LOL,your not the only one mate, I have a broken chair that copped my frustration from trying to speed match locos!!. Turn your BEMF down to at least half, that will help the fighting,also make sure they use similar speed curves.But as I said in the intro, the biggest problem is the unsuitable drive-trains in our locos! I also have some "frustrating" days on the layout!!! Thanks and cheers,Gregg
Your welcome Stew!. Ulrich models in the US have mounting cradles for repowering Athearn units with Kato motors. I usually buy from "Model Train Stuff", Internet trains,Discount trains online. All my Ebay purchases take around 3 weeks, I haven't bought anything from Canada Stew!
Yes mate, I've seen the Kato vid, but it wasn't pulling a train?, I like the coreless motors (no brushes) but the worm drive is a bit of a concern?, but knowing Kato, it's probably all good! I have seen the mini traction motors!!, bloody amazing but I wonder if they will have enough torque being so small??,great work to get this far though, look forward to developments on that!. Uploading part 2 now, will take 2hrs. Cheers Ben., Gregg
Thankyou and your very welcome Ben!, Proto use Helical worms which are a lot better but still not "reversible" as far as pushing is concerned. I've seen Kato's new "power trucks" and they seem to use worm drive as well??, good idea but you now have two motors running off one decoder and maybe fighting with each other???? A worm drive similar to a cars differential would be nice as you could push a "dead" loco and speed matching would be lees of a problem? See what the future Holds! Cheers mate!!
Having you not only explain the 'bits and bytes' but also demonstrating changes in CVs and the locos responses to the changes made this more understandable for me. Thanks so much.
Thanks Retrain, I do speak a bit fast!, but open the Tsunami manual and watch the video again and you'll soon pick it up!. It's a lot easier than the great scenery you do I reckon!! Cheers Gregg
Hi Jon, I'm sorry but I don't know much about the decoders in BLI locos!, they are a bit of a hassle I believe, but there are a few videos on adjusting cv's somewhere on you-tube! Better still, pi$% them off and install Tsunami's...LOL Not exactly what you wanted to hear mate! Sorry about that, cheers Gregg!
Finally someone that knows what he is doing, So many people post videos on you tube with loud annoying sounding locos. Still think your horn and bell need improvement, more to do with back feed on speakers. Saw someone on you tube talk about speakers. I've been trying to decide which sound decoder to use in 20 plus Kato's that have with the hole in the fuel tank for the speaker. Have been blaming bad sound decoders for terrible sound when it has more to do with the speaker. Thanks for all the excellent information I'll be waiting to see what you do with the horn and bell. I've always wanted to be a railroad engineer but never did, I have hours and hours of videoing locomotives over the last 17 years. I know what they sound like and how they operate and you are the most accurate one so far on you tube.
Thanks very much Lyn!, you will like part 3 of this series even more I think? I like the echo of the horn but I realise it's not the one for that loco! On the subject of speakers, I just did two Kato AC4400's with two speakers in each, one in the tank and a Zimo bass reflex oval in the body. One pair are 8 ohm in series and the other pair is 4 ohms in series,this 4 ohm combination gives you the decoders recommended value of 8 ohms, and the sound is louder and with a bit more bass the the 8 ohm pair. I will be doing a video on this in the coming weeks so stay tuned!. I also would love to be an Engineer but my eyesight prevents this :-( Glad you enjoy the videos and thanks for watching! Cheers Gregg
Just watched this video and have to say a massive thank you for presenting a very "human" presentation. I have a pair of Genesis FP7s which I really want to be more controllable. Will have a play with them later. Thanks again. Phil from England
Hi Phil, glad you liked the video and thank you for the kind comments! CV's 209 and 210 are your friend, and make 212 as low as possible , just enough to get a little slip at speed step 1. P.S always use 128 speed steps! Also drop the max speed down , cvs 66 & 95. Good luck and let me know how you go. Cheers Gregg.
Truthfully, all I can say is "Thanks" for this brilliant presentation. This information is really helpful. Please keep up the good work! Gregg, I so enjoy each and everyone of your videos.
Thank you very much Thomas! It's great when someone loves their loco all over again..LOL I really appreciate the kind words and support and glad you got some tips from the video. Cheers Gregg!
Gregg, That's got to be the best DCC 4 DUMMIES video that I have ever seen. I look forward to many more in this great series. I am pretty naive when it comes to programming CV's so any bit of help I can get is always greatly appreciated. Cheers to Lord Stan too ;)
Excellent how-to. Completely new to this, and you've confirmed that one can get exceptional results, once one has figured out what to do. That in itself is a fairly daunting task. The value of using your demo along with the dreaded user manual will prove to be a great relief I'm sure. Thanks for your generosity.
FishplateFilms Thank YOU! I'll need different numbers for my Blue Box Athearns (MUCH higher starting voltage!), but it's a GREAT baseline for my Atlas/Kato locos!!
Bloody fantastic matey, Im 79 & just learning about sound systems, you have learnt me loads, I started with Digitrax & it was way to complicated for me. Im now on NCE PROCAB & its great......Kind Regards Brian
Thank you Brian! Just a young fellow I see!! You're never too old to learn new stuff and DCC can certainly be a challenge at times , but it is rewarding to get the performance you desire. You will be very happy with the Pro Cab, mines coming up to 15 years old and still going strong I know we all get a bit deaf as we get on , but try to have your prime mover sound levels as low as you can to allow all the other sounds to stand out. Glad you enjoy the videos and have learn't something from them. Regards, Gregg.
Hey Gregg my brother Paul lives in Brizzy been there 45years, great country my wife & I have visited 3 times we wish we had emergrated too, I live in U.K.......all the best Bri
Thanks very much Captain'!, for dummies by a dummy,LOL It literally took years to work this out with many frustrating hours pushing buttons! Didn't help I didn't have a computer when I got my first Tsunami!! so no manual! Glad to be of help and I'll give Lord Stan your regards! Take care out there, Cheers Gregg
you set the B-EMF to 100 on your Katos ! Haharr ... I do it too ! Gregg, what a great video !!! I like when you talk so easy (German = Locker) ! thank you for your interessting lesson ! GREAT !
That's great Paul!, glad it helped!. I have often wondered if the factory fitted Tsunami's are the same to program ,so you've answered a question for me as well! Cheers Gregg.
Gregg, I've said it once and I'm saying it again, thanks so much for this tutorial! Set up my new sw1000 off this and I'm so happy with it!!! Runs so prototypical!
Thank Gregg I've tried that and it works. I donot like having to change between consist number and lead number on my NCE to do this. there must be away just to control everything from my consist number?
Thanks , glad you got some answers!, try setting CV66&95 at around 100 or less, then your "notches" will be a lot closer together!, Also turn the BEMF ,CV212 down to around 100 also! Cheers Gregg
Good lord what an amazing video! Thank you so much! CV programming actually makes sense now, and I have just finished programming an Athearn Genesis GP38-2 on an 8X8 L-shaped layout with exactly the same settings and it runs and looks brilliant!
+Peter Di Cesare Thats great Peter! Glad you like your "new" loco and are now less confused with CV's, it took me a while to figure it out..LOL Remember every loco is different so settings may be a little different. Cheers Gregg.
Your welcome K4JW!, that's great!, glad to be of help. Remember , each loco is different so you can fine tune the settings to get the best results. Cheers Gregg
Thanks Erik!, yes I run my BEMF ,cv212 at 100 and I use curve no.1 (cv25@10) and it makes a huge difference. Try setting cv209 around 60-90 as a fine tune for slow starts!. Decoder pro would be good for setting sound values and such, but for speed adjusting I prefer to do it on the main. You certainly can spend some time playing around with these..LOL. Glad you enjoyed the clip mate! Cheers Gregg
Thanks Stew, glad you like it! Setting CV's is all about trial and error, keep a note of the settings so you don't go back and do the same one again. I have only one Genisis loco, sitting in a box!! Atlas , Kato or Proto for me!, I'll see how my new Intermountain's go?.You can always repower your Genisis with a Kato motor! For me it's about reliability and performance, then detail. Nice to hear from a fellow Aussie US modeler.! Cheers Gregg
Great video! I was about to pull my hair out. I have an Athearn Genesis GP38-2 and GP50 and for the life of me I could not get the speed right. I would stall over switches or the engines would jerk badly. Well after watching this video, I am very, very happy with my locomotives!! Thanks!!
Your Welcome Michael!, they'd run even better if they were Kato's...LOL,, Sorry , couldn't resist!!. That's great, I really enjoy people saying they love their loco's again after doing the adjustments! Thanks for watching and for the kind comments!. Cheers Gregg
Thanks for the tip on repowering Athearn units with Kato motors! Just wondering how to mount them properly, maybe some double sided tape? Which store in the US did you mention you buy from? I recently ordered a couple of units from Canada (thru ebay) and the first one took 9 weeks and 3 days, still waiting for the 2nd unit. Have you ever bought anything from Canada? Cheers! Stew.
Hi Greg Very informative decoder tuning. I like lower volume and smooth low speed control. Keep those videos coming. Tell Lord Stan hello and don't be a stranger. Best regards, Leon
Wow. Thank you. I got some TSU2’s to match some ESU’s but couldn’t find the CV 5 and 6 on the TSU1. Going to try the CV 66 and 95 tonight. I think you might have saved me from replacing a dozen or so Tsunami 1 decoders.
