I currently have 8 sound engines and will be in the next few weeks purchasing 2 more. The 8 I currently have all have Tsunami sound decoders in them (6 have Tsunami's and 2 have Tsunami 2's) and the 2 new engines will be the Scale Trains Tier 4 Gevo and the their Admiral Cab SD40-2. These 2 engines will come with LOK Sound.
So if I wanted to lash up an engine with a Tsunami 2 and one with LOK Sound how do I go about doing that. More specifically, entering the CV values for orientation of the two engines, what engine will carry the lights and horn etc. Do Tsunami and LOK Sound decoders have similar CV addresses or is it similar to lashing up 2 engines with Tsunami's which I have done plently of or it is a bit more complicated.
Any information would be greatly appreciated. Not sure if it maters but I model HO Scale with a Digitrax DCS51 Zephyr system.
Thanks
Some general points not the detail you are asking for, which requires rewriting parts of each decoder manual.
RR Baron
With Digitrax default consisting all you really need to worry about is gettimg them somewhat close in speed matching. They dot's have to be dead on speed step for speed step, close is goood enough. When you consist them, spped, directioon, and function command will be sent to the selected loco (which is usually the lead), the rest just get speed and direction commands. It's a little easier with one of the DT throttles since you can have the consist lead selected on one knob and pick any of the others on the second knob - since not all my locos have sound and I'm not sure if I ever will, I will often put a sound one in between two non-sound. I control the consist with the lead, non-sound loco, but by selecting the middle loco on the left knob, I can blow the horn and turn the bell on and off.
Anything you've seen about CV21 and CV22 for function in a consis pretty much goes out the window with Digitrax since those CVs only apply to CV19 consisting. Yoou CAN do CV19 consisting with Digitrax, even automatically, but the default method of managing the consists in the command station takes care of not having the horn blow for all locos in the consist, just the lead one. It does mean when you get to the end of the line and want to go back the other way, you have to break and remake the consist with the (former) trailing unit now the lead.
--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 know about the Tsunami 2s but the prior Tsunami's make easy speed matching a bit unusual due to lack of CVs 5 &6. You can do it precisely using the many-point speed table but I much prefer to use a dual slope speed table set by CV2 (slow), CV6 (mid) and CV5 (top). Note that it may be desireable to speed match all locos that you might want to consist to a standard.
So, you can match the Tsunami using its CV2 and the forward & reverse "trim" CVs in combination with the LokSounds CVs 2, 6 & 5. First, lower CV2 on each loco to get slowest but smooth speed at speed step 1. (I'll assume that you can leave the BEMF setting alone as they may have been tuned prior. I'll also assume the Tsunami speed curve is a default straight line.) Then set the slower loco CV2 higher to get it to run about the same speed as the faster one at speed step 1.
Next, figure out which loco runs faster at max speed. If it is the LokSound, lower its CV5 to slow it to match the Tsunami top speed. If the Tsunami is faster, lower the forward and reverse CVs to match it to the LokSound loco. You're halfway there. Then, set the speed step to midpoint (e.g., 63 on my NCE) and run the locos near each other. Adjust the LokSound mid-point CV6 to get it to run at the same speed as the Tsunami at the mid-speed speed step. You're done.
Note that on sound the LokSound default on power up is for sound off. F8 starts up the motor. That can be reversed if you wish. (I don't like that.) I forget how the Tsunami behaves on default, but I recall you can set some CVs to keep the sound off until you start movement, and for the sound to stop after a period of time on stopping the loco. What you do not want is for F8 for a consist to turn on one loco's sound and simultaneously turn of the other's (which is already on at power on). Maybe someone can clarify this.
On lighting, I can't help. I don't even get the directional lighting working as desired with consisted LokSounds.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
willjaynaSo if I wanted to lash up an engine with a Tsunami 2 and one with LOK Sound how do I go about doing that. More specifically, entering the CV values for orientation of the two engines, what engine will carry the lights and horn etc. Do Tsunami and LOK Sound decoders have similar CV addresses or is it similar to lashing up 2 engines with Tsunami's which I have done plently of or it is a bit more complicated.
It is exactly the same regardless of the docoder in the locomotive. Digitrax has a youtube video that tells you exactly how to do it (but it sounds like you already know how to do it.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2QKuAduOUA
As for which loco controls the sound, it will be the controlling loco. And if you want the lights on the trailing loco to work, make sure you turn the lights on for that locomotive before you complete the consist.
I thought that preparing a consist with your DCC system is as simple as entering the address of your lead loco and then use the relevant button to "add" the second loco. No need to bother with what make of decoder or any CVs
The lead loco will react to the controller function controls, the second loco will only react with relevant engine sounds when the speed control is advanced. It will not resond to function commands from the controller. This means the lead loco horn will sound on F2, but not on the second loco. (This is what would happen on the prototype and is the default way consisting is applied by DCC protocols.) If you want to change anything on the second loco, lights for example, just call up that loco's address and the loco will respond to the controller.
It is, but Tsunami's silly defaults make it less than ideal. The default is it plays the startup sounds when the decoder gets speed step 1. If yooou actually accelerate away, the Tsunami will be playing the startup sounds while the loco is already moving at speed. Loksound projects typically default to F8 to 'turn on' the sound, it plays the startup sound and then sits there idling. At speed step 1, most Loksound locos will move, unless the BEMF is turned off.
So you can "just add them" if you don't mind that the Loksound loco is revving up the prime mover as it pulls away from the station while the Tsunami one is just starting its engine. Such things have to be taken into account when consisting different sound decoders because there is no standard for what functions makes what sound. It's fairly common that F1 is the bell and F2 is the horn, but after that, pretty much anything goes.