Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

DCC prime mover sound spool-down delay

1131 views
11 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 6 posts
DCC prime mover sound spool-down delay
Posted by woodsman on Friday, August 11, 2023 1:04 PM

If I'm running along at a mid-to-high throttle setting, and then quickly throttle down, there is a long delay before the sound (rpm) of the prime mover begins to spool down. Is this delay adjustable? (Loksound V5 XL with Alco 251B 6-cyl sound file.)

  • Member since
    May 2020
  • 946 posts
Posted by wrench567 on Friday, August 11, 2023 8:13 PM

    This is the fourth attempt to reply. I keep getting the dreaded 403 forbidden.

  Do you have a programmer or using CVs?

     Pete.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 6 posts
Posted by woodsman on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 7:21 PM

Hello Pete. I use the Lokprogrammer to do my programming. Thanks for the reply. -Dave.

  • Member since
    May 2020
  • 946 posts
Posted by wrench567 on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 9:51 PM

  Hi Dave.

 In the sound slot setting tab. Prime mover sound slot. The lower slider adjust down a couple notches. It says minimum speed but it should work for your timing. It works for my version 5 decoders.

      Pete.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 6 posts
Posted by woodsman on Thursday, September 7, 2023 11:14 PM

Hi Pete. Sorry for the long delay in my response. I appreciate your advice. I can't say that I understand what those min/max sound speed sliders really do - they are both at their defaults (in the center). Does "sound speed" refer to the rpms of the prime mover? In any case, I will certainly give it a shot the next time I have the programmer hooked up. Thank you! -Dave

 

  • Member since
    September 2023
  • 1 posts
Posted by josesloss on Tuesday, September 12, 2023 10:24 PM

woodsman

If I'm running along at a mid-to-high throttle setting, and then quickly throttle down, there is a long delay before the sound (rpm) of the prime mover begins to spool down. Is this delay adjustable? (Loksound V5 XL with Alco 251B 6-cyl sound file.)uno online

If you want to adjust the delay of the prime mover sound, you can change the value of CV 124, which controls the startup delay. By default, this CV is set to 20 or 28, which means that the locomotive will only start moving after the prime mover has reached notch 1. You can disable this delay by setting CV 124 to 16, or reduce it by setting it to a lower value than 20 or 28.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 6 posts
Posted by woodsman on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 9:12 AM

Thank you for your reply. I'm not sure this is related to my problem as I described it above, but I'll play with it anyway.

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 8,983 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, September 20, 2023 9:45 PM

I don't think adjusting Start Up Delay has anything to do with your problem.

Under Sound Settings in the Lokprogrammer, Heavy Loads and Coast Mode.

There is a setting  Coast Mode Decrease sound acceleration.  I have no idea what that really means, it looks like a non sequitur but it might decrease sound on deceleration.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 6 posts
Posted by woodsman on Thursday, September 21, 2023 4:44 PM

Thanks Henry. With my current sound file, LokProgrammer does not show any Coast Mode or Heavy Mode settings in the Sound Settings menu.

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 8,983 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Thursday, September 21, 2023 8:57 PM

woodsman
With my current sound file, LokProgrammer does not show any Coast Mode or Heavy Mode settings in the Sound Settings menu.

You might need to download the latest version of Lokprogrammer.

Your question peaked my curriousity and I asked on the ESU Groups.io.  So far the answers are addressing if a Loco of that vintage still needed the power for braking and cooling, so maybe it didn't really spool down.  I'll keep you posted

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
  • 15,917 posts
Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, September 21, 2023 10:25 PM

I'm curious as to how much momentum you have programmed in to the CV 4 deceleration rate that you can turn down the throttle expecting the prime mover to 'spool down' while the train stays in motion? It must be pretty high?

Have you tried using the ESU Full Throttle F9 'drive hold' feature and dialed down the prime mover while it is active and the engine still in motion? How soon does the RPM sound take to go to idle? With drive hold active you should be able to run the prime mover through its entire RPM range without affecting motor speed.

Good Luck, Ed

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 8,983 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Friday, September 22, 2023 9:59 AM

There is a parallel discussion on the ESU Groups.IO Forum about Dynamic Sound Function

ESU offers no explanation of this feature, at least for those of us who are confined to the English language. 

" Dynamic Sound Control has been released for the first time, which enables a load-dependent sound using our Primary Load and Optional Load functionality. This feature is currently intended for LokSound users who are keen to experiment. We will provide further information very soon in the ESU forum."

Recognizing that what one reads in the forum, any forum, may be misinformation, what I have gleaned is that it requries the latest update to the lokprogrammer and firmware upgrade to the decoder.  It is said to work with all sound packages.

It requires an "Auto Tune" -like procedure were CV 200 is set to 255 and with the loco on the track one presses F1.  It then works off BEMF logic or Function keys 4 and 9.  I'm afraid I can't do justice to the conversation over there and my layout is without power at the moment so I cannot experiment.

The Auto tune procedure is mentioned in the ESU Factory forum, not by ESU, but from someone who knows a guy who talked to an ESU rep.  There is much more discussion in Groups.Io

 

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!