Thanks Mark! The best thing is to print out the manuals for the Tsunami 1&2's for easy reference1 They are almost identical, but there are a few CV's that are different. Don't forget to unlock the speed table before you adjust 66 & 95! Gregg :-)
Hey Gregg, This video was very helpful. I have 2 athearn genesis fp45's with factory tsunami sound that I hadn't done much programming on for 2 reasons. Number one athearn didn't provide any manual for programming cv's !! Number two when I did find the manual on the tsunami website, it was so overcomplicated that I said forget it! I have both of them programmed and running well now. Thanks again!!
Thanks very much for the rap John!, glad you like the video! I don't have any experience with the BLI locos but I hear they are very nice, though the decoders are a problem to adjust I think? I do like the SD40-2's in the BHP paint scheme which is over in Western Australia, as far as I know , the only SD40-2's in Australia!! Cheers Gregg
Of all the people modeling ho scale you have the best knowledge to make it look prototypical. I have been waiting a long time for someone of your knowledge. My layout is looking pretty good but I need my loco's to sound like yours. I have made more videos of my layout but having trouble down loading parts of the video to you on You tube. I'm nearly 50, not knowledgeable on the latest tech trends.I bought a DVD camcorder in 2006 and that is outdated now, but works good when I video trains. For many years I used a VHS camcorder, I've got some great videos of trains.
Gee Lyn, if you keep this up my head won't fit through the door..LOL. But I'm glad your getting something from my clips and soon you;ll be having your loco's running and sounding great! There are some great videos of trains on you-tube shot in VHS, a few searches and you'll find out how to get them on to your channel. I'm not that far off 50 myself, trouble is I think I'm still 30..LOL Thanks again for your comments and for watching. Cheers Gregg
I have 2 intermountain 1 ES44DC 1ES44AC and have created a consist with them. I can not seemed to be able to get the horn,bell or light to work. What do i have to do?
Great video, Greg. LOVE this. I've yet to get my NCE ProCab, but it's coming soon! Thanks for the quick tutorials and helping us not so friendly DCC CV messers out. I do want to give a quick shout out for any BLI(Broadway Limited Loco), I have an undec'd AC6000 and that thing is a BEAST. I've pulled 45 cars with it and it ran like a champ. Would love to see what you could do with it with your knowledge. It would make your jaw drop at it's performance. I have 4 BLI SD40-2's of theirs. LOVE THEM!
Hi Greg, any chance of doing a speed matching demo for a fellow NCE user. I'm having trouble with my two BLI GE AC 6000's,I want to match them as close as possible for consisting,thanks in advance. Jon.
Very good explained.The improvement is awesome.I will try that method to see if it works with the ATH Genesis locos.As you said Atlas engines run better with Tsunamis than other brands.I keep you informed.Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Carsten, glad you have gotten good results!.The Genesis loco's are a bit hit and miss I think, mine never ran well, so it sit;s in a box waiting for a kato motor and Led's in all the lights!.Good luck and let me know how you go. Cheers Gregg
Best model RR video I've seen in a very long time Gregg! Speaking my language buddy! Locomotives are not slot cars! The drivetrains are of a 1950's design and completely obsolete. The prime mover is always way too loud and with only a tiny tweeter for a speaker all you hear in notch 8 is basically TV static. Thank you for sharing your techniques with us. I love the realistic operation, I will be tweaking all my locomotives now that I have a better understanding of it! Thanks!!! Ben
The other two you tube videos I found very knowledgeable are:HO July update part 1 kato SD40 2's /sound decoder exchange by Rarawer (great sounding horn) the other video DCC speaker principles / getting the sound out / Model Railroad Hobbyist. Thanks for responding to my comments. I have been ballasting my tracks last winter a tip from me,I use a surgical scrub brush to level ballast between ties and an index card to smooth sides. More questions about scenery and ballasting let me know.
Rarawer (Matthias) is a good friend and a fellow Kato and Tsunami fan ! We share ideas and he set's his locos to similar Cv's to mine. I did some research and changed the horn on the Dash-8's to a RS-3L (it did bug me as well)so I hope you will sleep better tonight..LOL, a K3La is also used on these according to forums?. Don't know about the bell, ? Thanks for the ballasting tips, that's a long way off but I will try it.Thanks for watching the videos Lyn, mor on the way!. Cheers Gregg:-)
Thanks Teddy'!!, Glad your enjoying the clips and getting better performance from your locos! I'll be uploading a update on the Intermountain speed matching video in the next day or so. Lord Stan is enjoy the odd "cuppa" and will be back on the screen shortly! Thanks again and cheers!, Gregg
Thank you so much as I am new to programing and use. You are easy to follow and provide wisdom with the technical advice. By the way the TSU-BW1000 828020 has all the features of the TSU-GN1000 without ay modification for lights.
Thank you , glad you like it! Yes the Bowser board is set for LED's, but I din't think they make one for modern GE's ? I could be wrong , but I think they are for the old FDL16 prime movers? Thanks for watching and don't forget to watch all 3 episodes..LOL Cheers Gregg:-)
Your very welcome Darryl!! (throw it anyway..LOL) I have one early SD70 Genisis that sits in a box, needs a new motor and all the lights changed to LED's. I agree the new ones have great detail, but the bulbs put me off, just a personal thing. I'm glad you have your loco back on the roster and earning it's keep!! Glad to be of help sir!, cheers Gregg
The new Kato drive can pull like crazy did you see the video? Christopher Howard with Railflyer models in Ontario has the right idea. He is into ultra realism 100% prototype stuff. They are working on an HO scale traction motor so that 1 locomotive will have 6 motors just like the real thing, even geared the same way and speed. Bonus of having see through trucks not like the big rectangle box every manufacturer has relied on for decades. It may be a few years out but it will be a game changer.
Nicely done.....I have not messed with back EMF but your explanation is far easier to comprehend then SOUNDTRAXX documentation ...curious if you've played with using F11 as a brake?....Nice effect...I use it with a small steam engine, with CV3 at max delay and a minimal delay of CV4...There are other CV's involved and like most changes, it takes some experimenting to get what you want !..Thanks for sharing
Thanks Rich! I have played with the F11 brake, it is a nice feature,but I prefer to have control over the braking rate. Having many locos that must all run together, I try to keep things as simple as possible..LOL Having the B-EMF ramp off as you accelerate , allows you to open the throttle as you climb a grade without increasing speed. Thanks for watching. Cheers Gregg
Hi and thanks!,the sounds are much clearer in person as the camera dosen't pick up the finer noises. Lord Stan sends his regards and he'll be back soon! Cheers Gregg
WOW, I need to watch this a couple more times and take notes :-) I like your approach to programming, your results look good and I think that your approach will fix one of my complaints about DCC sound locos - the units "out run" their prime movers. I have moved 20 cars with the prime mover at "idle" - not realistic. This is better!
I have watched your three videos on programming a Tsunami Decoder. These videos are great! My question is do you have the matching code values for Digitrax Decoder for my older decoders?
Ed Wagner Hi Ed, thank you foe the kind remarks!. I'm afraid I know nothing about Digitrax decoders, but if you look their manual, you should be able to find the cv's that match these? Cheers Gregg
Just found your channel and I love it! Only watched a few videos so far including this one and part 2 and learned lots! My one and only tsunami sounded loco is an athearn genesis sd45-2 in MRL colours. I set the cv's as you described and it ran pretty good. I did make one change that of cv25, set to 11. I found that setting on the genesis motor seems to work best. Genesis don't seems to run as well as Atlas or Kato from my experience. Cheers from a fellow Aussie! Stew.
I would like to ask,would you do a simple video. I am wanting to purchase,and start my layout in DCC..The problem is,I don't know what the parts are,And how the parts perform together.I know there is a throttle and it needs power.This video has increased my interest. This is what I want to do with my layout. So please! Show me the parts,and explain what they do,in the typical detail,and style you have.This video was great,and the Atlsa looks cool,,by the way.Thanks for the info.
I want the motor to rev up before the train moves and I can't seem to get it rite. Is it possible you might know the best cv settings for the sd70 genesis? I only ask because you have one. And you know your stuff. Lol
Don't we all Darryl..LOL. Unfortunately , this is the one thing I don't like about Tsunami's and I wish they would adjust this setting like Loksound!. If you haven't already, drop the max speed down , CV 66 & 95 ( unlock speed table first) to about 100 , then try CV 3 &4 (momentum) to about 120-150. .Also drop the BEMF ,cv 212 to about 100 and set CV2 as low as you can to get a smooth start. This should delay the start a bit, but not as good as Loksound :-(. . I don't run my Genesis,it never ran well from the start and all the bulbs have blown twice, so it's in the shops!!. The decoders for the new GE's have a slight delay, which is nice!.Hope this helps, cheers Gregg
Great "Avoiding Insanity" video on tweaking CVs! Thanks. Now, about the QSI... I have one in an Atlas Dash 8. The SOUND is excellent but driving is not great as it goes too slowly and completely stalls on inclines unless going at least 65/128... Last winter I fiddled with the CVs and gave up. Then read about others frustrations as well... Is this why you swap them? The Sound of the QSI is excellent, especially the Horn - so much better horn than the Tsunami that I want to keep it but get it working 'right'! -Chris
+chrislef2002 Thank you Chris, glad you like the videos. I'm afraid I don't like QSI sound for a few reasons which is why I replaced the two in my 2 Dash8 40 CW units. The Tsunami horns can be improved, I will be doing a video on this soon! Lok sound have the best horns I feel, but with a little tweaking you can get the Tsunamis very close! Cheers Gregg.
