Is the following correct: If I buy a Soundtraxx Tsunami TSU1000 Light Steam decoder, I will also need to buy their programer?
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
Not necessarily, depends on your DCC system.
I have not needed a program track booster to program Tsunami, QSI, MRC, Digitrax, or Loksound decoders with my Digitrax equipment.
Some do.
Program on the main always works
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
The PTB-100 is a booster, not a programmer like Loksounds or QSIs. It is useful in programming all decoders on the programming track. You can program without it by using service mode programming. I have a PTB-100 and find it valuable, particularly with the JMRI software for all decoders.
Richard
It's Tsunami for me as well. I do find that I never use a program track and always program on the main using my Digitrax Zephyr DC-51. I have had no trouble with the Tsunami rod clank sound and can turn it up or down at will as I can with all sounds. Note: I run narrow gauge engines and all narrow gauge stuff was and still is worn out in real life and rod clank is omni-present. It is part of the narrow gauge scene.
Printing the full Tsunami sound manual can cause any new comer to freak a bit, but it just shows the full featured nature of the beast and what you ploped down the 100 skins for.
I recently installed the TSU750 for the K series in an old PFM United K-28 that I also remotored and it works fabulously.
You do get what you pay for, that's for sure.
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed
I think it's a steam vs diesel thing. I don;t really like ANY Tsunami diesel sounds, and particualrly their horns are about the worst of any. The horns in the Tsunami I have are no better than the ones in the old Soundtraxx DSD-LC I have. Prime mover is a bit better in the Tsunami, but that's also generic VS specific 567A. Most Youtube videos of Tsunami diesels fail to impress as well.
The STEAM ones though - other than sometimes low whistle volume, do sound VERY good.
narrow gauge nuclearNote: I run narrow gauge engines and all narrow gauge stuff was and still is worn out in real life and rod clank is omni-present. It is part of the narrow gauge scene.
Richard,
If the rod clank didn't sound like the beginning of an alien invasion, I wouldn't mind so much. Having spent time just behind the engine and at trackside, it only modestly resembles the real thing. Not quite sure how they got everything else pretty much right and that sound, well, just weird.
Randy,
Whistle volume for the steam Tsunami is CV 129 and easy to bump up in Ops Mode.
For a long time, I used the programming track I have back in staging that's powered by my NCE PowerCab. Lately I've been doing more programming in Ops Mode out on the line now that I trust myself enough with DCC I'm not worried about setting everything to Default #3 . There are a few things that can't be done in Ops Mode, but it tends to be arcane stuff, most everything else common can be done on the main.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Yeah it sucks. I've had two Digitrax sound decoders and one non-sound decoder and they were porr performers and just sucked all around. Now whenever people ask me about sound decoders I'll steer them away from Digitrax like the plague.
To just say Digitrax Decoders suck, is meaningless! Did you: read the instructions; or, talk to the manufacturer about your problems and where they helpful?
I am not going after you Gatrhumpy, only asking you to be more specific. If your talking about Digitrax's sound decoders, not performing well sound wise, O.K. this has been mentioned, I've seen good and bad reviews of all the decoder mentioned, both here on the MR Forums and at retailers that have customer product reviews. My own experience installing 10-12 Digitrax non-sound decoders, I feel trumps your comment that they suck.
The problem with Digitrax decoders in the past were: poor sound volume,limited sound files, the loco slowing down when the horn/whistle was blon and when the bell was rung. I don't know if the decoders have been fixed. If you want to change sound files you need a PR3 and 18V power supply. I use this and JMRI to programm my sound decoders(QSI,Soundtraxx). Join the Digitrax sound Yahoo group if you plan om trying their decoders. Some members have created their own sound files that are not on Digitrax's web site. I have a steam loco I run just for the fun of it( I run diesels). I down loaded a steam file from the Yahoo group into the Digitrax HO sound decoder. The volume is great and it runs fine. So the answer from me would be how much do you want to invest in usingDigitrax decoders? IE PR3, loading the sounds into you computer and then into the decoder? If money is not tight, try a PR3 and Digitrax decoder yourself. Joe
Motor control still leaves a lot to be desired on DIgitrax decoders, sound or non-sound. Their BEMF implemntation is weak, at best. There are a coupel of steps across the 128 SS range where they apparantly gathered all the acculumated 'error' in the BEMF forumula (computers working in powers of 2 have a few numbers they cannot directl express, so rounding errors creep in) so you get jumps between those speed steps instead of a smooth acceleration.
They still haven;t done anything to the code to make LEDs work better - the effects are great for incandescent bulbs, but they fall flat with LEDs.
The sounds - if you go to the Yahoo Group Digitraxsound and see what some of the people have managed to make these decoders do - it's amazing. None of the samples currently in the Sound Depot are up to those standards. Proper HEP sounds for Amtrak diesels, notching with transition effects between notches, all sorts of stuff. The problem is, it isn;t very easy to create these sort of things yourself.
Another neat project is one that is desnged to make the Digitrax sound decoder into a stationary sound unit - hook it up to some powered computer speakers for under-layout sounds and load some sound files of background noises, it then plays some continuously, some at random, and then has some triggered sounds as well, like one of those sound boards that are avaialble. With the Digitrax decoders you have direct access to the code running on the processor. The good news is, this means you cna make it do darn near anything. The bad news is, you have to be a PIC programming expert to actually do it all. Other decoders that let you change sounds have you interect with a 'script' that says which sound to play when certain conditions are met, and underlying biut of the firmware which you never touch is responsibly for interpreting this script at runtime to play the sounds, so rather than program the entire processor, you tell it what to play and when, the complicated coding is done for you. That's the real difference between Digitrax and some of the others.
Digitrax sound uses a higher ohm value for speakers too, I think 32. Which limits the envelope of available speakers for installs. I don' t think their processor is 16 bit or better either, but can't recall for sure.
rrinker I think it's a steam vs diesel thing. I don;t really like ANY Tsunami diesel sounds, and particualrly their horns are about the worst of any. The horns in the Tsunami I have are no better than the ones in the old Soundtraxx DSD-LC I have. Prime mover is a bit better in the Tsunami, but that's also generic VS specific 567A. Most Youtube videos of Tsunami diesels fail to impress as well. The STEAM ones though - other than sometimes low whistle volume, do sound VERY good. --Randy
I have found to get something I'm happy with on the diesels requires a good, bigger speaker, high bass, sometimes 2 of them with good enclosures I make myself. There are many good things they have done with several prime movers. I really like the 645 non turbo. The 567 has good transition on notches. The equalizer makes a BIG difference once you get speakers installed that can handle some adjustment. Reverb can help with the horns sometimes. I have one GE unit in a P42 that sounds just like the Amtrak 5 chime that comes through town twice daily.
The Digitrax is an 8 bit processer. Joe
So, I finally made a decision on what Sound Decoder to purchase and place an order yesterday. Because I have very high regard for Digitrax, I went with their SFX064D.