RomneySands

Paul, even more thanks! It is now working perfectly for whatI want it to do on my layout and my ears. It is amazing what I am able to do if I have the correct knowledge and a bit of guidance. Thanks again. Ian

Thanks very much Paul. I will have a “play” with those CVs during the day and report back. I discovered the dewatering CVS about a year ago but only usually try changing CV272 and CV273 as I like locos that sound as if they are doing something before they move. I’m convinced this happens in real life. I was not sure what 274, 275 and 276 did.

Sorry, the Dapol Jinty is O Gauge. I expect you all know this but thought I had better add this information.

I have a Dapol Jinty. It is now over 6 years old. It works just fine, smooth runner etc, etc but it really annoys me! It sets off along my 15' of end to end railway and after about a metre, the loud chuffs, etc, etc subside to quiet ones and it continues this until the end of the layout. Slowing down and speeding up make no difference. If I stop it it starts off just fine and then repeats the process. I have played with all sorts of CVs until the cows come home. I have tried factory resets, CV 8 = 8. I can turn the sound up or down but always it goes to back to quiet coasting chuffs after a metre of perfection!. There surely must be CVs that can rectify this? My other choice will be to sell it but this is not fair on who inherits it! I also suppose that I could have it reblown. Originally I bought if for a 4' long layout and it ran on this for four years and I did not not notice this. All ideas, suggestions greatly accepted. The decoder is a Zimo with a Digitrains sound file. Thanks

Contacted the supplier and they have recently acquired the items in stock through purchasing another outlet that has sadly "bitten the dust" ☹️. Good for me but sad in the grand scheme of railway modelling! I have ordered enough to future proof myself. Thanks very much indeed. Without you and RM Web I would not have solved that problem so easily.

Thanks very much. I have searched and searched but missed that. I will give them a try.

I have three Absolute Aspects O Gauge Ground Signals/Shunt Signals. They work perfectly with Signalist SC1 accessory decoders and are a simple set up with my Roco Z21 Controller. I can attach 4 signals to each decoder. However, in these days of shortage of parts, etc Signalist SC1s are just not available. Each signal has three wires. I attach a red wire to terminal A (or C or E and G) . I attach a white wire to terminal B (or D, F and H). I attach a black wire from each signal to terminal k which apparently is the common cathode terminal. I have no idea what a common cathode is but I don't need to as the instruction manual shows me what to attach and I just get on with it! I like simple. That is as much as I understand as my Z21 then makes it all happen. Is there another decoder that is as simple to use as the SC1 that will work with my Absolute Aspect O Gauge signals and my Z21? Seems a shame to have three quite expensive signals sitting in a box doing nothing. Thanks.

Thanks for the extra information, didn't expect to get Warley travel information as well!! Like most people I have not been since the last one in 2019. That is where I saw an O Gauge layout called Hyde Lane and decided it would fit in the space I had. I had been toying with the idea of moving from OO to O for a year or two but that was the inspiration I needed. Sadly I started taking my OO modern image diesel depot layout apart, selling locos, dismantling much used baseboards ready to start from new just as Covid kicked in. It then took ages to find all the bits and pieces I needed to build my O gauge layout. I couldn't get any Marine Ply for ages, or Peco rail joiners etc, etc, etc. The same problems everyone had during that period. The track plan is basically Hyde Lane but the scenic sections are different to what I planned as I had to improvise and use what was available rather what I had planned. I think it is much better as a result. I developed a lot of patience and many new skills. Really glad I did it now though! Many thanks to you all for the help and advice. Very much appreciated.

Thanks for the replies. Some ideas there and interesting information. I may have a chat with both Digitrains and Coastal DCC at Warley, if I can get a fast train from Euston. I can get to London in just over 30 mins from Ashford but I cannot buy a ticket on an Avanti fast train on the TrainLine or any other App. I can get a ticket on a slower North Western Trains (?) departure but they take two hours or more instead of the one hour on an Avanti Pendolino! I would get to Warley in time to come back home again!! Thanks to all.

