irishthump

Lads, these really do look good and the price is also excellent imho.

Unfortunately it's outside my "sphere of modelling interest" so I doubt I'll be ordering one but I appreciate all the hard work the lads put into this.

Got home from work and there was a parcel waiting....

On ‎7‎/‎19‎/‎2020 at 2:41 AM, DiveController said:

 

 One of the members did a nice tutorial on how to fit the front skirt and then have the coupler come through it but the photos have disappeared from the site when Photobucket withdrew support from linking to other websites.

 

The original conversion was done by another member whose photos are gone, but I posted photos of a similar conversion on my workbench thread.

13 minutes ago, Noel said:

Only 18 packs of Fertiliser pallets left

Yeah grabbed a couple of them too.

11 hours ago, DART8118 said:

Many thanks for the 2 updates and for taking the time.  I'd be interested to know of any feedback from the Loksound IO Group. 

For what it's worth this is the sequence I did things and the values I used for lowering the volume on the LocSound V4.0 decoder

CV31 =16

CV32 =1

Master Volume Control CV63 = 35  (this certainly lowered the volume for everything)

Engine sound on/off CV259 = 50 (lowers the engine running sound a little more)

High pitched airhorn CV275 =70  (lowers the airhorn sound a little more) 

The CV are as given on p9 of the LocSound V4.0 Instruction Manual Murphy Models (Class 071 /111)

The values I used are trial and error to get a volume level that I was comfortable with.

Works great.

 

 

No problem at all. It only took a couple of minutes on the Lokprogrammer software. Even if you never buy a Lokprogrammer you can download the software for free, it's easy to re map function keys, adjust sound slot volumes and lighting effects. There is a feature which then shows which CV's were altered to achieve this and you then use them to manually programme your loco.

With the best intentions programming can still go wrong when manually inputting CV's. All it takes is dirt on the track or some bad track writing for the commands to get corrupted. 

13 hours ago, Noel said:

And fertiliser bags and keg loads available over on Accurascale. 

https://accurascale.co.uk/collections/loads

By the looks of it I got the last pack of kegs!

17 minutes ago, Noel said:

And fertiliser bags and keg loads available over on Accurascale. 

https://accurascale.co.uk/collections/loads

Lovely!

On the subject of the flashing marker lights, I don't think this it's possible to have steady state lights that change to flashing at the push of a function key. I'll ask on the Loksound IO Group but I don't think it can be done.

1 hour ago, DART8118 said:

No need to apologise.  Cab light was steady and all other lights were alternating on and off as one unit.  Like I said it was happening so the hardware must be in place and perhaps it is a CVs matter to activate it.  If it could then be mapped to a function key that would make for easy operation.  Maybe it's just a matter of editing the CV on the outputs you mention.

Thanks again.  Maybe some day.

8118

 

 

Some info for you...

I was messing around with the Lokprogrammer software and experimenting with getting the marker lights to flash. To do this you alter the following CV's:

CV31 = 16, CV32 = 0
----------------------
CV259 =  14
CV267 =  14

CV31 = 16, CV32 = 3
----------------------
CV417 =  16
CV422 =  16
 

Now you said you altered the volume of the engine sound. This is in sound slot 1 and to do that you change the following CV's:

CV31 = 16, CV32 = 1
----------------------
CV259 =  63
 

You'll notice you alter the same CV, in this case CV259, to change both the light function AND the sound slot. It's the index CV's  - CV16 and CV32 which need to be given the correct values to change the functions or sounds you want. I'd say an incorrect value was entered in to one of these and that caused the lights to behave erratically.

This just shows how important it is to get these index CV's right as it can cause the decoder to have a fit!

3 hours ago, murphaph said:

It's highly unlikely if the 201 is anything to go by as the end marker lights are driven by a common function output on the decoder. You would need to be able to drive them independently to make them flash alternately. That means hardware) wiring changes and more function outputs than the MM decoder (which is a Lokpilot v4 really) has available.

As far as I know the Lokpilot supports these features. No additional hardware are rewiring is necessary, the decoder will control the flashing functions. In fact a lot of lower spec decoders support these features as well, I have flashing headlights on a couple of Athearn F units which are fitted with Lenz decoders.

