Hi all,
This question is for the decoder installation guys.
I really like the look and detail of the BLI brass hybrid 4-8-4 Hudson.
I really don’t like the Paragon 3 decoder.
If I did get my wife to buy me one for Christmas can I easily switch the decoders?
Gary,
It can be done. However, IIRC, BLI uses the same color wire (black) for their decoder installations so it will require you (or whoever installs the decoder for you) to trace wires, which is time consuming.
Is this a Hudson (4-6-4) or a Niagara (4-8-4)? As much as I like Loksound decoders, their steam sound files are very limited. (They presently have only 4 American steam listed with their Loksound 5 decoder.) IMO, a TCS WowSteam decoder would be equally as good as Loksound for motor-control but have much more options as far as accurate steam sound files (e.g. bell, whistle, chuff) are concerned.
I have installed WowSteam in a Proto 2000 0-8-0 and Trix Mike and they sound and run terrifically. Setting up the CVs is different with WowSteam than Loksound but every manufacture does things a little differently.
FWIW…
Tom
Depends, I suppose, on your definition of ‘easy’. It’s certainly not a case of unplugging one and plugging the other in, you will have to trace the wires and solder things together. But compared to a standard brass loco that might only pick up from one side of the loco and one side of the tender, and not have ANY wires inside already run to things like the motor and headlight, it will be very easy. The hard part of wiring the BLI loco is already done, all the wires terminate in the tender. It is a matter of determining which one hooks to which wire on the new decoder.
–Randy
I recently replaced the decoder in a BLI Niagara.
NYC_S2_BLI-smoke2 by Edmund, on Flickr
I removed the bulky, worthless smoke puffer and put a cube speaker in its place.
Yes, I had to “ring-out” the wiring but that wasn’t difficult at all.
BLI_NYC_484_P2 by Edmund, on Flickr
This is the pin-out of one of my original P2 Hudsons:
BLI Wire Assignments by Edmund, on Flickr
P3 with “puffing” smoke has one more pin. Somewhere I have a sketch of one of those but I’ll have to dig it up as the original photo WAS on Photobucket.
Tom makes a good point about the ESU steam projects. They are rather limited for North American prototypes. OK but not great. The air compressors sound pretty poor. TCS WOWsound had a great selection of sounds but, IMHO, their programming and lighting/sound functions can be a pain to accomplish. I’m no fan of that “voice command” or whatever they call it.
I’ve been leaning more toward Tsunami 2s lately.
Good Luck, Ed
Yea, I’m not that keen on the sound mode/light mode way of programming either, Ed. I’ve gotten used to it though and do love the sound options offered with the WOW sound decoders. TCS is also my go-to motor-only decoder so I’m really confortable with programming those.
Tom
Thanks for the replies!
Think I’ll give it a go.
Probably wait until I see if I have a problem with the BLI decoder. I do have 2 P3’s that have been stable [^o)] for several yers now.