I'm assuming they would Vinny, you just need to work out what CV's are on your decoder, I think CV 2,3,,4 are the same, you'll have to check the others! Thanks and cheers mate!.
I enjoyed your videos so much,I thought I would share some of my layout with you. I have a cab ride tour of my layout using a DVD camcorder fasten to a well car but the down load time is nearly a third of a day(crazy). I downloaded the smaller of the two parts of a 30 minute DVD I recorded last March. It is titled: Joint BNSF/CP ho scale layout (still under construction).
Thanks Lyn, I'll take a look!. I try to make my vid's no longer than 15min for that reason! I'm lucky as a 15 min one takes about 3hrs to upload. Gregg
Very interesting indeed. I thought I was the only one that did not understand the bits and bytes thing. It did not make any sense to me and is very confusing. The decoder manufacturers should just give us the CV number and value then call it a day.. I had in past videos tweaked the CV's on my Tsunami engines and gotten great results, but you have done some things differently which I will go back and apply some new settings to experiment. Your video is very well done. Thank you.=)
Thanks very Much Maurice!. It took me a long time to work out the manual as well, it was written by IT geeks for other IT geeks i reckon..LOL. It puts people off and they give up on getting the great results that are available from these decoders!. Once adjusted, you can really drive the loco prototypically, which to me is what it's all about!! Thanks again for the kind comments, glad you enjoyed it. Cheers Gregg
Thanks for this info. I have two Tsunami's. On my Kato your numbers work with the exception of CV 10. As soon as I increase that the loco wont pull or move at all. Also, on my old BB Athern Dash 9, I had to increase CV 2 up to 100 in order for the loco to pull cars. Ive adjusted cv209 to 255 and it still has a slight pause or 'jerk' when stopping and starting. CV 10 also will not work on this loco. Any suggestions?
On the Katos, you will have to set CV 10 at about 70-80,, depending on what you have cv66 and 95 set at. If you have to have cv 2 at 100, then there is something wrong with the loco, 209 should be no more than about 100, the less the better. BB Athearns are not really suiuted to DCC, try setting CV 212 at about 200 and dropping CV2? Cheers Gregg
FishplateFilms Thanks Gregg. That fixed the BB Athern. It runs great now. Much more like my Intermountain. Its like a new loco. No issues now, no more jerking around. Very realistic with your improved settings.
ifly65 That's good Ifly! Set 212 as low as you can but still with smooth running. Start 209 at 30 and work up to about 70-80 . What ever you have 66 &95 set at (max speed) set cv 10 at about 75% of that setting. Good to see you had a good result. Cheers Gregg
+Russ Austin Hi Russ, some of the Cv's are the same, have a look at their manual online. Lok sound are easy to speed match to Tsunami , just remember they have a max speed cv and a mid speed cv, so don't forget to do the mid speed one! I think they still call bemf the same? LOK have very good speed control out of the box, unfortunately you can't adjust the notch settings to match other decoders, which is one reason I don't use them, which is a shame. Cheers Gregg.
Yeah, the SD40-2's are my all time favorite..guess it's long porch on them. =) I'm trying to collect the ICG's entire fleet of them...so far so good..I've got about 50 of them so far! only 59 more to go! Thanks again for the VERY informative vid! I WILL be using it soon!
Great video! many thanks for posting. I recently got a dash 8-40cw with QSI. I think I would like to put either loksound select or a tsunami decoder in it. Did you have to put additional resistors on the wires to avoid burning out the LEDs, or did they already have the resistors wired on. I haven't taken apart the QSI model yet, but I have an older silver series that seems to have resistors wired into the wires, and not the board (which makes things a lot simpler on my end). The other question would be if you know the impedance of the QSI speakers. I think the decoders can only handle like 4-8 ohms, id love to not have to change that. If direct communication via email with you would be possible, Id appreciate that. Thanks
+modeltrain9500 Thanks and you're welcome! Either of those decodes are a big improvement over the QSI in my opinion. Leave the resistors in line , they are 1kohm so perfect for SMD led 's. The headlight will be a bit dim so if you want it brighter you will have to take out the resistor and replace it with a 680 ohm, but I didn't bother. The speakers are 8 ohms in series which is 16 ohms, fine for Tsunami decoders, 4 ohms is too low and will put strain on the amp. Send me a personal message if you want more info! Cheers Gregg :-)
Thanks for the reply, that answers a lot of the questions I would have. I think I might go with a loksound decoder, and those are capable of handling as low as 4 ohms. perhaps I will have to re-wire the speakers in parallel. Ill see how the lights look when I have them all wired up, I might throw a 680 ohm resistor in there, although I think I am able to adjust brightness with the loksound decoder. Ill work on sending you a personal message, but thanks!
+modeltrain9500 No problems, although I prefer Tsunami's due to the better notching , which you can adjust to notch up at certain speed steps so all your locos notch up at the same time, this is a person al thing and Lok sound are very good decoders none the less. If you go that way you will have to wire the speakers in parallel to get the 4 ohms as you say. I doubt that you can brighten them with the 1k in line? give it a go but it is easy to replace the resistor. Make sure to get the select if you go with LOK so you have a board to solder to! Cheers Gregg.
Hi Adam, the speaker was a 30mm Soundtrax, there are a few different makes , TCS and QSI make one as well. The decoder was a GN1000 , though they may be getting rare now as the Tsunami2's take over? You might get a GN1000 at a good price now? Cheers Gregg.
Hi Mate, I am installing my first tsunami after using 45 loksounds. The tsunami is hopefully to lower my costs at the risk of losing suitable Aussie sounds/whistles :( I just searched through your how to videos and found what I was looking for, but you slid right past it Ha Ha Gregg how did you change the athearn low voltage to be useable for LED's ? Is it simply a matter of connecting a line from the pick ups to the tag? And if so which tag is positive (blue) and negative white/yellow ? And whilst I am here ;) When you link your ditch lights to 13 and 14 tags for F5 and 15 and 15 tags for F6, I guess one of these is + and other - ? I know I could put a meter on it live, however my Austrains G Class has a peculiarity at the moment causing another problem. That is although I get the red led to light up, I do not get any sound or motion..Still working on that one, and of course my PR3 and Decoder Pro cannot read the tsunami... I am ready to head back to loksound?? Gregg can you help, please?
Hi Rod, Thanks for watching the video's!. First thing , remember all decoders switch the negative for lights, so make sure you have the led polarity correct!. If you are using a TSU -GN 1000 for Athearn, you must hook all the LED + wires to the 14 volt bus on the decoder, its a small hole at the rear of the decoder marked " + 14". Then all of the light tabs switch the negative for each output. F5 & F6 switch each ditchlight negative, with their + wires all hooked up to the 14 V bus.same with the front and rear lights, hook up the LED Negative to the correct tab and the + to the bus. Each LED must have it's own resistor around 680 ohm and to find the polarity, you can use a AA battery to find which leg is positive. The sheet with the decoder is pretty good , but be careful because the decoders are not very forgiving..LOL. Hope this helps!. Cheers Gregg
FishplateFilms G'day mate I am using a BW1000 and the light boards appear to already have resistors. ie led 1, r 1, c 1, and led 3, r 3, c 3. So I have found the 12 volt pad on the board near the twin caps. It does not say max current but I guess 6 tiny sm leds at once will not do much damage? Thanks for your help. My decoder is still lighting up but still not moving and still silent. Do you think a reset might be in order, although I did open a fresh pack and I guess it is factory fresh. Cheers
Rod Young Hi Rod, I'm not familiar with the Bowser board, but I know they are set up for LED's, so no need to use the 12 volt output. LEDs have no resistance, so they will draw as much current as you can give them and blow up the supply, hence the need for resistors. Check the paperwork for the decoder and see whether you need resistors or not, the Kato boards have them . The BW1000 will still have a common + to run all the positive leads to and the neg' are switched from each tab. 6 led's off one tab are too many, max output is 100ma per output and 6 leds will be over that. Are the motor wires on the correct tabs?, have you tried address 003?, all decoders are factory set at loco no.3.? You could try a reset but you may have damaged it with the lighting connections, disconnect all the leds and try it.I damaged one of mine by not having the correct value resistors in series with the LED's! Keepme posted ! Cheers Gregg
I downloaded another video on my layout, with loco's going up and down hill(joint BNSF/CP HO scale layout NO helix)you'll see why I need sound decoders. I started dcc using NCE too many decoder burnouts,switched to Lenz before standard plus. The newer standard plus use's CV's much the same as NCE but with an overload feature, no burnt decoders. Lenz still does not have sound decoders.yet. I'm using an NCE system and it appears you are doing the same. The tsunami's must work alright with NCE. May I ask why you don't model railroad's from your country? GE has made some great looking loco's with a lot of horsepower for Australian railroads.
