A question for the sound experts

[peteski]

... convinced me to leave the cam business alone until somebody makes a good set up for. isn't there some sort of conductive paint or material that could be painted on the driver to complete a circuit and cause a chuff ? ? ?

I have never installed a cam but I understand the setup.  The spinning contacts aren't the problem - it is the springy wiper that rubs against the cam which is a pain to align and keep in proper contact (especially when the driver is sprung or has lateral play.  I also think that with today's BEMF sync technology (at least from some of the manufacturers) there really is no need for mechanical cam. Especially since BEMF can provide more than a cam can (like labored chuffs when the loco is under load or very light chuffs when it is coasting down the hill).

But if all you need is absolutely perfect chuff sync at all speeds then a cam is the way to go.

[lyled1117]

I too am not a fan of cams. This is just my own bias of course. I have found cams difficult to dial in, and then they need maintenance to continue to work properly. These are all doable, just not something I'm willing to pursue in most cases.

Lyle

[delamaize]

I Prefer having perfectly in sync chuffs Vs what I can get with the Electronic sync......

[jdcolombo]

I Prefer having perfectly in sync chuffs Vs what I can get with the Electronic sync......

Yes, it really just is a matter of your own cost-benefit ratio, like everything else in this hobby.  If you are a stickler for perfect chuff matching at the proper driver orientation (12, 3, 6, 9 o'clock), nothing will get this right but a cam.  The installation effort and maintenance effort, however, is (as has been described) quite significant.  If you are less of a stickler, some of the electronic implementations (ESU, QSI) are pretty good, while others are less so (Tsunami, Econami; I haven't tried the TCS WOW! or Digitrax sound decoders).

This is part of the general question about what it is that each individual modeler considers a "must have."  I have my own quirks about this - for example, my NKP GP7's and 9's have to have the protruding Mars light on the front nose, because this was such an iconic NKP "spotting" feature.   But I don't much care that the horns are in the wrong place, or that it should be a 3-chime instead of a single, or that certain GP9's were Phase III's vs. Phase II's.  These details that I don't care about, however, drive other folks insane.  So by all means, if a cam is necessary for your blood pressure to stay normal, just like a Detail Associates dual Mars light is necessary for mine, go for it!  Diversity of views and approaches to things is the lifeblood of model railroading.

John C.