two tone green

One excellent feature of the YD8116 is that it’s capable of controlling lots of different items such as signals, point motors and act as off on switches. Each output is individually configurable using a simple graphical interface so you can have points, signals whatever all controlled from one box. For example your signal on output 1 and a point on output 3&4 and a multi aspect signal on other outputs so no outputs are wasted.

I have the GF Controls Level Crossing Gate control board which is a slight variation on the signal version and work by grounding one of the connections your switches are connected to. If you use a jumper from the -ve terminal of your DC power supply for the board to one of the switch terminals the signal will move. take the wire off the signal goes back. Try each switch terminals until you find the right one as you cant damage anything by trying each one. Originally I used Digikeijs DR4018 in a stand alone 16 switch output to provide the ground to the relevant terminal on the GF board. I now use the excellent YAMORC YD8116 configured to give me a ground output on one of the channels to provide the ground. The terminals are marked 1+2 and so on on the YD8116 and you need either 1 or 2 as the connection to the GF board and NOT + as that is a positive DC output and will cause damage to your GF board. If you need for info please ask.

Yes the SWD diesel files have started to be uploaded to the ESU website. More excellent free files to use with the Lokprogrammer.

New section on the ESU website for sound files from SWD for steam locos. 34 in total at the moment. https://projects.esu.eu/projectoverviews/21?type=all&order=date&country=gb Makes having a Lokprogrammer even more worthwhile. UPDATE, diesel files added as well.

The new price list was released today on the ESU website and it shows a new V2.5 ECoS. https://www.esu.eu/en/downloads/catalogues/

There was nothing at the o gauge show at Stafford or at Warley. I did ask if it had been cancelled and was firmly told no. Once it’s gone for tooling it’s to expensive to cancel. As for decoders, you need three if you are going for a three car unit as I am. The centre car just needs a function only decoder, sound or non sound. They did have a 121 on show which looked good and if it runs as well as their 128 it will be a good runner.

Hi. SBB & CFF are raised along with the shield in the middle of the loco.

ESU are the DCC people who also make locos and rolling stock. https://www.esu.eu/en/products/engineering-edition/ I am away from home until late Saturday night so will update you with info about the lettering then.

Nice loco, ESU Engineering Edition Ae 6/6

And using a 511 as a slave will give you all the problems to deal with that the 511 has.

I saw them last Saturday at the SVR O gauge get together and they looked good. Will be getting a few for my layout

I spoke to the Heljan guys at the Guild show at Stafford and they want to release the 117, 121 & 122 almost at the same time and hope to have the 117 decorated samples in November. I mentioned that the 117 deco samples seems to be the default reason for delay to the point where you think it’s cancelled. The replay was a 100% no. Far to expensive to cancel once tooling has been done. So it seems it’s still on.

Excellent. Looking forward to it.

Yes the current steam offerings are not brilliant but possibly will be updated as more original prime mover sounds and the little add ons such as whistles become available. You mentioned your use of the Lokprogrammer, how about starting a thread and post about your experiences with it and how to do things?

Business opportunity for some one teaching how to use the Lokprogrammer. As for sound files, the availability will grow as ESU release more files. Cut copy paste, mix and match to meet your requirements.

It is a good option and as the attraction becomes more obvious people will get out to record the missing bits such as horns they need to improve the ESU sound files and share them with friends. It’s the prime mover sounds that are the hardest to capture but ESU have kindly supplied them for free. Perhaps the suppliers of sound projects such as Charlie will run training courses for the Lokprogranmer. Paid for of course.

Once ESU are back off holiday the list will grow again and steam locos hopefully.

Charlie, do think you will offer a premium free range derived from your own sound files. Still free but made up from what you say are your own better sound files? Certainly would be an attractive offer and I suppose attract more purchasing of decoders from you. Could give you a competitive edge over the competition maybe, customer loyalty and all that.

Will be interesting to see if Lokprogrammer sales go up. Makes sense for clubs to club together and buy one to and make use of the expanding range of free files. Who knows who else will get on the be nice to customers and offer free downloads wagon. What’s that well know song ….???? Yes that’s it, Things can only get better. 🤩

There will be more locos on the ESU website I expect as they work their way through British locos. Steam locos will get updated with real sounds rather than generated sounds and more variety. As I said earlier and you have found out the files are unlocked and form a great base to work from and turn them into what you want. Hopefully the catalog of sound files such as whistles, chuffs, door slams, whatever will be updated as well with all the British sounds.

The ESU files are fully unlocked so anyone with a programmer can change, upgrade, tweak the file to meet their requirements. Once the prime movers sounds, the engine sounds, have been captured and saved along with whistles etc then the rest tends to use generic sounds such as flange squeal and can be added using the Lokprogrammer. It’s the engine sounds that’s the hard but to get hold of.

How much is a Legomanbiffo sound file for those who have a Lokprogrammer?

Thanks for the info. My Lokprogrammer could be busy.

If you do go for the budget range which has a free ESU sound profile what would the user do to get the free sound project changed to another free sound project. Send it back to you for it to be changed and what would be the cost?

Yes free. It’s a bit of a market bombshell really. People with a Lokprogrammer will be come quite popular, able to change at will their sound catalog and help out friends to do similar. I suppose blank decoder sales will become more common along with Lokprogrammers. One scenario could be people buying less decoders as they change them over from one loco to another and change the sound project to match its new home. And as you say it’s free 🤩