The sound programmer hardware is vendor-specific. The Digitrax one will load Digitrax sound decoders but no others The QSI one will load QSI decoders but no others. The Loksound one will load Loksoudn decoders but no others.
There is no standard for sound decoder loading methods or file formats, so each has their own.
The Digitrax PR3 does work with JMRI to be a general purpose programmer (reads and writes CVs for any decoder), but again, it can only load sound files to a Digitrax sound decoder. There's no reason to supposed that if the protocols were made available, other programemrs like the Lokprogrammer couldn;t also do this, but either the information is not available from ESU or no one is much interested in making a general purpose programemr out of it to add it to the supported JMRI devices.
--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 don't own any of the decoder programmers, but have read that each programmer works only with that company's brand of decoder.
How complex is the programming hardware? Would it be possible to use it with the digitrax programming software to program digitrax decoders too? From the pictures it looks to complicated for that.
Select is not custom programmable, you cna only load complete sound sets. Each Select sound set comes with multiple horns and sometimes multiple prime movers that you cna switch between using a CV setting. They are like QSI. You can't make an Alco 251 into an EMD 645 by changing sounds, you have to load the EMD 645 sound set to switch to EMD 645. You also can;t customize the 'script' to do other things.
Loksoudn V4 though, is totally cusomizable. You can make it play music if you want. There are basic projects for various prime movers and they also have a libray of all their sounds. CHanging individual sounds is actually quite easy - their ALco 244 sound set has a 5-chime horn, but they have the M3 I need fo rmy railroad in their library and it was easy to sqap it in the Lokprogrammer software. Somewhat harder is altering the 'script' but I'm pretty sure you could put in an event that triggers when the loco comes to a stop to turn on a function output that would run the LED for the walkway lights.
Yes you would need the Lokprogrammer hardware to alter the decoder settings like this. That's the most expensive part. But after looking over and hearing the various options, I've deicded that all self-installed sound decoders I do will be Loksound, right now either Select or V4, a couple will need the Micro version, so I made the investment in the programmer hardware.
What about custom sound files like replacing a horn, air compressor, etc?
NSDash09 So I have the Loksound Select although I think I heard somewhere that the Select is not programmable so I would need a V4 instead.
So I have the Loksound Select although I think I heard somewhere that the Select is not programmable so I would need a V4 instead.
The Select is programmable. It uses flash memory and can be programmed with whatever sound scheme you want to have in it when you order from a source such as Litchfield Station, who will program it for you.
Changing or adding functions may not be programmable like you envision because adding functions would require hardware modification.
cacole Reality Check: Do you operate your layout in total darkness to the point that you would be able to see these lights when they came on? I would not want to have an additional $100 added to the cost of a locomotive equipped with this decoder 'gimmick' which would not be visible under normal layout lighting conditions.
Reality Check: Do you operate your layout in total darkness to the point that you would be able to see these lights when they came on? I would not want to have an additional $100 added to the cost of a locomotive equipped with this decoder 'gimmick' which would not be visible under normal layout lighting conditions.
That did occur to me. I planned on using the really small surface mount leds so i figure they should at least be visible in room light. I am super detailing this NS Dash-9 so i figured i would go for broke. If it works it would be worth shutting of the lights and showing off for ~30 sec. I wanted to automate the lights so they don't require a slot on the controller. If they end up being hard to access then likely I will forget about them and then it doesn't matter if the lights work or not; they won't be practical to use.
So I have the Loksound Select although I think I heard somewhere that the Select is not programmable so I would need a V4 instead. I take it I would also need the LokProgrammer? If I decide to get another decoder and the programmer I guess I might as well fix some of the sounds like the air compressor, etc. The Dash-9 I am using is a Norfolk Southern one so I may as well fix some of the horns and such. Has anyone had any experience reprogramming custom sound files on a Loksound? I played with the software but I couldn't run most of the program without physically owning the programmer.
This MIGHT be possible with a Loksoudn decoder, but it woudl require customizing the 'script'. I haven't really dug into this, but you cna have events such as forward to stop trigger actions, and I don't see where the actions are required to be sounds. Customizing Loksound decoders is sort of liek connectign buildign blocks of events and actions to make a program, not easy, but not at all as difficult as programming directly in code.
WHich is option #2. Since customizing Digitrax sound decoders is pretty much directly coding the processor on it, this same capability is likely in there as well, but would require quite a bit of coding experience to figure out.
Decoders where you cannot customize the operation like Tsunami and QSI are probably not going to be able to do this.
There should be a spare function output that can be used to manually turn these lights on and off, but doing so automatically would have to be programmed into the decoder by the manufacturer, and there would no doubt be an additional cost for doing this.
The precise number of LEDs is still flexible, my main concern is the number of lighting functions on the decoder. I seem to remember ~12V for an Athearn BB's headlight so i figured 8 x 1.5V LEDs should be pretty reasonable for one function output. I know digitrax has the soundbug which stacks on to an original decoder. Can you do something similar and put another decoder on to a tsunami or Loksound (9 pin plug) either with specific automated features or simply just more lighting outputs?
This is quite a challenge, since AFAIK there isn't a decoder with that particular feature available.
However, with additional electronics you may be able to achieve the effect. Using a Tsunami you could for example use a bandpass filter on an amplifier to detect the bell sound (fed from decoder amplifier output). the amplified signal could be rectified and used to control a transistor that supplies power to an accessory decoder to power the LEDs.
You may have to test the specific LEDs you want to use to determine if the normal DCC track voltage (14V typical) will illuminate 8 LEDs adequately. Based on Ohm's law they will not have low or no output. How low is based on the minimum amount of current the LEDs require to light. The specs and reality do not always match. You may get enough light; but maybe not.
This is a good idea to pass along to the decoder manufacturers. I'm sure TCS and QSI would take interest in this feature. Throttle Up may also but their firmware design may not be flexible enough.
Good luck
Carl in Florida - - - - - - - - - - We need an HO Amtrak SDP40F and GE U36B oh wait- We GOT THEM!
Many modern diesels (Dash 9's in particular) have safety of porch lights on the walkways and stairwells. I was hoping to model the effect by having the porch lights (I was thinking 8 leds in series on one aux) come on automatically when the speed dropped to a certain level much like the tsunami automatic bell does. Does anyone know how to set automatic lighting events in DCC? I am currently running a loksound Select on a MRC Prodigy Advanced Squared but I could move to a different decoder and put the Loksound in my heritage P40DC. Thanks in advance