Yeah but get you're point that the marker and end lights are an the same circuit, so they would flash together!

3 hours ago, DART8118 said:

Reset all done OK, but now no headlights, sidelights or taillights when forward cab is selected.  I think I need a lie-down

But getting back to the flashing lights.  That looks like a nice feature typical of American railroads.  Could be used here for level crossing or on-street layout or in a yard.  Is it possible to program it?

8118

 

That's weird. I suggest doing the reset a few more times, sometimes it does'nt take the first time. Also when you do the reset cut the power to the track, this helps sometimes.

30 minutes ago, DART8118 said:

Thanks Noel and Irishthump.

Since posting I have wondered if I changed CV31 & CV32 back to the defaults would that fix it.  Problem is I don't know what the defaults were.  Anyone able to help?  TIA.  Otherwise is a reset.

8118

 

CV's 31 and 32 are indexing CV's. They don't control anything directly they are used when programming CV's above 255. They won't affect anything  by themselves.

The reset is your best bet.

1 hour ago, DART8118 said:

Has anyone a CVs fix for headlights and sidelights alternating on/off (i.e., flashing) after lowering CVs for engine sound and airhorn?  Want to revert to the standard steady lights.  Chip is MM0055, loco is MM071 and controller is PowerCab?  Trying to avoid the CV 8 solution.

Many thanks in advance.

8118

 

 

Yeah you need to do a hard reset, it sounds like the decoder has gotten itself in a twist!

8 hours ago, murphaph said:

So I will install a miniature relay and instead of the common return from the red LEDs going through that switch, it will be connected to either side of the n.o. terminals of the relay. The default state for these lights should be off as locos will generally not be running light engine and thus the red marker lights will be off more often than they are on so it's better to have the default state of the relay as not energised.

The relay coil will be driven by aux 5 with return to the common positive of the decoder.  Very simple job but adds a lot IMO. I will do all the soldering on the loco board rather than touch the decoder. The decoder should still be removable. 

As the proud owner of zero baby GMs I have no idea about the wiring but if I did get one I imagine I would also want the same lighting setup as on a 201 to be honest. If there are no cab lights I would probably add them.

This type of mod is way above my skill level so I'm very interested to see how that works out. It would be great if you can take a few pictures of the install.

Space is VERY limited inside the baby GMs, so I'm not sure how you would handle the lighting mods.

2 hours ago, Warbonnet said:

Hi everyone,

They certainly seemed popular and we wouldnt rule out a rerun in the future for sure!

Thanks to everyone who ordered! 

As someone who missed the boat on these, a rerun would certainly be welcome!

Interesting stuff. Does the extra output you require need to be hardwired to one of the 21 pin connections?

On the subject of the V4 vs V5, nearly all suppliers stopped selling V4's as soon as the V5 was released. ESU were clever enough to not make the V5 more expensive!

If I were you I'd use the V4 in a 141/181. The lighting in those locos is very basic. Unless of course you want to modify the light setup.

12 minutes ago, murphaph said:

So I took a closer look inside. The LEDs are hardwired together from pins 7 and 8 of the decoder, ie when pin 7 is pulled low, the white marker lights at end A go on while the red marker lights at end B go on. 

There is a spdt switch under the loco which allows the path from the red led (led3 according to the silkscreen) to the positive common on the decoder to be interrupted, leaving the red led off.

Helpfully, not, the led silkscreen has the incorrect polarity for those 3 LEDs and it took me a while to figure that out. The cathode chamfer on the larger white LEDs is not visible unless under magnification. I trusted the silkscreen.

Yeah I thought that was the case. The only option is to use the switch to disable the red marker lights. Unless you want to rewire.....

I wouldn't even attempt this  tweak without using the Lokprogrammer! Yes, you can do it with CV's but the Loksound and Lokpilot use indexed CV's which need to other values adjusted before you can change any CV's above no. 255. If you don't set the correct index you can put the decoder in a tailspin!

I 'd have to check but I don't think the 201's front and back marker lights can be set independently of each other. Is there a switch on the 201 for turning marker lights off while in analogue mode?

