Can the decoder be programmed with out the engine motor hooked in and just track power applied ?
Yes and No. The decoder requires a load of some sort. Either a motor or resistor connected to the orange and gray motor wires. I have a decoder that I put in a caboose to run the marker lights. I had to connect a 2 watt 50 ohm resistor to the motor wires. So if you connect a resistor where the motor goes, you don’t need a motor. Or, if you have a spare motor laying around you can connect that to the decoder.
You can do that. When adding a sound-only decoder to an engine with an existing non-sound decoder, I’ve attached a couple of alligator clips to the wires for track power and connected them to the tracks of my programming track (which is a long sidetrack on my existing railroad, with a DPDT switch to switch between programming mode and regular mode). That way I could sync the sound decoder chuff rate to the wheels of the steam engine and make any other adjustments without having to worry about accidently changing the programming of the regular decoder already in the engine.
Thanks for the replies
A 100 ohm, 1/2 watt resistor is the recommended method which I do.
Rich
I have “bread board” programmed a Tsunami combo sound/controller board for the first time a few days ago and fell in love with it. (stuffed a TS1000 steam sound DCC system into my old Westside brass K-27)
No track involved at all. Here is the sequence and reasoning.
I have two Zephyr extras (DSC51). One is on my layout and a second is used for test or as another cab via loconet.
I figure out where I think I want my speaker mounted and mount it. I, next, run the speaker wires out of the re-assembled tender or body and set it upright as if on a track. In this manner you get to hear what your sound is really going to be like.
I then string out all my lights and Tsunami on the table with a junk plain motor connected as well. (note* I like the kick of the motor telling me the programming took place - Resistor won’t do that) In this manner, I can program all my functions and make sure all sounds and my choice of speaker baffling is satisfactory. Changes in lighting type and resistors needed can also be made including speaker reorientation without involving the engine or track being present at all.
I do all programming in OPS mode and always turn “blast mode” on in the Zephyr’s internal ops software switches (see back of Zephry operations manual)
Only after I like what I see and hear, will I start packing the electronic stuff, wiring and lighting into the engine, tender or car.
Touch-up sound programming can be done on the layout in OPS mode.
Richard