I received my first of many Qsi upgrades yesterday. I installed it today. I bought the extraction tool (for 8 bucks). If I knew it was that expensive I would have went with a homemade tool, but it did make it easier. I have five more QSI locos to upgrade so I guess in hind sight it was worth it.
It took me longer to take the Hudson out of its box than it did to complete the chip swap. The tool worked fine. The chip came out on the first try. New chip went in with a little push of my thumb.
The most notable difference in old vrs new chip is the low end speed. I used to have to put my DT-400 throttle on 18 to even get it to move. And then it seemed to jump over “creep” and go right into “slow” speed. Now even at “1” on the throttle it starts to creep.
I haven’t had time to do any thing else with it other than changing the address to four digit. I bought and installed the soundtraxx Program booster last month so I shouldn’t have any more problems programming. I couldnt program my Tsunami at all without it.
This post is not intended to be a comprehensive evaluation of the new QSI chip I just wanted everyone to know that the swap was very simple and easy. So if you were holding off thinking it was beyound your capabilities then I assure you after reading the directions carefully and following the procedure even a Caveman can do it.
Nope! I was really wondering if it was worth the cost. How much difference is is really going to make. I think a detailed review and comparison of before and after performance is in order Terry.
Thanks for the initial review! That’s good news to hear. [:)][tup]
I ordered my BLI Mike upgrade chip from TTE and should be getting it next week sometime. I would have received it sooner but put my order on hold till I could hear all the new additional chip options that were announced a couple of weeks ago. (After listening to the alternative chuff of the optional chip this past Tuesday, I decided to go with my original order.)
Like the old chip on your Hudson, Terry, my Mike doesn’t get “up and goin’” till around speed step 007 or 008. Conversely, my Trix Mike starts right out at 001. (Hence, I spend more time now running my Trix Mike than my BLI Mike.) So, the low end speed is of keen interest to me.
And, if it’s as good as you and QSI claim, it will be worth the extra $$$ (to me) for the upgrade. And I also hope that, along with making it better running, the new chip will improve the sound of my BLI Mike, as well.
Thanks again for the write up, Terry. I agree with Simon. A full-blown report is definitely in order here.
Tom
BTW, I had a great time a couple of weeks ago hooking my BLI and Trix Mikes up and double-heading them around my layout. Even if it was only a rather short train for double-heading (12-14 cars max), it still looked pretty cool doing it. [:)]
Tom - I will try to write a comprehensive review in the next day or so. Unfortunately I don’t feel qualified to get too technical because it is out of my league. But I can write up what I see and any items of interest on a laymens level. However just on what I have seen so far I think for me anyway it was worth the 29 bucks just to get the incredible low speed operation. Once I get into the manual and start playing with the CV’s I am sure I will find more worthy items.
I have a Athearn Genisis 2-8-2 and of course my BLI 2-8-2. I just finished painting and decaling the Genisis to NKP colors to match the BLI. I have a DSX decoder in the Genisis as well. So I did as you, I mu’d them up and ran them around the track for awhile. I think when I get my new layout going after we move that might be a regular thing. They did look good. Oh and I am ordering the Bowser Lite Mike kit next payday. Perfect loco for a Tsunami. If that goes together well then I have my eye on the Challenger Kit.
Terry[8D]
Terry, a laymans review based on your impression is valuable IMO. Sometimes things get a little too technical. A laymans impression of before and after performance and sound is what is in order. Ideally with your conclusion regarding if the upgrade is worth it. I don’t have a large stable of BLI, but to upgrade all of them will cost as much as a new loco, so I am curious about if I want to do it. Perhaps I will just do one and see what I think then?
Here I sit at work with the New Extractor tool stareing at me wait to go. I’ve had this thing in my desk for years and I’m waiting to blow the dust off of it to use it on the GP9 upgrade I have on order through TTE. Like most of use the BEMF and low speed running is what I am most interested in. I love the way it is, but if I could get even 25% better control in the low speed, I’d be a very happy camper!