An easy one I hope! I have a Heljan Class 42 O Gauge Warship with sound fitted. I think the sound could be better. It has a Zimo sound decoder. Can anyone suggest where I could have it reblown with a better sound file. I am not sure of the origin of the current sound file. I live in Kent so somewhere I could take it to (2 hours drive would be good) but I realise this may not be possible. It is a big heavy beast to send through the post or similar. I realise that sound is quite subjective too. Thanks.

My understanding from talking to Paul Harman at Signalist is that the Z21 is sending reset packages to the Signalist decoder via CV 37 on the SC1. CV 37 is telling all my signals to come back on in stop mode. The Z21 is then not changing the signal icon internally to show this. Certainly turning off the SC1 as suggested while the Z21 powers up and then powering up the SC1 afterwards will leave all the signals on the layout and on the Z21 in the state I left them. An easy solution is to manually set the signals on the Z21 to red, stop mode, before I turn the layout off. This is what I believe would happen in real life? It is also quite easy to tap the signal icons on the screen on the Z21 and change them back to red. I was just wondering if there was some tweak I could make to the Z21 so that it might actually recognise the packages it may or may not have sent and change the signals internally without having to install an on/off switch. I only have to tap the screen to do it but I thought the technology that I don't really understand might be clever enough to do it. Interestingly the two replies I have had seem to have differing views about what the Z21 is and is not doing doing with reset packages. All I know is what happens and the on/off switch method cures it. I was wondering if there was more of a "technology" answer. Thanks.

I have four Absolute Aspects O gauge GPS units. Wonderful pieces of kit! They are connected to a Signalist SC1 decoder. My main controller is a ROCO Z21. Thanks to lots of help from Paul at Signalist they all work perfectly but .... With help and by changing the value of CV37, when I power off and on, the SC1 resets all the GPS units to stop ie red and white light at the bottom, side by side. However, if I leave one of the GPS units on go ie diagonal two white lights when I power on and off that GPS will come back on as stop ie red white light at the bottom but the display on my Z21 will show that signal as green on the display on the Z21 ie two white lights. It is easy to just cancel it by tapping the screen. Paul at Signalist suggested putting a switch on the SC1 and I tried this. So, if I power of and switch the SC1 off before I power on and then switch the SC1 back on after the Z21 has powered up then any GPS units I have left on ie two white diagonal lights come back on in the state with a green light on the Z21 track and accessory screen. While leaving GP signals in go mode ie two white diagonal lights is bad railway practice and I should cancel them after a loco has passed is there some way of changing a setting on my Z21 to recognise that a GPS has been changed by the programming of the SC1 and it, the Z21 should change the signal on its display from green to red without the need for me to install a simple on/off switch. Yes, I understand good railway practice should prevail but surely the technology should cope with what I am trying to do. I understand from Paul at Signalist that it is something to do with reset packages but exactly what they are I have no idea at all! Thanks in advance for simple explanations.

I have four Absolute Aspects O gauge GPS units. Wonderful pieces of kit! They are connected to a Signalist SC1 decoder. My main controller is a ROCO Z21. Thanks to lots of help from Paul at Signalist they all work perfectly but .... With help and by changing the value of CV37, when I power off and on, the SC1 resets all the GPS units to stop ie red and white light at the bottom, side by side. However, if I leave one of the GPS units on go ie diagonal two white lights when I power on and off that GPS will come back on as stop ie red white light at the bottom but the display on my Z21 will show that signal as green on the display on the Z21 ie two white lights. It is easy to just cancel it by tapping the screen. Paul at Signalist suggested putting a switch on the SC1 and I tried this. So, if I power of and switch the SC1 off before I power on and then switch the SC1 back on after the Z21 has powered up then any GPS units I have left on ie two white diagonal lights come back on in the state with a green light on the Z21 track and accessory screen. While leaving GP signals in go mode ie two white diagonal lights is bad railway practice and I should cancel them after a loco has passed is there some way of changing a setting on my Z21 to recognise that a GPS has been changed by the programming of the SC1 and it, the Z21 should change the signal on its display from green to red without the need for me to install a simple on/off switch. Yes, I understand good railway practice should prevail but surely the technology should cope with what I am trying to do. I understand from Paul at Signalist that it is something to do with reset packages but exactly what they are I have no idea at all! Thanks in advance for simple explanations.