I haven't finished your first one yet Lyn, but it looks good so far. Nce is great and I have had no problems in over ten years of operation. I don't model Aussie railways because I don't like any of the loco's down here, all the new power is a box shape with no character at all( not including the Dash9's and SD70 aces from the States used in the Pilbara iron ore region) and our rolling stock choices are very limited. I have always preferred US freight cars and locos for as long as I can remember, and I'm not changing now! Cheers Gregg
Thank you Doug! You will have to get a Tsunami 2 now, but thankfully all the motor set ups are the same, plus the new decoder is a lot better at slow er speeds. If you haven't already ,watch my review of the Tsunami 2! Cheers Gregg.
Gregg you've got some great videos mate and these programming vids are tops! I got my athearn genesis sd45-2 running pretty good but then I did a tune up and maintenance on it. Now i need to change all the settings again! Ah well, never mind, all good fun it is! Thanks again for sharing what you've done! PS I hope Lord Stan isn't drinking all your "tea'!
Hi there, My name is Alex and I’m writing from Toronto Canada. Your approach to setting Tsunami2 decoders is quite interesting and educational. Some of the CV settings for BEMF are so close to realistic operation. In this video you are referring to QSI decoder being the original, replaced with Soundtraxx. Would you be willing to sell QSI decoder(s)? I have a fleet of GP9’s from Atlas and P2K. One of the sound decoders with Q1a board is giving me a great deal of frustration. Sound gets distorted and back to normal quite often. It appears that the original owner applied excessive pressure around PLCC32 socket causing some damage to the PCB. My background is in power system relaying, nevertheless I graduated electrical engineering with focus of traction control, spent some time in production of Re 6/6 electric locomotive at Brown Boveri in Switzerland. Hope to hear from you soon.
Hi Alex, Thank you for the comments on the CV settings and for watching! I only had 2 QSI decoders in my Dash8 40 C's and that is nearly 10 years ago ! I'm afraid they are long gone and I can't remember what I did with them? Pop a Tsunami 2 or even a Econami in it instead! That must of been interesting working on the loco's in Switzerland! Iv'e always had a thing for the "Crocodiles" and just watched a video on some last week! Sorry I couldn't help you out , but I would throw in an Econami...same as the TSU2 but with less features that you would not use anyway. Cheers Gregg. P.S I was in Toronto in 2015 and got the CAnadian to Jasper. A beautiful country.
Hello Gregg. I’m finally getting around to watching the DCC videos you made because I think it is time to go from the old DC to DCC. I recently moved to a new house and basement. I want to do this new layout right. I probably will have questions in your videos, so bear with me. I have DCC decoders with sound and without sound, so hopefully that doesn’t confuse me even more. lol Thank you making these videos.
Hi Bob, you won't regret it sir! The best thing about DCC , is not the sound...it's the ability to run any loco anywhere on the layout! No more block switching to cross tracks and the ability to have auto reverse loops! The sound is a bonus, especially for us that grew up with DC layouts. Go easy at the start and congrats on the new house with a basement!. look forward to seeing what you do with the new digs! Cheers Gregg.
@@FishplateFilms thank you Gregg. I will keep you posted. Taking it slow because it is a lot to absorb. You have been my inspiration all of these years. I will be trying the helix build too. I gotta have multi-levels! lol Cheers.
I love my Decoder Pro for JMRI... Programming on the main (OPS mode) and I can make minute adjustments to my sound equipped locos (HO) for speeds and sounds, etc.
You need to check out my ICG Grain Train video. It's got the BLI AC6000 pulling a bunch of cars..i don't know how many to be exact, but it just moves on steady she goes...I LOVE that engine probably my favorite one out of all of mine. Anywho, G'day!
Just thought I'd mention this to you concerning the video. If you like Tsunami decoders you can use the TSU-750 decoder with a keep-a-live. I personally have been using TCS keep-a-lives on my TSU-750's. There is plenty of room in that engine for the 750 decoder and a keep-a-live. On the 750 just cut off the capacitor and wire in the keep-a-live. It keeps the entire decoder (sound, motor, lights, etc...) going for about 4-10 seconds depending on what the engine is doing when it loses track power. Just keep the 750 heat sink plate on the metal part of the chassis and it will not over heat. It's the same performance as a TSU-1000 but in a smaller package that will fit your engine much easier. Bill
captainbill12 Hi Bill, I personally don't like the "wrapped" decoders, I have had heat problems with them and I much prefer to work on a board, so I like the GN1000 decoders for these locos. As for keep alive, I don't need it as all my frogs are powered and I don't have any power issues. If a loco looses power on the layout, then something is wrong and I fix it! Thank you for the info just the same. Cheers Gregg:-)
FishplateFilms What I have noticed is that a wrapped decoder, specifically the TSU-750 sitting on the metal frame of the engine it stays cool, and my use of keep-a-live units stems basically from the fact that I run on a modular club which is more difficult to fix dead spots on due to the mobility. It's just me personally but I don't try to solder when I don't have to. But with that said you have the advantage of more experience of more of those types of installations of that type of decoder which can be a big benefit if you work on an engine where you have no choice but to use one of those model decoders that you like. The job you did was still very neat and looks well done. It should really nice as well. What speaker(s) are you using in those engines?
captainbill12 I guess running on modular layouts is a different story!! , especially if different turnouts are used. Being a signal electrician, I solder all my connection's ,it can be a bit fiddly but with practice it becomes easy. This install was a bit tricky , but I've done two more of these and they went a lot quicker. The speaker is a QSI 30mm or 32mm, can't remember which one?I like the GN decoder as it's easy to fit resistors for led's. Thank you for the positive feedback Bill. Cheers Gregg
Whatever works for each person is what I always say you should do because you will do the best job at it. And in the case of the hobby that's definitely were you want to go. You did a really nice clean job on the install and I love the way they sound. Thank you for sharing that information on the Internet
You're welcome Michael! Decoder Pro is a great tool, but for many tasks and adjustments, it's better to do it on the main and with the train running! Stay tuned for my upcoming series "CV Shortcuts" in which I will go through the CV's I adjust to make my locos run and sound better! Thanks for watching! Gregg .
Hi dear friend how are you doing? Hope all is well with you in Australia and are you still working for the railroad ? Or are you now retired from the railroad? With me I really trying to fix my DCC system I have a heard time with wintering it Have you started on you house yet too? Well miss you friend have a great weekend from Neil schwerdt in west valley city Utah
Hi Neil. I'm still here and still working on the railroad! The house is still going ahead, but I'm waiting for building costs to come back to a sensible level! I was down in Stirling a few weeks ago and have posted some clips from my visit, with more to come. Hope you're doing well up there in beautiful Utah! Cheers Gregg.
LOL,your not the only one mate, I have a broken chair that copped my frustration from trying to speed match locos!!. Turn your BEMF down to at least half, that will help the fighting,also make sure they use similar speed curves.But as I said in the intro, the biggest problem is the unsuitable drive-trains in our locos! I also have some "frustrating" days on the layout!!!
Thanks and cheers,Gregg
Your welcome Stew!. Ulrich models in the US have mounting cradles for repowering Athearn units with Kato motors. I usually buy from "Model Train Stuff", Internet trains,Discount trains online. All my Ebay purchases take around 3 weeks, I haven't bought anything from Canada Stew!
Nice mitch!, just remember, a decoder won't make a bad loco run well, start with good quality models and you'll be right.
Cheers Gregg
Thankyou very much ,great minds think alike..LOL, I think I talk too much !! but I'm glad you find it easy to listen!
Cheers Gregg
Yes mate, I've seen the Kato vid, but it wasn't pulling a train?, I like the coreless motors (no brushes) but the worm drive is a bit of a concern?, but knowing Kato, it's probably all good! I have seen the mini traction motors!!, bloody amazing but I wonder if they will have enough torque being so small??,great work to get this far though, look forward to developments on that!. Uploading part 2 now, will take 2hrs.
Cheers Ben., Gregg
Thankyou and your very welcome Ben!, Proto use Helical worms which are a lot better but still not "reversible" as far as pushing is concerned. I've seen Kato's new "power trucks" and they seem to use worm drive as well??, good idea but you now have two motors running off one decoder and maybe fighting with each other???? A worm drive similar to a cars differential would be nice as you could push a "dead" loco and speed matching would be lees of a problem? See what the future Holds!
Cheers mate!!
Having you not only explain the 'bits and bytes' but also demonstrating changes in CVs and the locos responses to the changes made this more understandable for me. Thanks so much.
Your welcome Pete!! Glad you learn't how to get the most out of your decoder.
Thanks for watching!
Cheers Gregg
Thanks Retrain, I do speak a bit fast!, but open the Tsunami manual and watch the video again and you'll soon pick it up!. It's a lot easier than the great scenery you do I reckon!!
Cheers Gregg
Sounds like the best of both worlds Erik!! I'll check your video out !
Thanks mate.
Gregg:-)
Hi Jon, I'm sorry but I don't know much about the decoders in BLI locos!, they are a bit of a hassle I believe, but there are a few videos on adjusting cv's somewhere on you-tube! Better still, pi$% them off and install Tsunami's...LOL
Not exactly what you wanted to hear mate!
Sorry about that, cheers Gregg!
Thanks and your welcome!. It took me a year or so to work it out! Lucky I have no life!!!
