I am running about 25 sound equipt locos,both steam and diesel.Most of my steam have Tsunamis.a few have QSI. My diesels have Soundtraxx, and I have just had ESU’s installed in a couple of brass engines.There does not seem to be any way to use OP mode on my Digitrax system to “tweek” the sound or change the horn sound.Is it worth getting the ESU programer for 2 engines.Can you program without a computer? Does thier programer work from a MAC OX computer.Do I have to bring the computer to the layout or a program track and controler to the computer(they are in different buildings).OR do I just live with the sound I have?
If you can program the QSI I’m suprised you are having trouble with the ESU decoders as they are the most power hungry for programming. You might try a program booster from Tonys Trains,(see their website) designed to boost the power to get over this problem with sound decoders. This will allow you to program from the DCC system without a PC.
Have you looked at the ESU website? that should answer the Mac compatibility question for their programmer. The ESU programmer also allows much more customisation of sounds and downloading new ones in the future, it’s probably worth it if you intend getting more ESU decoders in the future.
I use Decoder Pro on the PC with a SPROG programmer, it’s compatible with QSI, ESU and Tsunami. You can download the software from the Yahoo JMRI groups and also download updates, I had help from Joe Fugate and others to get going and a friend who is good with computers as it takes a bit of setting up but is very versatile and easy to use. SPROG is made in the UK but there are equivalents in the US or get one from SPROG DCC there are serial and USB versions available.
Hope this helps
Paul
Hi, Mike.
I’m in the same boat – I don’t do Windoze, either, and I recently got a LokSound v3.5, thinking I might go with them instead of getting old(er) and gray(er) waiting for the diesel Tsunamis. Wrong.
You can change some sound levels, and which function keys control which sounds, with just a dcc system, if it has enough power on the programming track. I have an NCE PowerPro, with a PowerPax. It will not read the LokSound decoder, but it will program it, either on the main or programming track.
I also use Decoder Pro, and it will not read or write to the LokSound decoder, although it will read all my other decoders, except for one QSI (it reads my other 6 QSIs).
As far as I can tell, there is only one horn/whistle per decoder, as shipped. Without the LokProgrammer, you can’t “tweak” or add any of the sounds.
And no, you can’t use the LokProgrammer with anything but Windoze. I don’t think ESU has any plans to allow this in the future.
Where did you get the decoders, and who installed them? If somebody like Tony’s, they have the programmer and can put any of ESU’s sound sets (I think they call them “projects”) on the decoder. It seems ESU actually only makes one decoder of each type, then the dealer loads whatever sound set you want.
But if you bite the bullet for the LokProgrammer and buy or get access to a WinPC, you can then load any sounds you like. That, however, opens up a whole different can of worms, in sound editing, as you’ll see in the User Group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loksound/
I have had no problems programming my Loksound decoders with my Digitrax. No booster required. You can change all the sound levels, but you cant actually change the sound. For that you do need the programmer and you do need a computer. I havent bought the programmer because I have not needed it, when I order the decoders I get them preloaded with the sound I want.
Try and find a hobby shop or other modeler nearby that has the programmer.
You can do all ‘normal’ programming of Loksound decders without the special programmer - by ‘normal’ I mean setting address, speed curves, function mapping - stuff like that. But you cannot change the actual sounds without using their special programmer.
–Randy
That clears it up a little…On one of the engines,I’m not happy with the horn.The track “click” is only good if the engine is doing a scale 40mph.Is there a way to have it in sync with the wheels at lower speed? I could also send the engine to Tony’s,But I would have to hear a byte from the sound files so that I could tell him which horn to use.Also,I can’t figure out how to keep the sound muted untill I call for that particular engine.As it stands now,when I power down,I shut off the headlight,press “mute” on my Digitrax 400 throttle,then press loco +disp.Then power off.Later when I power up, the sound automaticaly comes back on.With my other sound units the sound stays off untill I dial (punch) in the loco address then press the sound key (8) to get the sound back up.Is that possible with the ESU?The little instruction manual is pretty confusing to me.
Hi, Mike.
Yeah, the little manual isn’t exactly clear or comprehensive, is it?
If you look at the chart on pages 24 and 25, you’ll see most of what you need (perhaps with a magnifying glass, or go to their web site, download the manual, and print those pages).
As mentioned before, you cannot get this decoder to work like a QSI or SoundTraxx, where the sound comes on only when you address the particular engine. But you can get close.
First, the reason the sound is always on is shown on page 25: At the top, it shows that as shipped the 4 CVs for direction (stand/forward, stand/backward, drive/forward, and drive/backward), 130, 133, 136, and 139 all have a value of 4, in the column titled Sound on/off. Change all 4 of those CVs to zero. Now you’ll have no sound at all.
Then pick a function key to use for a “startup”, rather like the way QSI uses F6. Set that key’s CVs to 4 and you have a sound on/off key. F6, for example, uses CVs 178 and 181. Or you could use F8, by changing the value of 64 (mute) in CVs 190 and 193 to 4.
Or, you could have the sound on anytime the headlight/backup lights are on, with CVs 142 and 145 set to 4.
Also note that you can have a single function key do more than one thing. If you have, say, numberboard lights that you want to come on and off with the sound, set the CVs shown on page 24 to the value for the output the numberboards are wired to (probably Aux 1, CV value of 4; or Aux 2, CV value of 8).
Also note that, particularly on page 24, you can make both Aux 1 and Aux 2, for example, work on the same function key by ADDING the values: 4 + 8 = 12.
On your other question, about the click-clack sound, I don’t think you can make it go faster or slower with the speed of the engine.
Let us know how you do.