Class 66 in OO Gauge - New Announcement

[Roy Langridge]

40 minutes ago, classy52 said:

Just after a bit of advice if I may.

Got my 66789 with sound today and only just started running it on my rolling road and yes another superb model along with my previous Cemex one, it runs like a beast with zero wobble from low speed up to full speed including AB's rotating & staying put and fit & finish is spot on thus basically to me on par with a brand new model even though I only paid £245 since it was sold as pre-owned but like new.

Anyway, just have one issue and that's with the speaker and yes it is very loud straight out of the box with lots of bass but there is a fair bit of scratchy distortion straight after the engine priming and when it fully kicks in so to speak and where there is low-end bass throughout it's sound range and just trying to work out if the speaker is sort of knackered or its causing distortion thru the body and just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this with your sound 66's.

I've checked a couple of YT videos of people running their sound 66's but they seem to be quite clear & crisp even with the deep bass sounds thus any advice or pointers would be most welcome, I want to avoid sending it back because it actually runs beautifully and everything about it is spot on but that sound distortion is a bit off-putting but it isn't always present as all other aspects of the sound seem to be ok, its just the low/deep tones.

What is the volume set to? On a Loksound it is CV 63 and I think on my 66 it was set at 192 which, to me, is too high. I reduce mine to about 80 and, to me, sounds better and clearer. 
 

Roy

[newbryford]

Try reducing the overall volume.

See if reduces/removes the distortion.

I had a little bit on my 66789 - which I considered too loud anyway. 

Volume reduced and all was well.

I have another without any issue at full volume - I put it down to something being loose around the speaker - such as the wiring running alongside it.

[newbryford]

1 minute ago, Roy Langridge said:

What is the volume set to? On a Loksound it is CV 63 and I think on my 66 it was set at 192 which, to me, is too high. I reduce mine to about 80 and, to me, sounds better and clearer. 
 

Roy

 

Why is it RTR sound installations are generally set to "11"?

[Roy Langridge]

1 minute ago, newbryford said:

 

Why is it RTR sound installations are generally set to "11"?

Don’t know, only ever bought two RTR sound locos, the 66 being one. 
 

Roy

[classy52]

13 minutes ago, Roy Langridge said:

What is the volume set to? On a Loksound it is CV 63 and I think on my 66 it was set at 192 which, to me, is too high. I reduce mine to about 80 and, to me, sounds better and clearer. 
 

Roy

 

12 minutes ago, newbryford said:

Try reducing the overall volume.

See if reduces/removes the distortion.

I had a little bit on my 66789 - which I considered too loud anyway. 

Volume reduced and all was well.

I have another without any issue at full volume - I put it down to something being loose around the speaker - such as the wiring running alongside it.

 

10 minutes ago, newbryford said:

 

Why is it RTR sound installations are generally set to "11"?

 

8 minutes ago, Roy Langridge said:

Don’t know, only ever bought two RTR sound locos, the 66 being one. 
 

Roy

 

Thanks for the advice & yes it is pretty loud and have been searching the web on how to reduce the volume CV on a V5 as you both stated and that was going to be my next question on which CV it is on the Loksound V5?...haven't used my Gaugemaster Prodigy Advance for ages thus don't want to stuff anything up.

So it is CV63 on a V5?

[newbryford]

Cv63 is the overall volume setting on a V3.5/V4/V5 (Although I think it's only 0-64 on a V3.5 and 0-192 on V4/V5)

Edited October 29, 2020 by newbryford

[classy52]

52 minutes ago, newbryford said:

Cv63 is the overall volume setting on a V3.5/V4/V5 (Although I think it's only 0-63 on a V3.5 and 0-192 on V4/V5)

 

Thanks both for the advice and yes that has worked.

Have now set CV63 to 100 for is the sweet spot so to speak after going from 80 as Roy suggested and yes the distortion has gone and sounds as it should, must have been set to 192 because it was really loud and scared the crap out of my Beagle especially when I sounded the horns 

Edited October 29, 2020 by classy52

[Edna Clouds]

12 hours ago, classy52 said:

 

Thanks both for the advice and yes that has worked.

Have now set CV63 to 100 for is the sweet spot so to speak after going from 80 as Roy suggested and yes the distortion has gone and sounds as it should, must have been set to 192 because it was really loud and scared the crap out of my Beagle especially when I sounded the horns 

Should your beagle ever sound ruff (oh OK, I'll get my coat!), perhaps another CV could be adjusted. You never know!

[Roy Langridge]

A couple of shots of modified 66404 on my under construction All Saints Row.

 

Was a bit scary to start with, but I am so glad I did the light mod as it looks right now. Day and night mode.

 

 

Edit: Second shot has the cab light on, that is not the headlights shining back into the cab.

Roy

 

Edited October 30, 2020 by Roy Langridge

[adb968008]

Worth pointing out, a few more “seconds” have been added today.

[newbryford]

1 hour ago, adb968008 said:

Worth pointing out, a few more “seconds” have been added today.

And here's a reminder of the link to look up recent additions.

https://www.hattons.co.uk/stocklist/siteresults.aspx?searchfield=h4-66 pre-owned

[SouthernMafia]

On 30/10/2020 at 15:43, Roy Langridge said:

A couple of shots of modified 66404 on my under construction All Saints Row.

 

Was a bit scary to start with, but I am so glad I did the light mod as it looks right now. Day and night mode.

 

 

Edit: Second shot has the cab light on, that is not the headlights shining back into the cab.

