I have a Walthers H10-44 FM diesel (DCC and sound) and it has developed an irritrating rattle/ buzz when I sound the horn or when it “speaks” information as QSI decoders do. I removed the body to see if the rattle/buzz was vibration of the “innards” against the body but the buzz persisted. I visually inspected the speaker and it seems to be intact (no tears or holes). Has anyone else had an issue with this? I have mostly LokSound decoders and only two QSI (the other in a BLI SW-7, with no sound issues). I fear I may have to replace the speaker. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Try turning down the volume. It’s possible that the buzzing is distortion. Most of the time locomotives with sound decoders come from the factory with the sound at 100%. I’d try it somewhere in the 60% range for starters. Also, if you’ve been operating it at full volume, the speaker may be shot because of it.
If the speaker is down in the fuel tank area it’s possible that its magnet has picked up minute pieces of metal from your trackwork which have pierced the diaphragm. If this is the case, you’ll have to replace the speaker.
I had the same issue with one of my Bachmann locos with Tsunami sound a while back, it was actually just some debris that had been sucked up into the speaker and caused the distortion. When I removed it it sounded okay again.
Thanks to all who offered advice on my H10-44. I called Walthers and Keith was very helpful, expressing his doubt that the speaker was defective. Heeding his advice, I ran a magnet over the speaker cone and did indeed collect some very small metal particles. Then, I used masking tape, touching the speaker lightly, to remove any other particles. Finally, I used a can of Freon to blow any particles out (my idea). I also used ACC on the handrails which were vibrating a little (the horn CV is set at 10, not too loud), As of now, the buzzing rattle is gone! I hope it stays gone! I plan to run the engine this evening to see.
I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to add my experience. The sound on my Walthers H10-44 suddenly went way down in volume, and I could hardly hear it. I did a reset and still low volume. After reading this thread I decided to check my speaker. Much to my surprise I found about 100 tiny Liquid Gravity beads stuck to the speaker via its magnet. I use Liquid Gravity to weigh down my flat cars and gondolas. Not sure which car dropped the beads, but the H10-44 was great at picking them up! Removed the beads and the speaker is fine. Now I have added magnets to a car I will take around the layout to remove any metal objects. Just thought this was an interesting lesson.
You might try gluing a piece of panty hose or other fine mesh across the bottom of the fuel tank to keep the metal debris away from the speaker cone.
Mark Vinski
I think the better approach is to make sure there are no more pellets on the layout. I added some strong magnets to a box car and will be sending it aournd the layout. In fact, I will make this car part of my cleaning train.
I have been attaching strong magnetic bars to the front of my vacuum-cleaner pickup ‘feet’ for over 40 years now. In the bad old days of Hoovers that sent the airflow through a centrifugal fan which also drove the roller brush – that was a necessity!