I will start off by saying that I am in no way working for Digitrax, nor do I benifit financially from sharing this information.
There are alot of questions about sound decoders out there, so I feel that it would be useful to give you some insights into the world of the Digitrax SFX decoders.
First of all, there is some confusion of the different types of SFX decoders. There are essentially 3 flavors.
1.SDH104K1…Motor Control and Sound (the LEDs on this board do NOT work without the FN04K1[banghead])
2.SDH104K1A+FN04K1…Motor Control, Sound and Lights
3.SFX064D…Sound and Lights (Requires a seperate motor decoder such as DH163)
It is important to note that all 3 flavors come with a 0.2 watt 32ohm Speaker.
Notice how the 3 differ. I can understand why Digitrax came out with a Sound/light decoder, but the Motor/sound only decoder is a bit of a head scratcher for me.
For installation into a locomotive without ANY decoder in it, I would install the SDH104K1A+FN04K1. It is by far the best of the 3 IMHO. As you can probably tell, it is the size of a regular light board found in most quality locomotives (Kato, LL proto series, Atlas), and I havent found a locomotive yet that it wouldnt fit into. It will meet most peoples’ lighting needs (Fx3 with 4 functions). Installation of this decoder into most non-intended locos will require some soldering. So soldering is a must.
I have installed this unit into 4 Stewart Hobbies s-12 switchers for a client with these results…(shameless plug…I detailed, Painted and Installed decoders for this client…cost him a few bucks)
I used small Soundtraxx oval speakers in these units (8 ohm with a resistor to keep the sound from distorting too much) but have been replaced post recording with 1/2 inch 32 Ohm high quality speakers.(available from Mauser electronics). Note that this install did NOT require any major modifications to the frame. In fact, it is possible to do this install without ANY frame modification. The interior of the cab has also been kept intact.
The Sound/Light only decoder is intended for units with a decoder already installed. It is the same size as a DH163 decoder, but has wires comming from both ends. This install doesnt require soldering, rather the splicing of wires. Note…if the exsisting decoder in the locomotive is NON-Digitrax, then you will have issues with programming the locomotive. You will find that some of the higher CVs will conflict and when prog
This is good stuff. I use almost exclusively Digitrax stuff (save for 1 TCS and 1 Lenz decoder).
I would love it for Digitrax to do this in N. Right now N scale sound seems confined to MRC (whose decoders are crap from what I hear) and the LokSound stuff in the PCM E7.
Thanks for some very useful information…do any of the Digitrax decoders you mentioned limit the voltage going to the headlights? It seems I continue to explode light bulbs that are 1.5V when I install decoders…(NCE). Following the instructions from Walthers doesn’t help as there’s no information regarding what voltage bulbs are used in the locos. Only after the bulb goes pop do I know that I should have used a resistor…[D)]
Only available from a few suppliers in North America
Not advanced-programmable
Digitrax
8 bit sound (slightly lower sample rate than Loksound…11000 vs 15000)
3 Channel sound
3 Sound Files to choose from
32 Ohm speaker
Moderate price
High availablility in North America
Advanced-programmable
So why Digitrax and not LokSound?
That is a good question.
The Loksound decoder sounds like a good thing…and it is! I highly recommend this decoder to anyone who can find it and afford it. It is a top-notch sound decoder. You will NOT be dissapointed if you purchase the LokSound decoder. You can change sound files as will (as long as you have thier programming hardware). And the motor controll is second to NONE.
So it looks as though if the LokSound decoder was more available and cheaper then it would be the decoder of choice. And it would be but for one thing…the SFX Digitrax decoder is Advanced-programmable. Let me explain.
The LokSound decoder is like a filing cabinet. It has certain places for certain sounds. And no matter the sound file, it treats the sounds the same way. You download, install the sound package, and it will work the same way with all sound files.
The Digitrax SFX decoder is like a closet organizer. Sure, you can use the default way to set up the closet, but you can move things around…by PROGRAMMING THE WAY THE DECODER USES THE SOUNDS.
To be more specific, the Digitrax sound files have 2 parts…The SDF and the WAV files. The SDF tells the decoder how to use the WAV files. And you can program the SDF!&n
If you clip off the lights of the Combo decoder (with Motor, sound and lights) you can solder directly to the exsisting LED leads without using a resistor. The resistor is on the board already. If you are using the Sound/light decoder, then read on…
All the light leads for the Digitrax decoders (across the board) are 12V. You will need resistors.
Aparently the LokSound decoders have some sort of Voltage limiting feature…
To clarify, the LED’s do work, but not without a function decoder, ie, the FN04K1.
Their stated reason was to allow mounting flexibility. You could mount the motor/sound decoder on the chassis, where (naturally) the motor and often the speaker are located, and the function (lighting) decoder in the body shell where the lights are most often located. But I’m with you on this because to be honest, I’m not sure how practical/realistic of a thought that is.
On a related note, I had some family from out of town over today, and demo’ed my two Kato DM&IR SD38-2’s with the SDH104K1B+FN04K1 Combo’s. Needless to say, they were quite impressed…
As with ALL sound installations, the bigger the speaker the better. But I feel that the sound of a locomotive should ALSO be scaled. Try watching a train go by 500 feet away…the low bass sound that you get close up is lost.
The speaker that comes with the Digitrax SFX decoder is 1"ish. It is a standard size for HO and will work just fine with the Soundtraxx baffel kit.
