legomanbiffo

Bill / all, The various full throttle features are a bit of a game changer with, in programming terms, far-reaching consequences. I need to manage their introduction carefully so that there are no unintended consequences or impact upon existing functionality that people have become used to. As such it's taking me a bit longer than expected to 'bring them to market'. I'll do my best to have something ready for Wigan but if not we'll take your details and let you know as soon as it's ready. Bif

Jinty, I'm not sure why you found what you did, but I can confirm that my 25 is available on an L or XL decoder (and Micro etc, and as a reblow on any of them). I'm glad you like the sounds. I'm particularly happy with my latest 25 which is from all-new recordings at the Spa Valley Railway. Bif

I think I'm right in saying the Loksound Select is every bit as capable as a standard Loksound v4 but cannot be reblown. The use of them by manufacturers is understandable as it makes the associated model slightly cheaper, but leaves the customer with sounds and features that can never be updated and a chip they can't do much with if modelling interests change etc. People like the idea of being able to update the sounds they know and love when new features are added. They might also take a chip out when selling a loco and have it reblown to put in their next one, and so on, it just gives them that flexibilty.

Well, you can have a Janus shunter chip now if you want one! However the answer to your question is no, you won't have to wait until the new year as the updated WH 37 will be ready in the next few weeks. Once I've finalised that the rollout to everything else will begin. I'm tempted to say the rollout shouldn't take too long, but knowing how real life has a way of getting in the way... Regarding Two-Tones question; I haven't tested the deceleration rate yet to compare with that set by CV's, or explored what control you have over it, if any, that's part of the work I still need to do. Bif

Paul, If it's UK outline diesels or electric sounds you're after I can send v3.5 files by email for you to load yourself, if you have a Lokprogrammer. Happy to do it the old fashioned way by post if you don't. Send me a PM if you are interested. Bif

What I need is about three lifetimes to fit in all the things I want to do just now, it's all gone a bit silly this year. To answer the point about dynamic braking; it is used in the UK, by the Class 68 and Class 70. I've set these up to match what you hear from the prototype, ie a fan sound upon heavy braking that runs on for a short time. On the 68 the fan speed is constant but on the 70 they ramp up considerably and really scream when they get going. The 86's and 87's feature the very similar rheostatic braking, the effect in sound terms being the same, ie fan sounds that ramp up upon heavy braking. Again I've set these up to match the prototype as far as possible. Turning to the full throttle features, my current plans are as follows; At the moment I program F5 with two separate functions. When the loco is stationary it produces a brake dump / brake test sound. Alternatively, if the loco is moving and F5 is turned on, a brake application sound is produced whenever the throttle is reduced. The heavier the deceleration, the heavier the brake application sound you hear. I plan to leave the stationary function as-is (and on F5) but change the 'when moving' function to a manual brake. This will be set up to sound the way locos tend to be driven. If you press F5 when moving you will hear, in sequence; the engine revs spool down (as the driver shuts the regulator off) a brake application sound after a short delay (as is often heard) and throughout this the loco's speed will begin to reduce. If you leave F5 on, the speed will continue to fall until the loco is stationary, and if you remain stationary for more than two or three seconds you'll hear the brake dump sound as normal. If you release F5 before the speed has fallen to zero you'll hear the brakes release and the engine revs will go back up appropriately. During all of this you can leave the throttle where it is, such that when you release the manual brake the loco takes off with all the normal sounds and playability. Since this is a feature I will be rolling out to all projects I need to take time and get it right and consider all the variables. To avoid extensive remapping work I plan to put the drivelock / full throttle feature on F15, which has been used as the exhauster speed-up button in a handful of projects. I have since modified these so that you can easily select exhauster low and high speed using just one key (F14). In its new role, F15 will lock the loco's current speed and divorce it from the engine sounds. It will henceforth be known as the 'divorce' button, I'm sure we can extract some comedy mileage from that! With F15 on you will be able to 'drive' the sound using the throttle, to trash, coast, notch up or down without affecting the loco's speed. When you release F15 the loco's speed will rise or fall back into line with the throttle setting. You can turn F15 on and off repeatedly to (for example) simulate a loco slowly getting to grips with a heavy train. I'm using the West Highland 37 sounds as a test bed for all this and everyone who's tried it loves it. The first project to have it as standard is the Janus shunter where I've found it particularly useful when shunting. Bif

If the 3d printed model of him was in several parts and had to be assembled, it would be a Kit kit. Boom-boom! I'll get my coat...

