engine, I'm only using the links for reference.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTHIzzMrbWI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLo3fThtodI
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Have you downloaded the Blue LIne Technical Reference Manual from BLI's web site to see if there is a CV that can be adjusted? If it can't be done this way, then you're probably stuck with what you have.
(NOTE: I just looked through my copy of the Blue Line Steam Technical Reference Manual and could find no CV that adjusts the chuff rate. With DCC, there are 255 CVs that can be used to adjust sound decoder performance, but none of them are related to the chuff rate.)
If you had chosen the more expensive Paragon with QSI sound built in, or the newer Paragon2, the chuff rate would be right because it is controlled by a cam on one of the axles, but I don't think the Blue Line models are made this way.
Sending them back to BLI will do you no good at all because there's nothing they can do to them that will cure the problem, and it's not related to the brand of DCC system you're using or the motor control decoder you have installed.
It's a simple matter of "you get what you pay for."
You might want to look at CV196 as described on page 87 of the Blueline Steam Technical Reference Manual, found at this link http://www.broadway-limited.com/supportdocumentation.aspx.
The description says that this CV controls "how many sets of 4 chuffs or drive wheel revolutions...". However, even if this allows you some adjustment, I don't think you will be able to totally synchronize the sound to the drive wheels unless, as mentioned above, the engine has a cam. You might be able to get close as the drive wheels turn slowly, but as the wheels turn faster the effect is lost.
I own 5 Blueline steamers but not the light mike. All mine have a reed switch that sits above the flywheel to trigger the chuff rate. There is a small magnet on the flywheel that triggers the reed switch. On my M1b the bracket for the reed switch came undone and needed to be reset. You will have to pull the boiler off to fix this. Another thing to look at is the plug from tender to loco. Make sure it is seated good and some have found small bits of plastic in the female sockets that needed to be cleaned out.
CV196 is revolutions of the steam cocks. It has nothing to do with the chuff rate. This CV adjusts how many revolutions of the drivers the cylinder cocks are open to drain built up condensation in the cylinders.
Pete
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