Glad to be of help,cheers Gregg
Your welcome Matthew! Glad it helped you get the most out of your sound equipped loco! Thanks for the kind comments.
Cheers Gregg
Finally someone that knows what he is doing, So many people post videos on you tube with loud annoying sounding locos. Still think your horn and bell need improvement, more to do with back feed on speakers. Saw someone on you tube talk about speakers. I've been trying to decide which sound decoder to use in 20 plus Kato's that have with the hole in the fuel tank for the speaker. Have been blaming bad sound decoders for terrible sound when it has more to do with the speaker. Thanks for all the excellent information I'll be waiting to see what you do with the horn and bell. I've always wanted to be a railroad engineer but never did, I have hours and hours of videoing locomotives over the last 17 years. I know what they sound like and how they operate and you are the most accurate one so far on you tube.
Thanks very much Lyn!, you will like part 3 of this series even more I think? I like the echo of the horn but I realise it's not the one for that loco! On the subject of speakers, I just did two Kato AC4400's with two speakers in each, one in the tank and a Zimo bass reflex oval in the body. One pair are 8 ohm in series and the other pair is 4 ohms in series,this 4 ohm combination gives you the decoders recommended value of 8 ohms, and the sound is louder and with a bit more bass the the 8 ohm pair. I will be doing a video on this in the coming weeks so stay tuned!. I also would love to be an Engineer but my eyesight prevents this :-(
Glad you enjoy the videos and thanks for watching!
Cheers Gregg
Just watched this video and have to say a massive thank you for presenting a very "human" presentation. I have a pair of Genesis FP7s which I really want to be more controllable. Will have a play with them later.
Thanks again.
Phil from England
Hi Phil, glad you liked the video and thank you for the kind comments! CV's 209 and 210 are your friend, and make 212 as low as possible , just enough to get a little slip at speed step 1.
P.S always use 128 speed steps! Also drop the max speed down , cvs 66 & 95.
Good luck and let me know how you go.
Cheers Gregg.
Truthfully, all I can say is "Thanks" for this brilliant presentation. This information is really helpful. Please keep up the good work! Gregg, I so enjoy each and everyone of your videos.
Thank you very much Thomas! It's great when someone loves their loco all over again..LOL I really appreciate the kind words and support and glad you got some tips from the video.
Cheers Gregg!
Gregg, That's got to be the best DCC 4 DUMMIES video that I have ever seen. I look forward to many more in this great series.
I am pretty naive when it comes to programming CV's so any bit of help I can get is always greatly appreciated.
Cheers to Lord Stan too ;)
Excellent how-to. Completely new to this, and you've confirmed that one can get exceptional results, once one has figured out what to do. That in itself is a fairly daunting task. The value of using your demo along with the dreaded user manual will prove to be a great relief I'm sure. Thanks for your generosity.
Bloody BRILLIANT!!!! I've been "mucking around" with tsunami CV settings - and found it impossible to manage.....
I can't WAIT to try this!!!
Thanks mate! I'm sure you'll enjoy your locos even more when you get the settings that give you the performance you wan't!
Cheers Gregg
FishplateFilms Thank YOU! I'll need different numbers for my Blue Box Athearns (MUCH higher starting voltage!), but it's a GREAT baseline for my Atlas/Kato locos!!
Thanks so much I was finding setting cv values so confusing your explanations and videos are priceless
Thanks John! You're welcome and Im glad you got some tips from the videos!
Cheers Gregg.
Finally...a crash course on Tsunami programming for realism. Thank you sooo much. Very well done. Superb.
+John Bullock You're welcome John! Glad you like the video and hope you enjoy your new performance of your locos!
Cheers Gregg
Thank you very intresting speed steps are hard to do. I agree on the valium.
Thanks Wayne! It does seem a bit much at first, but after a few it becomes a lot easier! The Valium I mean..LOL
Cheers Gregg.
Best programming video series on UA-cam. Thank You for sharing your knowledge on the topic.
Thank you..that's a big call..LOL . Glad you liked the series and got something from it. More on Tsunami 2 on the way.
Cheers Gregg.
Bloody fantastic matey, Im 79 & just learning about sound systems, you have learnt me loads, I started with Digitrax & it was way to complicated for me. Im now on NCE PROCAB & its great......Kind Regards Brian
Thank you Brian! Just a young fellow I see!! You're never too old to learn new stuff and DCC can certainly be a challenge at times , but it is rewarding to get the performance you desire.
You will be very happy with the Pro Cab, mines coming up to 15 years old and still going strong
I know we all get a bit deaf as we get on , but try to have your prime mover sound levels as low as you can to allow all the other sounds to stand out.
Glad you enjoy the videos and have learn't something from them.
Regards, Gregg.
@@FishplateFilms Thank you for your reply Gregg
Hey Gregg my brother Paul lives in Brizzy been there 45years, great country my wife & I have visited 3 times we wish we had emergrated too, I live in U.K.......all the best Bri
Thanks very much Captain'!, for dummies by a dummy,LOL It literally took years to work this out with many frustrating hours pushing buttons! Didn't help I didn't have a computer when I got my first Tsunami!! so no manual! Glad to be of help and I'll give Lord Stan your regards!
Take care out there,
Cheers Gregg
Yes , don't we all!, I'll have a speed matching video coming up shortly, showing how I do it.
Gregg:-)
you set the B-EMF to 100 on your Katos ! Haharr ... I do it too ! Gregg, what a great video !!! I like when you talk so easy (German = Locker) ! thank you for your interessting lesson ! GREAT !
That's great Paul!, glad it helped!. I have often wondered if the factory fitted Tsunami's are the same to program ,so you've answered a question for me as well!
Cheers Gregg.
Gregg, I've said it once and I'm saying it again, thanks so much for this tutorial! Set up my new sw1000 off this and I'm so happy with it!!! Runs so prototypical!
Thanks! Your welcome.
Thank Gregg I've tried that and it works. I donot like having to change between consist number and lead number on my NCE to do this. there must be away just to control everything from my consist number?
Thanks , glad you got some answers!, try setting CV66&95 at around 100 or less, then your "notches" will be a lot closer together!, Also turn the BEMF ,CV212 down to around 100 also!
Cheers Gregg
Good lord what an amazing video! Thank you so much! CV programming actually makes sense now, and I have just finished programming an Athearn Genesis GP38-2 on an 8X8 L-shaped layout with exactly the same settings and it runs and looks brilliant!
+Peter Di Cesare Thats great Peter! Glad you like your "new" loco and are now less confused with CV's, it took me a while to figure it out..LOL Remember every loco is different so settings may be a little different.
Cheers Gregg.
Your welcome K4JW!, that's great!, glad to be of help. Remember , each loco is different so you can fine tune the settings to get the best results.
Cheers Gregg
Thanks Erik!, yes I run my BEMF ,cv212 at 100 and I use curve no.1 (cv25@10) and it makes a huge difference. Try setting cv209 around 60-90 as a fine tune for slow starts!. Decoder pro would be good for setting sound values and such, but for speed adjusting I prefer to do it on the main. You certainly can spend some time playing around with these..LOL. Glad you enjoyed the clip mate!
Cheers Gregg
Thanks Stew, glad you like it! Setting CV's is all about trial and error, keep a note of the settings so you don't go back and do the same one again. I have only one Genisis loco, sitting in a box!! Atlas , Kato or Proto for me!, I'll see how my new Intermountain's go?.You can always repower your Genisis with a Kato motor! For me it's about reliability and performance, then detail.
Nice to hear from a fellow Aussie US modeler.!
Cheers Gregg
Thanks trainman, I'll be doing a wiring video soon so I'll explain all the gear then.
Glad you got something from the video!
Cheers Gregg
Great video! I was about to pull my hair out. I have an Athearn Genesis GP38-2 and GP50 and for the life of me I could not get the speed right. I would stall over switches or the engines would jerk badly. Well after watching this video, I am very, very happy with my locomotives!! Thanks!!
Your Welcome Michael!, they'd run even better if they were Kato's...LOL,, Sorry , couldn't resist!!. That's great, I really enjoy people saying they love their loco's again after doing the adjustments! Thanks for watching and for the kind comments!.
Cheers Gregg
Thanks for the tip on repowering Athearn units with Kato motors! Just wondering how to mount them properly, maybe some double sided tape? Which store in the US did you mention you buy from? I recently ordered a couple of units from Canada (thru ebay) and the first one took 9 weeks and 3 days, still waiting for the 2nd unit. Have you ever bought anything from Canada?
Cheers!
Stew.
LOL...your too kind! Part 2 will be up in a few hours!
Thanks mate!
Great Video, you make understanding programming easier!
+Ray Barber Thanks Ray! Glad you liked it, I had lots of problems when I first tried it..LOL.
Cheers Gregg.
Hi Greg Very informative decoder tuning. I like lower volume and smooth low speed control. Keep those videos coming. Tell Lord Stan hello and don't be a stranger.
Best regards, Leon
Wow. Thank you. I got some TSU2’s to match some ESU’s but couldn’t find the CV 5 and 6 on the TSU1.
Going to try the CV 66 and 95 tonight. I think you might have saved me from replacing a dozen or so Tsunami 1 decoders.