Roy

 

 

 

 

Looks great, must get round to doing my pair. Though tempted to replace the LEDs as they are not supposed to be warm white !!

[Shoey]

Just received my 66’s back from Alex at Illuminated Models and what a fantastic job he has done! And for me, it has completely transformed the model and it how it should have been from the factory, including the colour of the LED’s. I’m not massively into sound though I do have a few here and there in different classes of locos but would rather have prototypical lighting. Lighting functions are as follows:

Detailed end (No1) 

F0 = 3 marker lights

F1 = Day time running headlight

F2 = Night time running headlight

F3 = Rear red tail lights

F4 = cab light

Coupling end (No2)

F5 = 3 marker lights

F6 = Day time running headlight

F7 = Night time running headlight

F8 = rear red tail lights

F9 = cab light

 

All lighting works/stays on regardless of direction as sometimes you’ll see locos backing up to some wagons with the 3 white marker lights illuminated. Here are some photos below. I’d highly recommend Alex as he has done such a superb job, I have no connection with the business - just one very satisfied customer!

 

 

[7013]

Is illuminated models Alex's contact? 

Edited November 4, 2020 by 7013

[Shoey]

16 minutes ago, 7013 said:

Is illuminated models Alex's contact? 

yes it is  here’s a link...

 

https://www.illuminatedmodels.co.uk/

[TomScrut]

1 hour ago, Shoey said:

Illuminated Models

 

I have some kits from there, only one I have fitted is to 66779. getting the lights to look right (circuit board up to the tunnels) is a bit of a faff but the end result is very good. At the moment I have stuck with day lights and markers on one function, I am going to go back another day and make them fully independent.

[SouthernMafia]

21 hours ago, Shoey said:

yes it is  here’s a link...

 

https://www.illuminatedmodels.co.uk/

 

Be interested to know if a replacement board is being produced for the Hattons 66 like his Bachmann one, that would be most useful.

Edited November 5, 2020 by SouthernMafia

[Hilux5972]

1 hour ago, SouthernMafia said:

 

Be interested to know if a replacement board is being produced for the Hattons 66 like his Bachmann one, that would be most useful.

Website reads like that.

[TomScrut]

55 minutes ago, Hilux5972 said:

Website reads like that.

 

https://www.illuminatedmodels.co.uk/pages/hattons-class-66-upgrade

 

It does, but I don't really understand the point of the exercise here. Why take a PCB designed to cover all lighting functions from a 10 function decoder out and then custom make another one to run off 2 decoders to get the same amount of functions? 

[Hilux5972]

4 hours ago, TomScrut said:

 

https://www.illuminatedmodels.co.uk/pages/hattons-class-66-upgrade

 

It does, but I don't really understand the point of the exercise here. Why take a PCB designed to cover all lighting functions from a 10 function decoder out and then custom make another one to run off 2 decoders to get the same amount of functions? 

Because Hattons have stated that some of the models with the Large lights don’t work properly. This new PCB would fix that. 

[TomScrut]

1 minute ago, Hilux5972 said:

Because Hattons have stated that some of the models with the Large lights don’t work properly. This new PCB would fix that. 

 

The only PCB that needs fixing for the Hattons issue is the one under the cab AFAIK, which granted they do fix and is unrelated to the point about the main PCB I am talking about. I don't see why they are saying going from a 1 decoder 10 function set-up (which the Hattons one is when switched correctly) to a 2 decoder 10 function set-up on the main PCB is an improvement.

[Jack374]

I don’t know whether this point has been raised previously regarding the axlebox caps, so apologies if it has. I removed the axlebox caps, bogie frames and wheels from my second hand bargain model earlier, to address slight wobble and try my own way of fixing the axlebox issue...I’ll report back when I’m done. I started cutting a small amount of material from the bogie frames to try my modification idea.

 

When I applied pressure, one end of what turns out is a separate moulding popped up, and it transpires that the parts of the bogie which the axlebox caps pass through is separate to the bogie frame moulding. See below:

 

 

These 'subframes' are not glued in and were very easily pulled out. So before enlarging holes or attempting other surgery/mods to try and make your model run true: check these subframes are correctly seated. If either are even slightly proud (due to flash/poor fit/any other reason) then the axlebox caps will be misaligned and the model will most likely wobble.

 

My model also exhibited glue marks on the axlebox caps and the holes in these subframes; a possible explanation of the wobble in my case.

 

I'd like to have thought, upon gaining knowledge of the issues with misaligned axlebox caps, that Hatton’s might have communicated about these sub frames? If it has been communicated or raised in this huge thread before then apologies, just thought I’d share this.

 

Jack.

[Hilux5972]

13 hours ago, TomScrut said:

 

The only PCB that needs fixing for the Hattons issue is the one under the cab AFAIK, which granted they do fix and is unrelated to the point about the main PCB I am talking about. I don't see why they are saying going from a 1 decoder 10 function set-up (which the Hattons one is when switched correctly) to a 2 decoder 10 function set-up on the main PCB is an improvement.

Sorry I misunderstood which PCB you were talking about. 

[TomScrut]

3 hours ago, Hilux5972 said:

Sorry I misunderstood which PCB you were talking about. 

 

No probs, and I aren't being critical of what they have done more interested to know why!

 

I suppose it removes the need for op amp buffers as per the Hattons one, which is what I think is the reason the cab lights don't work on two of mine (because they are broken).

Edited November 6, 2020 by TomScrut

[atom3624]

Is that a perspective thing, or are those AB holes really that oval?

 

Al.