Be advised, some never check documents. The Bachmann EZ Command will not change CV's. Another fact that should be well known.
The NCE site shows the manuals for the different controllers. No idea about the Twin as I have not looked at the manual yet. I use the NCE Power Cab.
Do some research before you buy, not after you buy
Setting chuff rate is not a big deal unless you are a rivet counter.
Rich
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If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
One of the annoying things about the Soundtraxx Tsunami's is you have to program them for alternate power source (Analog mode) in CV29 before they will recognize a DC current to make them go. Otherwise the decoder treats it as a braking section and just sits there. To be honest you need to also program the chuff rate too.
So if you don't have access to a DCC system that programs sound decoders (Digitrax Zephr in Blast Mode, or NCE PowerCab) you might be out of luck.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
It is common knowledge that the Tsunami needs a CV set with a DCC controller when you want to run with DC. Check the documents at the SoundTraxx site.
I tried the Tsunami I have with DC and they did not work without setting the CV.
A decoder needs clean track, wheels and pickups for good operation. Not looks clean but you actually did some cleaning,
I have installed wipers on tenders using Kadee #5 coupler springs. I used the below idea and used #30 wire.
http://www.55n3.org/cars/tender_wipers/
If you buy a Bachmann with on board sound, they are ready to run on DC if no one disabled the CV before you if from a private sale. That has happened to some.
It was the old pre-DCC K4 Pacific model, with no tender pickups. I bought a Soundtraxx Tsunami DCC sound decoder and speaker to go into a new tender I got with pickups, but for some reason it would not work right on DC (he's not yet converted to DCC yet).
I had isolated the motor from the frame and soldered two wires two the pickups on the DCC decoder, but the Tsunami would not even run. I could hear sounds, but I could not run the loco on DCC at full throttle.
After soldering the wires to the loco frame again, the engine ran erratically at best. It was jerky, whereas it wasn't always that way before the attempted the conversion.
I have two options:
1. Get a DCC system for my son and attempt to hook up the new Bachmann Spectrum tender to the old K4 Pacific with the Tsunami decoder. There is no guarantee that the engine will work right, even with the added tender pickups. I have already adapted the loco to the new tender by running isolated wires to the new tender, I just have not hooked them up yet. He is only five, so the NCE POwercab DCC system I have is a little complicated for him right now.
2. Get a new steam locomotive that can run on DC. He still has three other engines that are on DC that he runs, so I would not have to convert them to DCC. BLI is a good option.
Thoughts?