That's a savings for ESU and a convenient update venue for the user.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
The manual I downloaded has only 48 pages. It is from May 2012. I did not see another just for select. I must be missing something here.
Marty www.pbase.com/Hejhog
you tube/martyHejhog1
Marty,
The Select manual is the 5th link down on the page from the early link. Here's the link again for convenience:
Loksound Instruction Manuals
Yes that is the one I have.
Oops...Looks like the page numbers I quoted to you earlier were from the V.4 manual. Sorry about that, Marty.
The lighting effects section in the Select manual is found on pgs.29-32. Sorry for the confusion.
Any progress yet on those ditch lights, Marty?
You mentioned earlier that the Lok select is good right out of the box, and I agree. It turns out that the ditch lights as in real life conditions are used for bridge crossings or passenger station approach at least those two are some reasons for using flashing ditch lights. So by sounding the bell the ditch light start flashing! So that solved that! I would like to set the frequency lower a bit though. Watching F40PTs at railway stations, they oscillate at slower freqs. I will review the pages on the manual for that. I am glad I do have the right manual I thought I was seeing things! Thanks for clearing that up.
For CV48, I want to hear more brake squeal , it seems to be muffled in with all the other sounds ,( which would make sense though in prototypical events). Tsunami and BLI locos I have brake squeal is more evident. That could be based on how bad their brakes are on the trucks too!
I set CV48 with the OEM setup (6) and added 128 for break squeal so 134 is what I tried. No change yet. I will experiment further!
Marty
And that's part of the fun of DCC. You can get into it as little or as much as you want. That's also smart of you to write down the default as you change CV values. If you don't like the results it's easy to change it back.
Marty, have you figured out how slow your locomotive goes at speed step 001? All of my Loksound decoders will do 1sMPH or less. To me - that's more important than sound.
I am sort of a fanatic with slow speed as well, but still have to become more educated on the speed tables. 1sMPH meaning 1 step or second?
1s[cale] mile per hour...oozing speed. I have an older Walthers SW1 switcher with a Lenz (non-sound) decoder that will actually do 1/3sMPH.
tstage Marty, have you figured out how slow your locomotive goes at speed step 001? All of my Loksound decoders will do 1sMPH or less. To me - that's more important than sound. Tom
As it is for me Tom. One question: When your Loksounds are traveling at such a slow speed, do you notice that old buzz (BEMF I assume) from the loco/decoder if you mute the sound?
- Douglas
Yea, a little bit...but it isn't very loud. Nothing like when you run a DCC locomotive on DC. That's a very annoying buzz.
Running the auto BEMF tuning will probably kill that. Or fine tuning the drive frequency - the default should be well above the hearing range for most people, but the motor may resonate at an even fraction of that. The default settings are pretty good for most cases, but aren't perfect for every motor. Some of the other Euro decoders like CT and Lenz Gold have similar adjustments to fine tune the drive for specific types and brands of motors.
--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 buzz I hear is pretty loud..at least I would call it loud. I think I've tried the auto tuning and it didn't change. It seems to be fairly common but I'm sure personal preferences dictate if its a real problem or not. Its a very nice decoder otherwise.
Hey Guys
I just created a little video and posted it on my YouTube channel. Tom wanted to know how slow I could get my loco to run, well I can't actually know in any measurement, so take a look at the video see what you think.
You Tube/MartyHejhog1
I named it SD40-2 BNSF Swoosh!
The link seems to be incomplete, as posted.
FYI: Calculating scale MPH (sMPH) isn't that complicated. All you need is:
Time how long it takes your locomotive to travel from Point A to Point B and calculate the following:
Example: It takes 15 secs for my locomotive to travel 3" (or 0.25')
Really I have to do math!!! Thanks I will try that. LOL You could not see video ? I will go back and see why.
I found the link, Marty:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_hywt0mQaM
Googled "SD40-2 BNSF Swoosh!".
Do you have your locomotive set to 28 or 128 speed steps? The remaining few seconds of the clip look like you were running more slowly than you were at the beginning of it.
I just checked my CV 29, it is set according to my DCS51 Zephyr plus to 038 which is 28/128 4 digit address. Which is what was set up.
I just turned the throttle up until I saw loco start moving. You mentioned run at speed step 1. I never tried that before . How can I do that without jazzing up my CVs for speed. I am looking at my Zephyr manual and checked you tube but nothing specific to running in step 1.
CV 2 is at 002 Vstart
You can adjust CV2 (VStart) to where it just begins moving at speed step 001. Instructions to do that should be in either your Zephyr manual and/or the Loksound Select manual - somewhere in the beginning.
On my Power Cab I have a button on the bottom row ("28/128") that allows me to instantly change speed steps (incriments) from 28 to 128 and vice versa. The higher number allows more smaller incrimental changes in speed for each speed step.
For example, if my top speed for a locomotive is an arbitrary 100 MPH, it will take 28 steps (or clicks of the knob or speed button) to go from zero to 100 vs. 128 steps to accomplish the same task. If you want to move your locomotive slowly throw the speed ranges then 128 speed steps is what you want.
Does that make sense?
You're going to need a computer interface such as a PR3 or Locobuffer and use a JMRI throttle to actually get speed step 1. That's the problem with the potentiometer control of the Zephyr, there's no way to be sure you are at step 1 or not. Other option would be a DT402 throttle plugged in. Those have encoders and you can get a definite step 1 out of them. If your only throttles are the Zephyr and/or UT4's, the best you can do is an approximation where the loco starts to move when you just barely nudge the throttle. But good luck making the same 'nudge' each time.
Thanks for clearing that up, Randy. So there's no digital readout on the Zephyr to indicate what speed step you are at?
Nope, just a throttle knob and a direction lever. The readout is only for selecting the address or displaying the CV numbers and values when programming. I don;t THINK the + and - buttons work to increment and decrement speed by a step at a time. I have the old original Zephyr, not the Xtra though. That's why the first thing I bought (other than some decoders) was a DT400 throttle. Encoders, and obvious speed step control.
I have the PR3 interface module and I am in the basic speed table according to JMRI. Should I put it in the 28 step pane? Then use the JMRI throttle?
Here is what I calculated using my phones stop watch.
0.25'/27sec= .009ft/sec
.009/5,280 x 3,600 sec x 87.1
= .53sMPH
I bumped the throttle a little waited for response bumped again and so forth until the loco moved.
0.53sMPH is not too shabby, Marty.
I am going to buy another select 6 aux for my Kato GP35 . I will try my Other Kato GP35 with the Tsunami KT1000, see how it compares. The only thing in common is Kato workmanship smaller loco but we will see.
I ran my Kato GP35 with the KT-1000 Tsunami decoder throught the same test as the SD40-2 with the ESU select decoder. Interesting enough there is notible jerking at the same speed (step001). The results was .91sMPH or 16 sec in 3 inches of travel. Now this could be the difference in mechanics of the motor and linkages or in electrical pulses are not as refined. Need a O-Scope to see that. At least that is my thinking. I will be getting another select decoder for this Loco and will see what happens ! I will evetually install it in my other Kato GP35 of the same exact model different road name.
I am very curious about this now!
I posted on you tube again.