Hi!
I've got an HO ABBA set of Stewart FT locos with the two B units using the Stewart/Tsunami power & sound chassis. These are really nice locos and the set will easily pull whatever I throw at it.
My problem is really no big deal, but it is a bit irritating. In example, if I park the consist in the terminal (or anywhere else for that matter) and hit the function 8 button (Digitrax DT-400), the sound turns off - as it should.
So afterwards at some point I'll shut down the layout, but when I turn the layout on again (i.e. the next day), those B units begin making sound. Said another way, the "turn off the sound function 8" does not hold the sound off when the layout is "re-started".
Like I said, this is no biggeee, but I suspect there is a way to get the sound units to act as they should.
Thanks!
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Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
If the unit is addressed when the Digitrax system is turned on, it will make the sounds come on.
Next time, before you turn it off, change the address to a loco NOT on your layout and then shut it down. The sounds should not come on at that point. If they do, you should be able to change a CV to have it time out.
Did the Tsunami in those B units come factory installed, or did you install them? Looking at the Bowser site, it appears that they came without. And they don't appear to be listed on the OEM installed Bowser page on the Soundtraxx site. The reason why I ask is that some of the OEM Tsunami don't have all the features of the after market Tsunami.
Anyway, take a look at CV 113 on page 65 of the Tsunami Diesel Technical reference: http://www.soundtraxx.com/manuals/Tsunami%20Diesel%20Technical%20Reference_1.13.pdf
As I understand what is written, for any non-zero value in CV113 the loco sounds will not start until either the loco is addressed, or you give it some function input, such as turn on the headlight. Note that all the functions have to be off for this to work, which means that you have to turn off the horn/light/bell and let the timer time out before everything allegedly works.
See if that works and let us know.
To add to what Maxman said. Set CV 113 to a non-zero number and then whenyou are finished with the loco turn off the lights and set the throttle to zero and the sound will time out. You will get no sounds when the layout is powered up again until you select the loco and either notch up the throttle, turn on the lights, ring the bell, etc. It actually works quite well for me.
Joe
Bowser has offered replacement chassis for the various F units with a Tsunami installed. I have one. They use a full Tsunami, no OEM limited feature stuff.
This problem is the opposite some have had with other sound decoders and NCE systems. Digitrax always sends packets to any selected decoder address, even if you haven't actively chnged anything, like adjusting the speed or operating a function. NCE only sends when it needs to, and some sound decoders have a silent shutdown - if they don't see packets, they shut off the sound.
If only Soundtraxx would slightly alter the setting for their mute function, so that it would STAY muted until you turned off F8, or at least set some way for the decoder to REALLY stay off until commanded to start the sounds.
The only way you can stop packets from goign to the decoder with digitrax is to make sure the speed is 0 and dispatch it, then wait for the purge timeout (200 seconds) so the slot gets totally freed. Next time the system is turned on, there won;t be any packets sent to that address until you call it up again.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Hey, you guys are good! The CV adjustment did the trick.
Thank you all!
mobilman44 Hi! Hey, you guys are good! The CV adjustment did the trick.
So, I take it that it worked as advertised? What value did you put in CV113, and which DCC system do you have?
I believe I set it to "1". My system is a Digitrax SuperChief with second 5 amp booster, with 8 power districts, each with its own breaker.
On a side note: I have this issue with my tsunami's that I installed last year. I called Soundtraxx and their explanation was "if you use your command station (in my case a Zephyr Xtra) to power up/down, this occurs. If you use the STOP button on a hand held for power down, the sound should shut down".
The Soundtraxx decoder (TSU-750) that I bought and installed this year does not do this. It will shut down and stay silent until called upon, so they must have changed something with the decoder since last year. I don't have any hand helds (yet) and still use the command station for power up/down.
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