Thanks Mark! The best thing is to print out the manuals for the Tsunami 1&2's for easy reference1 They are almost identical, but there are a few CV's that are different. Don't forget to unlock the speed table before you adjust 66 & 95!
Gregg :-)
Hey Gregg, This video was very helpful. I have 2 athearn genesis fp45's with factory tsunami sound that I hadn't done much programming on for 2 reasons. Number one athearn didn't provide any manual for programming cv's !! Number two when I did find the manual on the tsunami website, it was so overcomplicated that I said forget it! I have both of them programmed and running well now. Thanks again!!
Just found this. Good job. Maybe show the cab and its display while you make the adjustments?
Thanks very much for the rap John!, glad you like the video! I don't have any experience with the BLI locos but I hear they are very nice, though the decoders are a problem to adjust I think? I do like the SD40-2's in the BHP paint scheme which is over in Western Australia, as far as I know , the only SD40-2's in Australia!!
Cheers Gregg
Of all the people modeling ho scale you have the best knowledge to make it look prototypical. I have been waiting a long time for someone of your knowledge. My layout is looking pretty good but I need my loco's to sound like yours. I have made more videos of my layout but having trouble down loading parts of the video to you on You tube. I'm nearly 50, not knowledgeable on the latest tech trends.I bought a DVD camcorder in 2006 and that is outdated now, but works good when I video trains. For many years I used a VHS camcorder, I've got some great videos of trains.
Gee Lyn, if you keep this up my head won't fit through the door..LOL. But I'm glad your getting something from my clips and soon you;ll be having your loco's running and sounding great! There are some great videos of trains on you-tube shot in VHS, a few searches and you'll find out how to get them on to your channel. I'm not that far off 50 myself, trouble is I think I'm still 30..LOL
Thanks again for your comments and for watching.
Cheers Gregg
I have 2 intermountain 1 ES44DC 1ES44AC and have created a consist with them. I can not seemed to be able to get the horn,bell or light to work. What do i have to do?
Great video, Greg. LOVE this. I've yet to get my NCE ProCab, but it's coming soon! Thanks for the quick tutorials and helping us not so friendly DCC CV messers out. I do want to give a quick shout out for any BLI(Broadway Limited Loco), I have an undec'd AC6000 and that thing is a BEAST. I've pulled 45 cars with it and it ran like a champ. Would love to see what you could do with it with your knowledge. It would make your jaw drop at it's performance. I have 4 BLI SD40-2's of theirs. LOVE THEM!
Thanks for the great videos. Me and my dad are building a dcc layout and your help is great. Once again from Canada thanks.
Thanks Vance, you're welcome! I'm sure you will have fun building the layout.
Cheers Gregg
I've already picked up a few dcc locos, so surely quite soon I'll start converting -Mitch
Hi Greg, any chance of doing a speed matching demo for a fellow NCE user.
I'm having trouble with my two BLI GE AC 6000's,I want to match them as close as possible for consisting,thanks in advance.
Jon.
Very good explained.The improvement is awesome.I will try that method to see if it works with the ATH Genesis locos.As you said Atlas engines run better with Tsunamis than other brands.I keep you informed.Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Carsten, glad you have gotten good results!.The Genesis loco's are a bit hit and miss I think, mine never ran well, so it sit;s in a box waiting for a kato motor and Led's in all the lights!.Good luck and let me know how you go.
Cheers Gregg
Best model RR video I've seen in a very long time Gregg! Speaking my language buddy! Locomotives are not slot cars! The drivetrains are of a 1950's design and completely obsolete. The prime mover is always way too loud and with only a tiny tweeter for a speaker all you hear in notch 8 is basically TV static. Thank you for sharing your techniques with us. I love the realistic operation, I will be tweaking all my locomotives now that I have a better understanding of it! Thanks!!!
Ben
The other two you tube videos I found very knowledgeable are:HO July update part 1 kato SD40 2's /sound decoder exchange by Rarawer (great sounding horn) the other video DCC speaker principles / getting the sound out / Model Railroad Hobbyist. Thanks for responding to my comments. I have been ballasting my tracks last winter a tip from me,I use a surgical scrub brush to level ballast between ties and an index card to smooth sides. More questions about scenery and ballasting let me know.
Rarawer (Matthias) is a good friend and a fellow Kato and Tsunami fan ! We share ideas and he set's his locos to similar Cv's to mine. I did some research and changed the horn on the Dash-8's to a RS-3L (it did bug me as well)so I hope you will sleep better tonight..LOL, a K3La is also used on these according to forums?. Don't know about the bell, ? Thanks for the ballasting tips, that's a long way off but I will try it.Thanks for watching the videos Lyn, mor on the way!.
Cheers Gregg:-)
Thanks Teddy'!!, Glad your enjoying the clips and getting better performance from your locos! I'll be uploading a update on the Intermountain speed matching video in the next day or so. Lord Stan is enjoy the odd "cuppa" and will be back on the screen shortly!
Thanks again and cheers!, Gregg
Thankyou sir!, yes on a smaller layout you don't have the room for a long stop..LOL Glad you found it useful mate!
Cheers Gregg
I just used your setup on my SD80MAC CR ! really nice ! but the Declaration rate I use the 85, the 125 is to high
Your welcome Sir! Tsunami need to simplify their manual so you can get more out of the decoders!
Cheers Gregg
Thank you so much as I am new to programing and use. You are easy to follow and provide wisdom with the technical advice.
By the way the TSU-BW1000 828020 has all the features of the TSU-GN1000 without ay modification for lights.
Thank you , glad you like it! Yes the Bowser board is set for LED's, but I din't think they make one for modern GE's ? I could be wrong , but I think they are for the old FDL16 prime movers? Thanks for watching and don't forget to watch all 3 episodes..LOL
Cheers Gregg:-)
Man oh man!!!!! You helped me so much I'm so grateful!!!!!! I was about to throw my athearn genesis sd70ace in the garbage!!! I'm happy now!!!!
Your very welcome Darryl!! (throw it anyway..LOL) I have one early SD70 Genisis that sits in a box, needs a new motor and all the lights changed to LED's. I agree the new ones have great detail, but the bulbs put me off, just a personal thing. I'm glad you have your loco back on the roster and earning it's keep!!
Glad to be of help sir!, cheers Gregg
The new Kato drive can pull like crazy did you see the video? Christopher Howard with Railflyer models in Ontario has the right idea. He is into ultra realism 100% prototype stuff. They are working on an HO scale traction motor so that 1 locomotive will have 6 motors just like the real thing, even geared the same way and speed. Bonus of having see through trucks not like the big rectangle box every manufacturer has relied on for decades. It may be a few years out but it will be a game changer.
Nicely done.....I have not messed with back EMF but your explanation is far easier to comprehend then SOUNDTRAXX documentation ...curious if you've played with using F11 as a brake?....Nice effect...I use it with a small steam engine, with CV3 at max delay and a minimal delay of CV4...There are other CV's involved and like most changes, it takes some experimenting to get what you want !..Thanks for sharing
Thanks Rich! I have played with the F11 brake, it is a nice feature,but I prefer to have control over the braking rate. Having many locos that must all run together, I try to keep things as simple as possible..LOL Having the B-EMF ramp off as you accelerate , allows you to open the throttle as you climb a grade without increasing speed. Thanks for watching.
Cheers Gregg
Hi and thanks!,the sounds are much clearer in person as the camera dosen't pick up the finer noises. Lord Stan sends his regards and he'll be back soon!
Cheers Gregg
WOW, I need to watch this a couple more times and take notes :-) I like your approach to programming, your results look good and I think that your approach will fix one of my complaints about DCC sound locos - the units "out run" their prime movers. I have moved 20 cars with the prime mover at "idle" - not realistic. This is better!
Just a great Video, Gregg, very helpful...thanks so much ...
I have watched your three videos on programming a Tsunami Decoder. These videos are great! My question is do you have the matching code values for Digitrax Decoder for my older decoders?
Ed Wagner Hi Ed, thank you foe the kind remarks!. I'm afraid I know nothing about Digitrax decoders, but if you look their manual, you should be able to find the cv's that match these?
Cheers Gregg
Just found your channel and I love it! Only watched a few videos so far including this one and part 2 and learned lots! My one and only tsunami sounded loco is an athearn genesis sd45-2 in MRL colours. I set the cv's as you described and it ran pretty good. I did make one change that of cv25, set to 11. I found that setting on the genesis motor seems to work best. Genesis don't seems to run as well as Atlas or Kato from my experience.
Cheers from a fellow Aussie! Stew.
Great video Gregg! I'm still DC, but when I do switch over to DCC, this will help me quite a bit, thanks -Mitch
great info Gregg.. will these settings work on a non-sound decoder? thanks for sharing
vinny...aka..bnsf6951
I would like to ask,would you do a simple video. I am wanting to purchase,and start my layout in DCC..The problem is,I don't know what the parts are,And how the parts perform together.I know there is a throttle and it needs power.This video has increased my interest. This is what I want to do with my layout. So please! Show me the parts,and explain what they do,in the typical detail,and style you have.This video was great,and the Atlsa looks cool,,by the way.Thanks for the info.