There are very few choices for smaller speakers, but I have found a supplier of 32ohm 0.25watt (same as the stock speaker) 1/2inch for 3 USD each. They are of all-metal construction and are perfect for Switchers and smaller locos (like GP7s)
Digitrax vs Loksound channels
The lokSound has 4 channels
Prime mover A
Prime mover B
Horn and such (Sounds mentioned FIRST have a higher priority and hence will be played before 'such)
Bell and such
The Digitrax SFX decoder has 3 channels
Prime mover
Horn and such
Bell and such (ie…brake squeal)
For example…
When you are running a loco on the Digitrax SFX decoder, you can hear the Prime mover, the Horn and the Bell at the same time. You can also have the Prime mover, the Horn and the brake squeal. But Not the prime mover, the horn and the bell and the brake squeal. Only ONE sound is allowed per channel.
The loksound extra channel is used for extra prime mover sounds.
One of the pleasures of the Digitrax SFX decoders is the ability to adjust the decoder to meet the needs of a specifc prototype…for example my next project…
Lets examine this particular locomotive as it pertains to the Digitrax SFX.
The horn is a Nathan K3H tuned to Canadian pitch(I am pretty sure as this was standard with the CPR)
It has ditchlights (non flashing)
It has forward/reverse light
It has marker lamps
It is a Canadian-built Alco…so alco sounds are a must
Programming
We need to decide what our F-buttons will do. F0, F1 and F2 are sacred…they will always control Main lights, Bell and Horn respectively. Digitrax has defined other F-buttons like F3(coupler IIRC), F7 (crossingsignal with F6,F7 NOT=TO manual notching)…etc…But I choose to simplify what Digitrax has done. I choose to play my OWN crossing signal, no coupler sound, and no manual notching. So here is what I plan for this loco.
F0=main lights…controls front/rear lights
F1=Bell
F2=Horn
F3=Brake Sqeal
F4=Marker lights.
Thats it. On the UT4, the F0 and the F4 buttons are in the same colome. I dont need anyother sounds.
Notice that I didnt assign Ditch lights. This will be explained in a second.
With the decoder installed, I need to now plan my light wiring. So the front Surface Mount LEDs(I use 2 for the front light) lead will go to the F0 forward solder pad and the rear light (one SMT LED) and the red marker lamp will go to the F0 rear solder pad. Now…if you cut off the exsisting LEDs on the board, you can solder directly to the old LED leads and you do NOT need an additional resistor to run your LEDs (it is built in
I posted to your information on the Kato thread and discovered this one. Good to see a modeler that does appreciate the “music” of train horns, especially when modeling specific prototypes.
This was something that the former president of Broadway Limited Imports and I were e-mailing each other back and forth about 3 years ago. It’s great that we’ve come an incredibly long way in such a short time. [{(-_-)}][tup]
It would seem to me that this is an opportunity for an LHS to provide a service that would draw people into the shop in a way that the online stores can’t do. Most of us aren’t going to buy one of these programmer modules, but I’d certainly pay a few dollars if I could bring a disk and a locomotive into my LHS and put custom sounds on it.
I will try to get some input as soon as I get rolling on the decoder installation. However Im using Soundtraxx Alcos for my RS-1’s I will get any information I can find on general DCC work.
Thank you Very informative. I enjoy steam could you or someone else explain how these sound files are put on to the decoders are they preprogramed or do download your own sounds?
They come preprogrammed. As of now, there are only 3 different ‘projects’ to choose from. At this point, Digitrax is relying on the community at large to come up with other projects.
A few people (including myself) are really going in the SFX pond with both feet. We have come up with ‘sources’ for the different sounds needed. Also we are discovering programs that make our ‘splicing’ lives easier.
You see, most ‘playable’ sounds in decoders have 3 parts:
Begining (the onset of the sound, gets played ONCE then moves onto the next sound…)
Loop (Horns, bells, engine ideling etc…then when the button is depressed we go to…)
End (think of the Echo when you release the horn…this is the End sound)
Of course, these three sounds come from a single wav source, like a recording of a real horn. It is then spliced to that the looping part has no repeating sounds when it is looped…
There is a Steam project, and IIRC it is on the Sound/Light only version of this decoder (It has a larger flash file size and comes with both diesel and steam schemes).
Then these decoders must have robust storage areas because wav files are large. Is there not some way to compress these files or does that destroy the quality?
Second there is no “port” to plug the decoders into the base computer and massage the files.
Thank you gives me a better understanding of the function of decoders and how they work.
I have been thinking about trying a Digitrax SFX decoder(the majority of my system/decoders are Digitrax) for some time but there’s a flaw in the plan. The lack of sound files …
… I just can’t understand why they didn’t realese even a few more sound files right from the outset. The three “projects” which exist really aren’t a huge amont of help if you - for example - model transition era. Without these sound projects being available they are missing a whole lot of potential sales.
I am quite sure that producing a decent “project” as you describe the various files required in your earlier post is not that straightforward - and I’d hazard a guess that its going to take a while before anyone gets a steam project together which could compete with Soundtraxx’s Tsunami for example.
I think from the onset, Digitrax intended this product to be supported by 3rd parties from the start. Even if you go to the Digitrax website, they have a place where people will be able to share projects, and it mentions nothing about comming out with new ones.
I may be wrong, but who knows, tommorow when I wake up there might be a lot of sound projects there.
Now, that being said, there are places to source out the sounds needed for these decoders. You will have to use your intuition to find them.
The programming isnt all that bad, and with a few programs it becomes easier. All the programs I use are free and available to all.
I’ve been using the PR2 to modify and update project .spj files and download them to the decoder. Can you tell me how to get the .sdf file and what to use to edit it? I see that DecoderPro has an sdf edit function but I haven’t found the file to edit.
