New sound decoder for Kato N scale SD40-2 and Gevo with other downloadable sound. I did a search but did not find any info. Any one have it yet?? or is it just out? JSL
I'd assume it would be very similar to the SDN144PS, a sound decoder I do not recommend for reasons outlined in depth here.
That thread sounds like a lot of messing around to get them working decently, and looking at the instruction sheet for the SD40-2 decoder from the Digitrax site they are far from plug and play as well, lots of frame machining to do.
This are plug and play like the MRC decoder, Digitrax announced them a week ago. About half the prices of the MRC sound decoder and will probably work the first time unlike the MRC decoder. They are also doing one for P42/F40PH/E8 units.
They are NOT plug and play like the MRC 1806. I run Digitrax and MRC so I have little bias. The MRC 1806 sound decoder for the SD40-2 does not require machining the frame to fit a speaker. It installs the same as a non-sound digitrax decoder. And the cost is only about $10 less than an MRC decoder. I have also has no problems with the MRC decoders working the first time after installation.
They are not even close to plug and play with complete disassembly of the mechanism needed. If you check out the instruction sheets the SD40 requires milling out the frame to fit the speaker in the fuel tank and the E8/P42 requires a 1/2" hole drilled out of the rear of the frame. The MRC decoders are a piece of cake to install by comparison, I was hoping when Digitrax finally decided to get into the game they could do better.
Its plug and play with the smaller speaker shown according to the intructions for all the AC44, SD70, SD70ACE, SD70mac, Gevo, and -9. You can also install it the same way as the MRC decoder if you use the smalller speaker on a SD40-2. The list price being $20 less than the MRC decoder plus made in the US is a big plus.
I have install a few of those MRC decoder and most of them had to be send back because they were death on arrival.
I am working on installing this decoder in an SD40-2. It's not a straight plug and play install. As stated in the Digitrax instructions you have to mill out the fuel tank to make room for the speaker. The 10x18 speaker works in the SD70 and C44-9 units because they are longer then the SD40. There is only about 5mm from the end of the decoder to the end of the frame and that space is taken up by the lens for the rear light that is attached to the inside of the shell. One picture shows the frame milled for the speaker, the other shows what should be a completed installation. The problem with this decoder isn't that it requires the frame to be milled for the speaker, it's that it appears to require the "optional" capacitor. When I tested the decoder without the capacitor installed, it resets itself about every two seconds. I made sure I had good connections, that there were no shorts between the input and outputs on the decoder, and tried turning the volume to zero. The only thing that would cause the decoder to stop resetting was muting the sound. At this point I sent an e-mail to Digitrax's support and got a response back suggesting turning off the BEMF by setting CV57 to 0 or adding the optional capacitor. Turning off BEMF didn't help but adding the cap did. The problem with this solution is the included capacitor is almost as big as the one of the fly wheels on the motor and there is no way to mount it and get the shell back on. Digitrax did send me another e-mail stating that a smaller 47 micro-farad cap should work but should only be necessary if there was a problem with poor connections between the decoder and the track. I verified that the problem wasn't a bad connection by placing clip leads between the frame halves and the 12 gauges wire I use for a bus. I also wedged a small piece of foam under the decoder at the point were the connections to the frame are made to make sure this connection was good and connected a DCC voltmeter to the frame to make sure the voltage wasn't dropping out. At this point I'm fairly certain the problem is not a bad connection to the track. I currently have a couple different size capacitors on order from Digi-Key so I can see which one will fit with the least amount of trouble. I'll post an update when I get it figured out.
I'm curious to try one of these but would rather not have to mill a frame. Maybe put one in an SD70 or dash 9 but wait, that will require changing the sound file to an EMD 710 or GE FDL-16 which means purchasing the Digitrax PR3 soung programer. Sounds like a big investment if the sound isn't going to be that good. I'd really like to see Soundtraxx enter the N scale market with drop-in decoders that you buy already programed with the sound you want like in HO. Their micro Tsunami sound great but are still too big to fit anything but a wide car body unit. I just got an Athearn FP45 with the Tsunami and it sounds great, I'd like to get into the sound thing more but not with only marginally sounding decoders.