I want the motor to rev up before the train moves and I can't seem to get it rite. Is it possible you might know the best cv settings for the sd70 genesis? I only ask because you have one. And you know your stuff. Lol
Don't we all Darryl..LOL. Unfortunately , this is the one thing I don't like about Tsunami's and I wish they would adjust this setting like Loksound!. If you haven't already, drop the max speed down , CV 66 & 95 ( unlock speed table first) to about 100 , then try CV 3 &4 (momentum) to about 120-150. .Also drop the BEMF ,cv 212 to about 100 and set CV2 as low as you can to get a smooth start. This should delay the start a bit, but not as good as Loksound :-(. . I don't run my Genesis,it never ran well from the start and all the bulbs have blown twice, so it's in the shops!!. The decoders for the new GE's have a slight delay, which is nice!.Hope this helps, cheers Gregg
Great "Avoiding Insanity" video on tweaking CVs! Thanks. Now, about the QSI... I have one in an Atlas Dash 8. The SOUND is excellent but driving is not great as it goes too slowly and completely stalls on inclines unless going at least 65/128... Last winter I fiddled with the CVs and gave up. Then read about others frustrations as well... Is this why you swap them?
The Sound of the QSI is excellent, especially the Horn - so much better horn than the Tsunami that I want to keep it but get it working 'right'! -Chris
+chrislef2002 Thank you Chris, glad you like the videos. I'm afraid I don't like QSI sound for a few reasons which is why I replaced the two in my 2 Dash8 40 CW units. The Tsunami horns can be improved, I will be doing a video on this soon! Lok sound have the best horns I feel, but with a little tweaking you can get the Tsunamis very close!
Cheers Gregg.
I'm assuming they would Vinny, you just need to work out what CV's are on your decoder, I think CV 2,3,,4 are the same, you'll have to check the others!
Thanks and cheers mate!.
I enjoyed your videos so much,I thought I would share some of my layout with you. I have a cab ride tour of my layout using a DVD camcorder fasten to a well car but the down load time is nearly a third of a day(crazy). I downloaded the smaller of the two parts of a 30 minute DVD I recorded last March. It is titled: Joint BNSF/CP ho scale layout (still under construction).
Thanks Lyn, I'll take a look!. I try to make my vid's no longer than 15min for that reason! I'm lucky as a 15 min one takes about 3hrs to upload.
Gregg
Very interesting indeed. I thought I was the only one that did not understand the bits and bytes thing. It did not make any sense to me and is very confusing. The decoder manufacturers should just give us the CV number and value then call it a day.. I had in past videos tweaked the CV's on my Tsunami engines and gotten great results, but you have done some things differently which I will go back and apply some new settings to experiment. Your video is very well done. Thank you.=)
Thanks very Much Maurice!. It took me a long time to work out the manual as well, it was written by IT geeks for other IT geeks i reckon..LOL. It puts people off and they give up on getting the great results that are available from these decoders!. Once adjusted, you can really drive the loco prototypically, which to me is what it's all about!! Thanks again for the kind comments, glad you enjoyed it.
Cheers Gregg
Thanks for this info. I have two Tsunami's. On my Kato your numbers work with the exception of CV 10. As soon as I increase that the loco wont pull or move at all. Also, on my old BB Athern Dash 9, I had to increase CV 2 up to 100 in order for the loco to pull cars. Ive adjusted cv209 to 255 and it still has a slight pause or 'jerk' when stopping and starting. CV 10 also will not work on this loco. Any suggestions?
On the Katos, you will have to set CV 10 at about 70-80,, depending on what you have cv66 and 95 set at. If you have to have cv 2 at 100, then there is something wrong with the loco, 209 should be no more than about 100, the less the better. BB Athearns are not really suiuted to DCC, try setting CV 212 at about 200 and dropping CV2?
Cheers Gregg
FishplateFilms Thanks Gregg. That fixed the BB Athern. It runs great now. Much more like my Intermountain. Its like a new loco. No issues now, no more jerking around. Very realistic with your improved settings.
ifly65 That's good Ifly! Set 212 as low as you can but still with smooth running.
Start 209 at 30 and work up to about 70-80 . What ever you have 66 &95 set at (max speed) set cv 10 at about 75% of that setting. Good to see you had a good result.
Cheers Gregg
Can you use the cv's you spoke of to adjust a LOK Sound decoder?
+Russ Austin Hi Russ, some of the Cv's are the same, have a look at their manual online. Lok sound are easy to speed match to Tsunami , just remember they have a max speed cv and a mid speed cv, so don't forget to do the mid speed one! I think they still call bemf the same? LOK have very good speed control out of the box, unfortunately you can't adjust the notch settings to match other decoders, which is one reason I don't use them, which is a shame.
Cheers Gregg.
LOL, don't know about that John!!, but I'm glad you found it interesting!
Cheers Gregg
Yeah, the SD40-2's are my all time favorite..guess it's long porch on them. =) I'm trying to collect the ICG's entire fleet of them...so far so good..I've got about 50 of them so far! only 59 more to go! Thanks again for the VERY informative vid! I WILL be using it soon!
Great video! many thanks for posting. I recently got a dash 8-40cw with QSI. I think I would like to put either loksound select or a tsunami decoder in it. Did you have to put additional resistors on the wires to avoid burning out the LEDs, or did they already have the resistors wired on. I haven't taken apart the QSI model yet, but I have an older silver series that seems to have resistors wired into the wires, and not the board (which makes things a lot simpler on my end). The other question would be if you know the impedance of the QSI speakers. I think the decoders can only handle like 4-8 ohms, id love to not have to change that. If direct communication via email with you would be possible, Id appreciate that. Thanks
+modeltrain9500 Thanks and you're welcome! Either of those decodes are a big improvement over the QSI in my opinion. Leave the resistors in line , they are 1kohm so perfect for SMD led 's. The headlight will be a bit dim so if you want it brighter you will have to take out the resistor and replace it with a 680 ohm, but I didn't bother. The speakers are 8 ohms in series which is 16 ohms, fine for Tsunami decoders, 4 ohms is too low and will put strain on the amp. Send me a personal message if you want more info!
Cheers Gregg :-)
Thanks for the reply, that answers a lot of the questions I would have. I think I might go with a loksound decoder, and those are capable of handling as low as 4 ohms. perhaps I will have to re-wire the speakers in parallel. Ill see how the lights look when I have them all wired up, I might throw a 680 ohm resistor in there, although I think I am able to adjust brightness with the loksound decoder. Ill work on sending you a personal message, but thanks!
+modeltrain9500 No problems, although I prefer Tsunami's due to the better notching , which you can adjust to notch up at certain speed steps so all your locos notch up at the same time, this is a person al thing and Lok sound are very good decoders none the less. If you go that way you will have to wire the speakers in parallel to get the 4 ohms as you say. I doubt that you can brighten them with the 1k in line? give it a go but it is easy to replace the resistor. Make sure to get the select if you go with LOK so you have a board to solder to!
Cheers Gregg.
with the silver series what speaker did you use? and was it still the gn1000 decoder?
Hi Adam, the speaker was a 30mm Soundtrax, there are a few different makes , TCS and QSI make one as well. The decoder was a GN1000 , though they may be getting rare now as the Tsunami2's take over? You might get a GN1000 at a good price now?
Cheers Gregg.
Hi Mate,
I am installing my first tsunami after using 45 loksounds. The tsunami is hopefully to lower my costs at the risk of losing suitable Aussie sounds/whistles :( I just searched through your how to videos and found what I was looking for, but you slid right past it Ha Ha Gregg how did you change the athearn low voltage to be useable for LED's ? Is it simply a matter of connecting a line from the pick ups to the tag? And if so which tag is positive (blue) and negative white/yellow ? And whilst I am here ;) When you link your ditch lights to 13 and 14 tags for F5 and 15 and 15 tags for F6, I guess one of these is + and other - ? I know I could put a meter on it live, however my Austrains G Class has a peculiarity at the moment causing another problem. That is although I get the red led to light up, I do not get any sound or motion..Still working on that one, and of course my PR3 and Decoder Pro cannot read the tsunami... I am ready to head back to loksound?? Gregg can you help, please?
Hi Rod,
Thanks for watching the video's!. First thing , remember all decoders switch the negative for lights, so make sure you have the led polarity correct!. If you are using a TSU -GN 1000 for Athearn, you must hook all the LED + wires to the 14 volt bus on the decoder, its a small hole at the rear of the decoder marked " + 14". Then all of the light tabs switch the negative for each output. F5 & F6 switch each ditchlight negative, with their + wires all hooked up to the 14 V bus.same with the front and rear lights, hook up the LED Negative to the correct tab and the + to the bus. Each LED must have it's own resistor around 680 ohm and to find the polarity, you can use a AA battery to find which leg is positive. The sheet with the decoder is pretty good , but be careful because the decoders are not very forgiving..LOL. Hope this helps!.