EM dimensions as promised, all in mm; EM1 56 x 25 x 10 EM2 66 x 30 x 15 EM3 89 x 37 x 22 EM4 136 x 55 x 32

UP4000, reblows can be ordered via the DC Kits website. The process is straightforward and I've written a simple procedure that covers it. If you send me a PM with your email address I'll send you a copy. I would definitely consider doing a two-chip APT-E but I've got quite a lot of other sound projects on the go at the moment. A mental note has been made though. Bif

I'll post dimensions for all 3 asap. From memory all of the ones I've come across have all been 4 ohm. I forgot to say that we're trying to get them to make some higher powered EM1's for us so they can be used on their own.

We are constantly on the lookout for better speakers and came across a small range that looked promising. Three different sizes were ordered for evaluation and it quickly became apparent that they were 'game changers', outperform anything of similar size. Their greater bass extension brings out sounds we've only dreamt about in 4mm, the Paxman HST being particularly notable. Their all-round clarity gives a very rounded, natural sound. We noticed that the pair we fitted to the HST could be felt through the baseboard and that's where the 'Earth mover' name came from. For some weeks now we've been thrashing them at shows and at home to see if they stand up in service and they appear to be fine. The smallest (EM1, slightly smaller than a standard bass reflex) does not have sufficient power handling for use on its own (0.5W) but works very well in combination with a second speaker. The 26, 27 and 33 are outstanding with one in the roof and our fuel tank speaker in the tanks. This would be also good option for the Bachmann 47 with the EM1 in the tanks and a 20x40 up top. The EM1 has also enabled the best ever air-braked 26 we've heard (EM1 in the roof, sugar cube in the tanks). The EM2 is bigger than a standard bass reflex but can still be fitted in a fair few 4mm locos with variable amounts of work (HST, Deltic, 40 plus obvious ones like the Pendolino and Eurostar). Steve is shoe-horning them in to models we'd never thought possible, it just has to be done given the results. Of the 3 speakers, this is the one that excites me the most! The EM3 is essentially a standard bass reflex on steroids for O gauge. They will fit in the tanks of a Heljan 7mm 37 in exactly the same way that the 4mm bass reflex fits in a Bachmann loco (with similar but scaled up results). We're just starting to get them in commercial quantities now. They going to cost a bit more than regular speakers but you'll soon forgot about that after playing with them for a while. On the subject of reblows, yes these are now available by email so you can load (and tweak them) yourself, if you have a Lokprogrammer. The files also form a handy backup if you inadvertently duff up any settings. The process is very straightforward and I've written a handy guide. Clubs and customers abroad are finding this to be very useful, saving postage time and money. Finally, on the subject of the APT-E sounds, I'd be interested to hear your ideas on what could be done. I'd happy to take them on board if they're achievable.

This has become a significant moral dilemma for us. I am always upgrading and improving the sounds themselves and Steve and Charlie are doing the same with the speaker fits. There has been a huge amount going on behind the scenes since our searches turned up the 'EM' (Earth Mover) speakers as we'e christened them. Before putting them on general release we've got to confirm that they're sufficiently robust, so they are currently getting hammered on the demo stand. We've got to see which versions fit in which locos (with and without metal or plastic surgery) and what works and what doesn't. We've also got to source them at a price that people find acceptable (though it is becoming adundantly clear that the anticipated price is not going to be an issue when their effect on performance is demonstrated). Regarding your purchase, it's a bit like when personal computers were developng rapidly; at some pont you had to buy one or you'd wait for ever for the ultimate machine. Regular customers will know that we always look after them so please don't worry about getting left behind.

Yes, any of my sounds are available via email for you to load yourself. I have a help sheet which outlines the process, which is very straightforward. Just send me an email or PM, or visit the DC Kits website. Bif

They are not my Irish sounds no, but they are being done by a friend of ours who is an accomplished programmer. I've had a play with them at home. They are very good and incorporate some novel features. There is a website and there are videos on You Tube you should be able to find without too much difficulty.