I can believe the bit about the sound resetting itself every few seconds. I had that problem with a Soundtraxx sound only decoder custom installed in a modified Kato Dash 9 with the motor removed and frame extensively milled for space for a speaker. This was some years back and I eventually gave up on it. I have a couple of MRC sound decoders which still work and they don't seem to do this, at least it's not an obvious issue. They suck for other reasons but constant resetting isn't one of them. The capacitor has to be acting as a short-term "battery" allowing transient power glitches to be smoothed out. This suggests the Lenz UPS idea or electronic flywheel, which one of our contributors from Moscow (Alex ?) demonstrated a few months ago. There are supercapacitors and ultracapacitors out now that will hold a charge long enough to allow small scale locomotive decoders to run without flickering headlights, stalling because of dirty track/wheels, and resetting of sound decoders. They are very small but relatively costly, still not expensive enough to preclude using them in a DCC decoder. All we need is a few milliseconds to avoid most problems, we don't need to run a scale mile on track covered with Scotchtape. This is another one of my personal crusades or "rants", along with body-mounted couplers: I think the technology exists to put a supercapacitor into every DCC decoder without significantly changing it's dimensions, this seems to have been shown not to destroy the DCC signal and to allow a decoder to run on "internal power" long enough for the engine to move along such that the power glitch it experienced has been passed. According to Wikipedia, there is now a flashlight that runs on a supercap instead of a battery, so these things do work. Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about electronics except in an interested layman's sense, so I hope someone out there who can address this issue will chime in. BTW, does anyone know if the Athearn F/FP 45 has a built-in capacitor in the Tsunami decoder it comes with? Mine just arrived in the mail yesterday, I haven't had the chance to try it yet, and I'm not about to take the shell off. I will say, it's a heavy little bugger, as someone used to hood diesels.
The reason I picked this decoder was I figured it would be easier to install then either a Tsunami or LokSound. I have an Athearn FP45 with sound and a Kato F7A-F7B pair that I installed LokSound micros in. I like both decoders but the Tsunami's decoder board seems to wide for a narrow body and the smallest LokSound speaker setup would require two 13mm speakers. The Digitrax using one 13mm speaker seemed like the way to go. As far as the sound quality goes I can't honestly comment on the Digitrax's sound. I haven't heard it with the body installed and it needs the body to form the rear enclosure.
It's not just the sound resetting itself it's the whole decoder, and it does it so frequently the motor won't even start to turn. As far as the supercapacitors- you might want to be careful with these. The ones I've seen the specs for have very low voltage ratings. A capacitor attached to most N scale decoders is going to need at least a 16 volt rating and 20v or 25v would be better. I do believe the Lenz UPS units use supercapacitors, I saw a write up on how they work and if I remember correctly they were storing a charge at under 2 volts. But there is some extra circuitry in the UPS module to get the 2 volts back to what the decoder can use.
markwr, You are using a Lenz command station, correct? I wonder what version of the software it has, mainly whether or not it supports RailCom(Bi-Directional), and if it does if it has it enabled. For RailCom, the command station actually cuts power to the track briefly. While it should not be long enough to affect decoders(the length of the cutout is measured in 100's of microseconds), it could be an issue in some cases, especially with sound decoders.
Yes I'm using a Lenz command station with 3.6 firmware. I disabled the RailCom window and the decoder works. Fortunately, I'm not using any RailCom features at this time. I think I'm still going to install a capacitor when they arrive because it's still way more sensitive then any of my other sound locomotives. Of course in it's current state I can use it to find all the marginal spots in the track. Thanks for the help.
I'm personally ready to join the villagers with torches and pitchforks... I picked one up for grins and giggles just to see if it would be an improvement over MRC. Figured to put it in an AC4400, lots of room for a speaker in the radiator area. And that's when I found the reset problem. Now tell me, Digitrax, just where in the bleeping bleep am I supposed to put that cap? I have a suggestion for you as to where to locate it... I was essentially sold an item that was incapable of working in its' design application. That, friends from Panama City, is irresponsible and possibly fraudulent. SHAME!
Jim, I have ordered several different size capacitors from Digi-Key to try in place of the one the Digitrax includes with the kit. I already know I can use a 47 micro-farad cap and eliminate the problem. The caps I ordered are made for surface mounting and should be small enough to fit. When I figure out which one works the best I'll post the information here. By the way, I just finished reading all seventy plus pages of the post detailing your layout and have an almost uncontrollable urge to drive over to woo woo woo's and buy trees.
Well, sir, you just gave the the biggest laugh I've had all week! I kept buying them out, you'd think they would've reordered a little faster. I ended up getting those trees from three places besides woo woo woo. BOY am I glad I'm done with that phase. I also kept cleaning them out of .030 rod from Evergreen and it seemed like it took forever to restock. Thanks for doing Digitrax' R&D for the rest of us poor suckers!
I think I need to mention in this thread that John Claudino at Aztec Manufacturing does frame milling work. Anyone doing sound should be aware that John will work with you big time, and turn around a job very quickly and relatively inexpensively. He's done a LOT of sound milling work and knows the requirements pretty well. His web site, where you can get contact info, is Aztec Mfg - Model Railroad Track Cleaning Cars and Accessories