Cheers Gregg
FishplateFilms
G'day mate I am using a BW1000 and the light boards appear to already have resistors. ie led 1, r 1, c 1, and led 3, r 3, c 3. So I have found the 12 volt pad on the board near the twin caps. It does not say max current but I guess 6 tiny sm leds at once will not do much damage? Thanks for your help. My decoder is still lighting up but still not moving and still silent. Do you think a reset might be in order, although I did open a fresh pack and I guess it is factory fresh. Cheers
Rod Young Hi Rod, I'm not familiar with the Bowser board, but I know they are set up for LED's, so no need to use the 12 volt output. LEDs have no resistance, so they will draw as much current as you can give them and blow up the supply, hence the need for resistors. Check the paperwork for the decoder and see whether you need resistors or not, the Kato boards have them . The BW1000 will still have a common + to run all the positive leads to and the neg' are switched from each tab. 6 led's off one tab are too many, max output is 100ma per output and 6 leds will be over that. Are the motor wires on the correct tabs?, have you tried address 003?, all decoders are factory set at loco no.3.? You could try a reset but you may have damaged it with the lighting connections, disconnect all the leds and try it.I damaged one of mine by not having the correct value resistors in series with the LED's! Keepme posted !
Cheers Gregg
I downloaded another video on my layout, with loco's going up and down hill(joint BNSF/CP HO scale layout NO helix)you'll see why I need sound decoders. I started dcc using NCE too many decoder burnouts,switched to Lenz before standard plus. The newer standard plus use's CV's much the same as NCE but with an overload feature, no burnt decoders. Lenz still does not have sound decoders.yet. I'm using an NCE system and it appears you are doing the same. The tsunami's must work alright with NCE. May I ask why you don't model railroad's from your country? GE has made some great looking loco's with a lot of horsepower for Australian railroads.
I haven't finished your first one yet Lyn, but it looks good so far. Nce is great and I have had no problems in over ten years of operation. I don't model Aussie railways because I don't like any of the loco's down here, all the new power is a box shape with no character at all( not including the Dash9's and SD70 aces from the States used in the Pilbara iron ore region) and our rolling stock choices are very limited. I have always preferred US freight cars and locos for as long as I can remember, and I'm not changing now!
Cheers Gregg
very good video on the tsunami decoders I will be looking into 1 for my C 44 -9
Thank you Doug! You will have to get a Tsunami 2 now, but thankfully all the motor set ups are the same, plus the new decoder is a lot better at slow er speeds.
If you haven't already ,watch my review of the Tsunami 2!
Cheers Gregg.
many thx, you could make watching paint dry interesting .. good stuff
Gregg you've got some great videos mate and these programming vids are tops! I got my athearn genesis sd45-2 running pretty good but then I did a tune up and maintenance on it. Now i need to change all the settings again! Ah well, never mind, all good fun it is! Thanks again for sharing what you've done!
PS I hope Lord Stan isn't drinking all your "tea'!
Hi there,
My name is Alex and I’m writing from Toronto Canada. Your approach to setting Tsunami2 decoders is quite interesting and educational. Some of the CV settings for BEMF are so close to realistic operation.
In this video you are referring to QSI decoder being the original, replaced with Soundtraxx. Would you be willing to sell QSI decoder(s)? I have a fleet of GP9’s from Atlas and P2K. One of the sound decoders with Q1a board is giving me a great deal of frustration. Sound gets distorted and back to normal quite often. It appears that the original owner applied excessive pressure around PLCC32 socket causing some damage to the PCB.
My background is in power system relaying, nevertheless I graduated electrical engineering with focus of traction control, spent some time in production of Re 6/6 electric locomotive at Brown Boveri in Switzerland.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Hi Alex,
Thank you for the comments on the CV settings and for watching! I only had 2 QSI decoders in my Dash8 40 C's and that is nearly 10 years ago ! I'm afraid they are long gone and I can't remember what I did with them? Pop a Tsunami 2 or even a Econami in it instead!
That must of been interesting working on the loco's in Switzerland! Iv'e always had a thing for the "Crocodiles" and just watched a video on some last week! Sorry I couldn't help you out , but I would throw in an Econami...same as the TSU2 but with less features that you would not use anyway.
Cheers Gregg.
P.S I was in Toronto in 2015 and got the CAnadian to Jasper. A beautiful country.
Hello Gregg. I’m finally getting around to watching the DCC videos you made because I think it is time to go from the old DC to DCC. I recently moved to a new house and basement. I want to do this new layout right. I probably will have questions in your videos, so bear with me. I have DCC decoders with sound and without sound, so hopefully that doesn’t confuse me even more. lol Thank you making these videos.
Hi Bob,
you won't regret it sir! The best thing about DCC , is not the sound...it's the ability to run any loco anywhere on the layout! No more block switching to cross tracks and the ability to have auto reverse loops! The sound is a bonus, especially for us that grew up with DC layouts. Go easy at the start and congrats on the new house with a basement!.
look forward to seeing what you do with the new digs!
Cheers Gregg.
@@FishplateFilms thank you Gregg. I will keep you posted. Taking it slow because it is a lot to absorb. You have been my inspiration all of these years. I will be trying the helix build too. I gotta have multi-levels! lol Cheers.
I love my Decoder Pro for JMRI... Programming on the main (OPS mode) and I can make minute adjustments to my sound equipped locos (HO) for speeds and sounds, etc.
You need to check out my ICG Grain Train video. It's got the BLI AC6000 pulling a bunch of cars..i don't know how many to be exact, but it just moves on steady she goes...I LOVE that engine probably my favorite one out of all of mine. Anywho, G'day!
That's what I do mate!, the only two loco's I've bought with decoders were two Atlas Dash8's with QSI, they are both changed to Tsunami's,!
I programmed my tsunami genesis GP15t just like this and it runs awesome now! Thanks!
what do you do with a dnr on the command station?
I'm afraid I don't know about that Bill, are you using NCE ?
you don't talk to much, you intertain ! Haharrr.. I like it !
This was a really good video thanks. I like the soundtraxx better than my lok sound units.
Thank you ! Glad you got some info from it. LoK units are great but their notching is not adjustable which is a shame.
Cheers Gregg.
Indeed, i set both my intermountain ES44ACs to settings you covered and they are smooth as silk and look much more real.
If you can get IM loos to run smooth you're doing very well! Glad you got good results from the settings!
Gregg:-)
Fantastic Explanation!! Excellent!!!!
Thanks Jonatas, glad you enjoyed it!.
Cheers Gregg
Thanks Mitch!, once you come over to DCC, there's no going back..LOL
CHeers mate!
Just thought I'd mention this to you concerning the video. If you like Tsunami decoders you can use the TSU-750 decoder with a keep-a-live. I personally have been using TCS keep-a-lives on my TSU-750's. There is plenty of room in that engine for the 750 decoder and a keep-a-live. On the 750 just cut off the capacitor and wire in the keep-a-live. It keeps the entire decoder (sound, motor, lights, etc...) going for about 4-10 seconds depending on what the engine is doing when it loses track power. Just keep the 750 heat sink plate on the metal part of the chassis and it will not over heat. It's the same performance as a TSU-1000 but in a smaller package that will fit your engine much easier.
Bill
captainbill12 Hi Bill, I personally don't like the "wrapped" decoders, I have had heat problems with them and I much prefer to work on a board, so I like the GN1000 decoders for these locos. As for keep alive, I don't need it as all my frogs are powered and I don't have any power issues. If a loco looses power on the layout, then something is wrong and I fix it! Thank you for the info just the same.
Cheers Gregg:-)
FishplateFilms What I have noticed is that a wrapped decoder, specifically the TSU-750 sitting on the metal frame of the engine it stays cool, and my use of keep-a-live units stems basically from the fact that I run on a modular club which is more difficult to fix dead spots on due to the mobility. It's just me personally but I don't try to solder when I don't have to. But with that said you have the advantage of more experience of more of those types of installations of that type of decoder which can be a big benefit if you work on an engine where you have no choice but to use one of those model decoders that you like. The job you did was still very neat and looks well done. It should really nice as well. What speaker(s) are you using in those engines?
captainbill12 I guess running on modular layouts is a different story!! , especially if different turnouts are used. Being a signal electrician, I solder all my connection's ,it can be a bit fiddly but with practice it becomes easy.
This install was a bit tricky , but I've done two more of these and they went a lot quicker. The speaker is a QSI 30mm or 32mm, can't remember which one?I like the GN decoder as it's easy to fit resistors for led's. Thank you for the positive feedback Bill.
Cheers Gregg
Whatever works for each person is what I always say you should do because you will do the best job at it. And in the case of the hobby that's definitely were you want to go. You did a really nice clean job on the install and I love the way they sound. Thank you for sharing that information on the Internet
captainbill12 You're welcome Bill!
Thanks Great information, I Love your comment about Decoder Pro because you can’t Speed Match on the Computer only on the Main and tip about CV5 🚂🚂
You're welcome Michael! Decoder Pro is a great tool, but for many tasks and adjustments, it's better to do it on the main and with the train running! Stay tuned for my upcoming series "CV Shortcuts" in which I will go through the CV's I adjust to make my locos run and sound better!
Thanks for watching!
Gregg .
Hi dear friend how are you doing?
Hope all is well with you in Australia and are you still working for the railroad ?
Or are you now retired from the railroad?
With me I really trying to fix my DCC system I have a heard time with wintering it
Have you started on you house yet too?
Well miss you friend have a great weekend from Neil schwerdt in west valley city Utah
Hi Neil. I'm still here and still working on the railroad! The house is still going ahead, but I'm waiting for building costs to come back to a sensible level! I was down in Stirling a few weeks ago and have posted some clips from my visit, with more to come.
Hope you're doing well up there in beautiful Utah!
Cheers Gregg.