Eoin that's cracking work!

Incredible! Well worth the wait!

14 hours ago, mmie353 said:

@Noel Actually since I posted, I did reach out to Wheeltappers and I was advised on the DCC decoders, I will be wanting to get them for my locomotives and I will look at slowly getting them but I am trying to get them here in the US, the issue is that the North American market have a different DCC decoder that is available in Europe and hence I have to get anything in the US re-blown and I can get the files from them. I was trying to see what the difference is as I was provided the part numbers for the European ones but of course, I cannot locate them here in the US. 

I am still wondering, what is the difference between the US and the European ones and I will need to work with Wheeltappers once I get some. I am not sure the way things are going if this will be this year when I start this or next year. I was actually looking again last night on sound decoders as I cannot just go to my local store as they advised they do not carry them but i have to meet the owner to confirm as they are listed as a store you can buy them on the ESU website.

Later all

Mark

 

The main Loksound decoder used in the US is the Loksound Select. This is a slightly lower spec then the V4 or V5. Files for the Select decoders can not be customised like  V4 and V5 Loksound files and are generally smaller as the select has less memory.

There are also 2 different versions of the V5 being released for US and Euro market. The V5 is the standard EU decoder and works with DCC as well as other control protocols. The V5 DCC is only available in the US and is DCC/Railcom only. I've heard it also has some differences in the brake features but I have'nt been able to find out much more than that. So the upshot is that you can only purchase the V5 DCC on your side of the pond. However, that should'nt matter. If you can get the files from Wheeltappers they will still work as the 2 versions are identical in all respects except for the ones I mentioned above.

46 minutes ago, murphaph said:

 

If you do reprogram your 121s where would you get the ancillary sounds (horn especially)?

Well to be honest I'd probably use the old MM 071 file and just change the engine sound. 

5 minutes ago, Noel said:

Hi Dave, Unfortunately not that simple, MM don't have any for 141,181. Also  the 071 and 201 from both MrSoundGuy and WheelTappers are much better to drive than MM0044 and MM0055. I've ordered a number of MM121 decoders for the imminent 121s and just hoping they have some of the advanced prototypical driving features like coasting, braking, throttle hold, etc, that I've got used to with WheelTappers and MrSoundGuy. It's nice to drive them like the real thing, stopping a train by merely  reducing throttle without needing to brake is just so scalextric!   

Those 121 decoders will work fine for the 141/181 locos as well. You MAY have some trouble with the lights but that's easily sorted.

26 minutes ago, murphaph said:

What about the EMD 12-710G3A LATE EXH T?

ESU returns this with a reference to the 201 if you search ESU for "Irish".

Well I missed that one! Apparently I was only searching the V4 files. 

That engine sound would be perfect for a 201.

1 minute ago, Warbonnet said:

The craic starts when you compare a modern day 071 and an NIR 111. I'm convinced they sound slightly different due to the engine upgrades the 071s got, but I might be going mad (and I am slightly deaf to say the least, but maybe someone can confirm or deny this sound difference!) 

Cheers!

Fran

Have'nt a clue. That's too far down the bleedin' rabbit hole!

I know I loaded the 2 different sounds to my pair of 071's. One has a higher idle sound which I thought would be quiet plausible. If you watch any of the many videos on Youtube you'll notice that no two locos sound the same!

4 minutes ago, murphaph said:

 

What exactly do you mean here? Would you be left with anything of the MM sound file following this reprogramming?

 

No when you reprogram a decoder you need to completely replace the existing sound file. So you can't take a pre programmed decoder and simply change the engine or horn sounds and keep the rest. You need to load a complete file.

33 minutes ago, murphaph said:

For this reason I'll probably opt for the IRM chips but for the 121 I'm still undecided.

 

I don't see any reason to not get the 121 decoders even if you have the Lokprogrammer.  The engine and horn sounds are great from what we've heard in the short videos that were posted here and if they come with the Full Throttle features then happy days! If they don't then I'll most likely reprogram the decoders. Personally I'd rather have better driving characteristics than 100% authentic sounds, but that's just me.