Buzzing Noisy Bachy Sound Value S2

[Gene]

I just received my B&O Bachman Sound Value S2 today and am a bit disappointed. So far I've had very good luck with my Bachmann locos including my 9 Sound Value ones,both steam and diesel. I'd say the worst problem I've had so far is over lubrication(grease) by the factory.

 

Anyways my Sound Value S2 arrived direct from Bachmann today and I have to say I am disappointed. The sound files are pretty anemic compared to my steamers and RS3s. And of course the trucks are overloaded with grease as usual. But the biggest disappointments are the noisy gear/motor noise and the buzzing. The loco runs pretty well and quiet in reverse but in forward the motor/gear noise actually overpowers the sound files. That and the background buzzing. Even when the sound is muted and the loco is at a standstill the motor buzz is very loud and noticeable.  So far I have cleaned the excess grease out of the trucks and gears and I am breaking the loco in at half-speed on my rolling road with the sound off...hopefully that will help but I doubt it.

 

Sending it back to the factory is not an option...between shipping costs and the hit from Canada Customs shipping it back to the US isn't happening....so I have to sort it...hopefully with help from you guys here.

 

Cheers

Gene

[New Haven Neil]

Sounds like a duffer - I have had one for some time and it's pretty good, a little noisy drive but not too bad, and a good sound project with a nice turbo sound to boot.  It sounds like an ALCo, not bad at all.  No buzzing at all.

[Gene]

The buzzing sound when the soundfiles are muted has been fixed. On a suggestion by Johnny aka Brokenrail over at the Bachmann forum....switching CV 217 to 0 solved the problem....CV217 on the Soundtraxx SoundValue decoders for Bachmann controls BEMF...setting cv 217 to 0 turns it off, 2 turns it on....looks like 2 is the default.

So now its just a matter of tweaking the running gear to quieten the drivetrain noise.