A dead ESU decoder?

[Ray H]

I temporarily relieved a colleague of a loco that he'd bought at Kettering today. We knew that it had a LokSound v3.5 decoder with sound but didn't know the loco's address. My colleagued tried several numbers to get it to move to no avail, hence it came my way.

 

I didn't bother trying any numbers, I simply gave it the desired number using my PowerCab and a single yard of (programming) track.

 

It responded to the new number and sound was forthcoming although not sounding like any diesel I'd ever heard.

 

I've got a LokProgrammer and read all the CVs (for safety) into the latest version of the programmer's associated software. I tried controlling the loco using the programmer's driving cab. I started with initiating the sound (F1) and tried a few other keys/sounds as well. Those functions included F7 & F8. I also moved the loco a short distance back and forth.

 

The loco had a smoke facility which we were told required the use of two functions but not which two. I used the programmer to see which functions had sounds linked to them and found that F7 or F8 were set for Aux1 & Aux2 so I presumed they might be the two functions we were told about.

 

The loco remained silent the next time I turned the sound on but it would move and the lights worked. I tried moving the loco using the PowerCab as well but not a beep emitted when F1 was used.

 

I tried resetting the decoder several times using the programmer but as the loco's number remained unchanged - it was still the same 4 digit number I set up, I don't know whether I achieved it or not.

 

I checked through the v3.5 manual where I found reference to the default use of F8 which adjusts the volume level. I tried pressing that key several times using the PowerCab but still got no sound.

 

I can't speak to my colleague until the morrow when I suspect we'll trying removing the loco body and at least checking that the speaker wires are still connected.

 

Is there anything else that we can try in order to determine whether the decoder is defunct or not sound wise and am I right in thinking that resetting a decoder (if it works) will definitely change the number back to 3?

 

Thanks.

[Nigelcliffe]

A reset should set things to address 3.   But, caution with LokSound v3.5's : depending on the age of the decoder, and the sound project writer's settings, a reset can set things back to "as it left the ESU factory", which will not be the same as "as it left the sound programmer's bench".   Without a full set of default CV's for the loco so you can program them back again, it can be a fairly slow process to find the sound slot numbers used for each sound, and then allocate it to the correct function keys.   Part way through the v3.5's life, the defaults in programming a loco changed and later ones reset to "as it left the sound programmer's bench".  

 

F8 to mute or alter volume isn't a certainty, it's just the factory default value.  

 

Check the volume in CV63 - takes values 0 to 63, with 63 being loudest. About 30 or 40 ought to be audible.  

 

[Ray H]

Many thanks Nigel.

 

I did the CV63 check almost as soon as the sound stopped. There were a couple of other CVs in the manual that I also checked to no avail.

 

Alas we don't know whose sound file it is and we had no paperwork with it. I think we may be contacting the seller for guidance.

[pheaton]

Either the speaker coil has failed or the amplifier has failed on the loksound, check the speaker with a multimeter to see if its still giving 100ohms or if its gone open circuit.

[Ray H]

4 hours ago, pheaton said:

Either the speaker coil has failed or the amplifier has failed on the loksound, check the speaker with a multimeter to see if its still giving 100ohms or if its gone open circuit.

 

Thanks. One of our first tests was using a different speaker.

 

It would probably take a braver person than me seeing as it is an SMD and the motor & lights still work (so the decoder still has some use), but how difficult would it be to replace the amp assuming they're still made? Alternatively, could a replacement amp of a different design be piggy backed onto the failed one?

[charliepetty]

5 hours ago, Ray H said:

 

Thanks. One of our first tests was using a different speaker.

 

It would probably take a braver person than me seeing as it is an SMD and the motor & lights still work (so the decoder still has some use), but how difficult would it be to replace the amp assuming they're still made? Alternatively, could a replacement amp of a different design be piggy backed onto the failed one?

Hope you used a 100 Ohm speaker not a 4-8Ohm.  If you dir then that could be an issue.

[pheaton]

14 hours ago, Ray H said:

 

Thanks. One of our first tests was using a different speaker.

 

It would probably take a braver person than me seeing as it is an SMD and the motor & lights still work (so the decoder still has some use), but how difficult would it be to replace the amp assuming they're still made? Alternatively, could a replacement amp of a different design be piggy backed onto the failed one?

the thing is ray, its a very out of date chip now, by the time you have found someone surface mount trained and identified the fault you might as well have bought a new v5. Unfortunately the 3.5s run very hot and this tends to shorten there life compared the the comparatively cooler running v5s and v4s

[Ray H]

11 hours ago, charliepetty said:

Hope you used a 100 Ohm speaker not a 4-8Ohm.  If you dir then that could be an issue.

 

Oh, yes. It was already unwell when we temporarily swapped over. We only swapped to see if the original speaker was sick or its leads had come away from decoder or speaker.

 

1 hour ago, pheaton said:

the thing is ray, its a very out of date chip now, by the time you have found someone surface mount trained and identified the fault you might as well have bought a new v5. Unfortunately the 3.5s run very hot and this tends to shorten there life compared the the comparatively cooler running v5s and v4s

 

I think we'd more or less thought that we were clutching at straws. if it was an 8 pin/leg device I might have given it a go (knowing the risk of failure was probably no worse that its current state. But hey ho, at least it turns the wheels and shines the lights so we'll probably live with that.

 

Thanks for the further comments/advice.

[daltonparva]

Is it worth trying a cheap reblow to see if that works? Howes and Olivias still do 3.5's.