Sound decoder for a Big Boy

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

Well, the PCM Bog Boy has lived for 3 hours now that it is back from repairs again! If it lives another 7 hours I want to add a sound decoder. Every time I am ready to buy one, well the Big Boy has a problem.

Last time I asked Tsunami was the hand down winner. I am looking at the Heavy Steam.

826103
The Heavy Steam version (P.N. 826103) is recommended for installation in articulated and heavy steam engines including engines with the following wheel arrangements: 4-8-4, 2-10-2, 2-12-2, 2-8-8-2, 4-6-6-4 and others. Union Pacific #4018

I cut out some of what I pasted, it does have the whistle for a Big Boy #4018, mine is #4022 so what the heck.

Can I program in the chuff’s for a 4-8-8-4 or should I say the sounds of a articulated engine? One of the things I loved about my Y6-b is at slow speeds the engines not running in sync, sounds like a nasty cam in a car.

How hard is it to wire, my tender has a 8 plug socket and looks like I need to add a male to the decoder. I have been hard wiring decoders, is it any harder than that?

Does the Tsunamis have EMF, I think that is the right term. Engine hits a grade and keeps going the same speed?

What is the power ratting of the Tsunamis decoder?

I want good speakers! Which ones will work great with the Tsunami.

Can I program with the Digitrax SEB or my PR 3, reason I ask is because of this note.

All Tsunamis and

2

Ken, I have a very nice Rivarossi Allegheny 2-6-6-6 that came with a Loksound decoder. The decoder was fine, as Loksound decoders are expected to be. The problem was that some twit decided that the H-8 had a high-pitched chime whistle that might have been on a light Mikado in the mid-west, or maybe on a tea kettle on some back woods rail system. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, they had an articulated chuff on it, but I have always referred to it here as a “chiff” since that is exactly what it sounded like…a wimpy, gassy, breezy, tinny chiff that no Allegheny every made except when it farted.

I finally got fed up because it is a beautiful engine, probably the best detailed of all my steamers. I had my “decoder guy” install a heavy Tsunami. I can now enjoy this very fine model. It has the proper high-toned hooter that the H-8’s had, and the chuff is a nice deep articulate chuff…no stinkin’ chiff.

The Tsunami had a nice BEMF feature, but as with most decoders, the CV’s are not all the same as you might expect in a QSI. Mostly, yes, but not all of them. Addressing and momentum, etc, are the same, but your sounds have their own CV’s, not a bit in an index like QSI.

If you want a good speaker, I would recommend the new Quantum bass speaker. I will defer to others who say it isn’t a good match, but I have one in a Genesis SD75 that sounds really good. [:P] This is not thumping bass, but a slight improvement over the standard 1" speaker.

Your DB150 in your SEB will paddle the fanny of any decoder out there. I have programmed all sorts of decoders. If you have a problem with the Tsunami, set it on a separate programming track, enter Ops Mode, dial in address “00” and do your programming that way. The message will get through loud and clear.

The Tsunami has selectable bell rates, whistles, and such.&

3

Tsunami Heavy.

David B

4

[quote user=“selector”]

Ken, I have a very nice Rivarossi Allegheny 2-6-6-6 that came with a Loksound decoder. The decoder was fine, as Loksound decoders are expected to be. The problem was that some twit decided that the H-8 had a high-pitched chime whistle that might have been on a light Mikado in the mid-west, or maybe on a tea kettle on some back woods rail system. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, they had an articulated chuff on it, but I have always referred to it here as a “chiff” since that is exactly what it sounded like…a wimpy, gassy, breezy, tinny chiff that no Allegheny every made except when it farted.

I finally got fed up because it is a beautiful engine, probably the best detailed of all my steamers. I had my “decoder guy” install a heavy Tsunami. I can now enjoy this very fine model. It has the proper high-toned hooter that the H-8’s had, and the chuff is a nice deep articulate chuff…no stinkin’ chiff.

The Tsunami had a nice BEMF feature, but as with most decoders, the CV’s are not all the same as you might expect in a QSI. Mostly, yes, but not all of them. Addressing and momentum, etc, are the same, but your sounds have their own CV’s, not a bit in an index like QSI.

If you want a good speaker, I would recommend the new Quantum bass speaker. I will defer to others who say it isn’t a good match, but I have one in a Genesis SD75 that sounds really good. TongueThis is not thumping bass, but a slight improvement over the standard 1" speaker.