I agree. A layman’s review is big time valuable. All the graphs and charts in the world sometimes don’t answer the question “how’s it sound/work/run/etc?”
Chris - I have a LL GP-9 waiting as well. I never liked the sorry sounding horn on it. The other functions are fine but the horn sucks. As far as the Hudson. I programed all the basic CV’s for motor and sound control. My BLI Hudson (second generation) always had a problem with sounds in Neutral. Like none! I reset it several times no go. When I stopped it I would get the hiss and then it was if it was off. Now I have a cornacopia of sounds so that is cool. I don’t notice any improvement in the quality of the sound over the old Chip but I never had a problem with the original quality anyway. I put her in the yard and put together eight boxcars and then ran them around the track back to the yard and tore it down. Most impressive low end speed. Very smooth, very controlled. IMO that makes the chip for the Hudson anyway worth it. It is nice having your CV read back verbally when in OPS mode. ALso verbal SMPH is nice. I have that on the GP-9 all ready.I really don’t know what I can do to put it through its paces. Maybe someone can ask me specific questions or rec a test or action or something? Sorry , I just buy em and run em.
Terry[8D]
This is probably a real stupid question, but what do you do with your old chips after you do the upgrade? I would think that they would be able to reprogram them and use them over. Just a thought! Jim[:I]
Texas Z - Well that shows how much I know. Fortunately I don’t get too hung up on being Protypical. Maybe I can download something different when they get it all together.
Terry[8D]
Jim - You can’t reprogram the old chips. At best I will hold onto it and use it as a backup if I fry this one. At least I can run the loco with sound.
Rik - I bought one of the first Hudsons when they came out years ago. When the upgrade program came out I jumped on it. So to answer your question it is second generation.
This is not a BLI product. It is a QSI product or a subsidery. Go to the QSI site and they will direct you to the info.
Something I failed to mention in any other post. Anothe MAJOR advantage of this upgrade cuip is you can download revisions, sounds etc from the QSI site once the system is up and running. So you never have to go thru the chip swap thang again. You have to buy their interface to download which they haven’t come out with yet. But you can download and customize your loco sound to exactly what you want…
Terry[8D]
Like Terry said, it’s a QSI chip upgrade, not a BLI issue. QSI decoders are used in BLI, Proto 2000, and Atlas Gold locomotives. You can go to Tony’s Train Exchange web site for the announcement/information. Here’s some direct links::
Here is a short video i took to show the slow speed of the Hudson w/upgrade chip installed. About 3/4of the way thru the vid you will see a LL GP-9 (with QSI old chip) come in from the right. I have my DT-400 throttle on 20 and that is the slowest speed it will go before stopping. The Hudsons throttle on the other hand is set at 1. I know I am comparing apples to oranges but with the old chip the Hudson would not move until i got to 18 on the throttle and It would go directly to slow never crawling just like the Gp-9. Next time I will back up alittle so its in focus. I don’t have much room left in my work shop. The layout seems to keep growing.
That was great! A picture IS worth a thousand words.
So Terry, if you put your Geep at speed step “19”, it will stop cold? Wow! [:O] That’s quite a discrepancy in speeds. Have you tried adjusting the startup voltages (CV3, CV5 and CV6) to see if that doesn’t improve startup response?
I recognize the freight station on the left side. Same one that’s in my signature. [:)] Looks like you went with the light gray/dark gray scheme.
Tom - No matter what I set CV2,3,4,5 at it doesn’t seem to help. I was told it was because of the additional current needed for the sound system. So that makes the starting voltage higher than normal??? Makes sense. I guess the changes in the software addressed that issue.
.
Yea I got the Freight house and the Passenger station in the 2-tone Grey. looked like NYC to me[:D]
All of the models I own and that I’ve opened up so far contain Atmel flash memory chips, which are reprogrammable. I don’t have an original Hudson; perhaps it does not contain a flash memory chip.
It is interesting to note that the capability to program the chips in-circuit must have been originally built into the board circuitry. The new chips simply contain new program logic to allow it to do so.