Gordon, We do reblows at all of the shows I attend (assuming I remember all the necessary bits of kit; senior moments have been had in the past but I now have a checklist!). I don't go to quite as many shows as Charlie, but I am going to Perth. I do see Charlie regularly though so you can drop-off or collect chips with him to save postage one or both ways. Bif

Tony, I suspect this will vary loco by loco as the mechanisms won't be exactly the same. Let me know which locos and I'll tell you what settings I have in mine. Bif

Bruce, I'll check this out when I get a minute but I think I know what's happening, and more importantly, how to stop it happening. Sound chips can only play a certain number of sounds at once, and if you exceed that you won't hear the extra sounds you're trying to play. When you use F10 & F11 to start extra turbines, two channels out of this total are used up until you release their F keys. If you don't release them the sound sits in a 'wait state', waiting for you to turn it off. Try turning off F10 and F11 as soon as their sequence has played and you should find your horns will work ok. You may be able to just turn F10 or F11 on and then immediately off again to trigger the turbine start sequence but I'll need to check that. Bif

Martin, Regarding F5 (hydro kinetic braking fan); on the real APT-E the hydro-kinetic brakes were only used at higher speeds. Below this, conventional tread brakes were used. To hear the fan sound in the model you must have F5 turned on, be travelling faster than approx one third of maximum speed, and then reduce the throttle by more than a certain amount. The volume level is set fairly low to match the prototype, but this can be increased via CV change as outlined in the manual. Regarding F14 (tilt pump); on the prototype these ran continuously once the turbines were up and running. On the model if you turn on F1 (the turbines) and then F14 you should hear them. Again the volume is set prototypically low. Regarding F15 (speed dependant detonators); this 'generic' addition to the sound project is to simulate the three detonators that are placed on the track to stop trains in an emergency (eg if the line is blocked). What you should hear is three consecutive bangs like gunshots. On the model you should hear this if you press F15 when the turbines are on and the train is moving at anything above a slow crawl. Detonators are normally placed about 20 yards apart so the faster the train is running the closer together the bangs will be. This is replicated in the sound project. If after reading this you're still having problems please send me a PM or contact me via Charlie at DC Kits. Bif

PM sent!

No, pin 11 does not need removing, the ESU Plux22 chip (indeed any Plux22 chip) plugs straight in without any modification to the board. Anyone who has fitted a chip themselves will be able to use an ESU chip with this loco and enjoy the full range of features with the possible exception of the engine room lights. This includes independently switchable cab lights and tail lights. The factory fitted speakers are perfectly suited to the ESU chip without modification and sound great. Plux22 v4 chips with sounds recorded from 24081 will be available as soon as I've finished editing the project. The work in progress version can be heard at York and Alexandra Palace shows, amongst others. Bif

Bryan, Have you noticed that the whistle going in one direction is different to the other? If you're happy with either one, send me a PM and I'll sort something out for you. Part of the character of these and similar units is that horns and whistles were not always 100%, this was the case even in BR days. Bif

In response to Geep7's enquiry. To silence the 'automatic brake dump on stopping' sound (which is in sound slot 2), change the following CV's in this order; CV31 to 16 CV32 to 1 CV267 to 0 To return it to the factory setting, follow the same procedure but set CV267 to 40. Bif

To Geep7; yes there is. It sits in its own sound slot which can be reduced to zero volume. I'll confirm the CV change needed asap. If you do so you can still set the parking brake when stationary, by pressing F5.

I haven't had one of the affected models to test yet (the one we've had for some time is a pre-production decorated sample which in Dapol's defence isn't affected by the lighting issue). However, the plan is to offer a version of my 73 with the CV fix already in place to make the lights work properly. This will be available via Charlie / DC Kits alongside the 'normal' version of the sounds. I believe the fix to be very straightforward but want to make sure it works before we go any further. Once I've done that I'll also publicise the necessary CV changes for the Loksound v4 and v3.5 chips. Watch this space. Bif

Very, very nice. The rat looks really good under the wires.