Your DB150 in your SEB will paddle the fanny of any decoder out there. I have programmed all sorts of decoders. If you have a problem with the Tsunami, set it on a separate programming track, enter Ops Mode, dial in address “00” and do your programming that way. The message will get through loud and clear.

The Tsunami has selectable bell r

5

Hey Ken,

My Rivarossi Big Boy has a Heavy Tsunami in it, so if I am ever in town when you are off work I can bring it over. Looks like maybe the 18th/19th would be good days?

6

C&O, thanks for the link. Not sure I need the baffles with the speaker’s being mounted in the tender. But, I do want it to have a robust sound so might be worth it.

Crandell, thank you for your input as well. I trade you my Big Boy for your H 8. ( I won’t if I where you)

Simon, when or if you make it over I hope you bring your Big Boy. Seems you have had good luck with your Rivarossi. When I started my Big Boy quest K-10 Trains had them for $225.00 DCC ready. Ken told me to stay away from them, they where junk? Well after 2 Athearn Big Boys, and my PCM being repaired twice may be I should stop listening to him about Big Boys.

Far as my Big Boy, I don’t think it is going to make 10 hours again! [:(!] It is starting to have the same problems again. (BLI said there was no problems with it last time). I set CV 2 to 4 and with out a drag it started moving on setting 1. With a modest train of 26 cars tonight it did not start moving till setting 27 and started with a jolt. Brought it to a stop and tried again, at setting 20 still had not moved. But it in reverse and gave it some gas and around 7 it moved. Put it in forward and it started moving at 4!

I would guess the problem is in the worm gears (they replaced the first time) or the drive wheels.

Think I would fair better if I sent it Darth Santa Fee than BLI again!

Not having a good life again, Cuda Ken

7

Clearly something is binding up after it runs for a while, requiring more power to make it move. Before you blow yet another decoder, take it out and do some testing on DC power. It should show exactly the same problem, having to crank the DC powe ropen more than usual to make it move. You can try setting the power to where it WAS starting and then wiggling things around a bit to see what breaks it loose and maybe localize the issue to one of the engines or something. ANd also, I don;t know if it’s possible for the BLI locos to run without the boiler shell on (won;t pull much if they do) so you can actually see the gears and poke and prod when it’s stalled to see what loosens it up. Try this all on DC, if soemthing’s binding and you have to crank in extra power, the motor will be drawing excess current and will probably end up blowing the decoder. On DC if the motor is stuck all it can do is damage the motor - oh yeah another thing to check, see if the motor is getting too warm, another clear sign there is binding in the mechanism somewhere. Could even be drivers out of quarter somewhere binding the motion, or a crank pin the gets tighter over time.

–Randy

8

Thanks for the tips Randy. I all ready had some ideas for what to check for. Worst part of the problem is it does not do it all the time! If it would stay broken BLI or my self could fix it. Tonight it started just fine, added around 7 more cars and started at power setting 4 on the DT400. Ran it for around a hour and stop to give it a rest. On start up I was at power setting 17 and nothing. Put it in reverse moved at 7, into forward and started pulling at 4 again.

If I bought a used car for $600.00, I would understand needing to work on it. $600.00 new HO engine, that I don’t understand.

Ken

9

It almost sounds like a motor problem, maybe a partially shorted winding. If it stops with the brush not on the bad winding, it starts up fine, if it happens to stop on the bad one - trouble. I had a Kato/Atlas loco sort of like this, only it was some glue or something on the one commutator segment. If it stopped on that one, it wouldn;t run at all, no current draw, nothing. Light would come on, but no movement until I pushed it. If it stopped on a different one, it started up just fine. You need an ammeter that works with DCC to check this, or else wire one of yuor loops back to DC and use your DC pack with meters. I would expect to see whatever the normal current is on the times it starts moving on step 4, but an increased current draw as you crank the throttle on the times it gets stuck. That’s not really going to prove the motor or gears or side rods as the cause though.

You can use your meter on ohms to measure the motor windings, the motor must be disconnected from everything and then you connect the meter to the motor leads. Slowly turn the shaft - check the reading at each point, they should all be exactly the same or very very close, if one reads way low - there’s the problem. I think those are 5 pole motors, so for a full turn of the motor there should be 5 readings. For a COMPLETE test you need to take the motor apart and test every combination of commutator segment with every other one.

–Randy