Atlas S2 Loksound Select sound defaults

[Cajonpassfan]

Help please!
My two new and otherwise lovely Atlas S2’s have this annoying habit of “coming to life” immediately upon power being turned on the layout. If all my locos did this, flipping on  the switch would result in a maddening cacophony of sounds.

Even after turning the sound off, it comes back on as soon as there is a power interruption, like dirt or a dead frog, with the engine sounds spooling up every time. Very very annoying. Why they are programmed to do this is beyond me, I thought we were beyond this.

Is there a way, I hope, to program a CV or two for the sound to remain OFF until turned ON manually by F8? (I have an early set of BLI E7’s, also equipped with an older ESU decoder that does the same thing and apparently cannot be reprogrammed; I’ve inquired here before).

Thank you,
Otto K.

[jdcolombo]

Hi Otto.

The Atlas S2 comes factory programmed for the prime mover to come on when the layout is powered up.  The prime mover sound is activated by F8; the S-2 is programmed so that if F8 is OFF (in ESU-speak, we call this "not F8"), which of course is the default when you power up the layout or when the engine loses power for some reason, the prime mover sound comes on.

To change this behavior, you have to reprogram the condition for the prime mover sound from "not F8" (F8 off) to F8 (F8 on).  If you don't have JMRI or a LokProgrammer to do this, you can do it via direct CV programming.  Here are the steps:

1.  Set CV31=16
2.  Set CV32 = 2
3.  Set CV403 = 32

Do the programming in that order.  When you are done, the S-2 should be quiet until you select its address and press F8 (turn F8 on).

John C.

[Cajonpassfan]

Thank you, John, somehow I knew you’d come to the rescue...
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work. CV 31 and 32 take the commands, but CV 403 won’t let me input any value; the 4 flashes on on my NCE system but won’t program...frustrating...
Otto

[reinhardtjh]

Thank you, John, somehow I knew you’d come to the rescue...
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work. CV 31 and 32 take the commands, but CV 403 won’t let me input any value; the 4 flashes on on my NCE system but won’t program...frustrating...
Otto

Be careful.  According to Dave Heap, one of the JMRI developers, there is a bug in one of the NCE command stations/throttle that causes a problem with index programming.  I'll look for one of his mentions in the online groups and copy it here.

Found some info.  Some versions (older) of the Power Pro firmware has a bug which truncates address to 8 bits which causes a problem writing any CV over 255.  It doesn't cause the 4 flashes so that's something else, but in case you have a Power Pro system then you need to also be careful about this other bug.  It changes a write to CV275 into a write to CV19 which can mess up things.

If I find more, I'll post it.  I know Dave Heap wrote up a fairly extensive note about it, I just can't find it. in my umpteen mail lists and 100,000 messages.

Due to a firmware issue, it is impossible to program any CV>256 in Program Track mode  with the Power Pro and the Pro Cab interface. Furthermore, attempting to do so will corrupt other CVs in your decoder (the actual CV number written will be truncated to 8 bits, so an attempt to program CV275 will instead program CV19).

You can read any CV in program track mode and write any CV using Program on Main.

JMRI DecoderPro is set up to prevent you corrupting CVs with your Power Pro and some brands of decoders (such as ESU, but unfortunately not SoundTraxx) provide in-decoder workarounds JMRI can use to write these CVs on the Program Track.

I think it may be fixed with Pro Cab firmware 1.65B but I can't find confirmation. No fix that I can find.  But the problem comes with using a Pro Cab with the Power Pro and any CV over 256 when using a programming track.  Program on Main works okay.  Just be careful you don't reprogram every loco on the track.

[Cajonpassfan]

Well, dang, I hate these things! With a passion!
A simple problem that shouldn’t be a problem to begin with turns into a bigger problem and another stupid and time consuming exercise in frustration... I’d much rather spend my time building models😬
Thank you very much for your feedback and words of caution. Yes I do have a Powerhouse Pro 5 Amp system and did use a Pro Cab, but I did it on the main like I do all my programming except for changing addresses...and yes, the last CV didn’t take. Don’t yet know what other CV’s may have gotten corrupted, or god forbid other locos on the layout😬😬😬
Did I mention I hate these things?
Otto

[Mike C]

  If you know someone that has a POWER CAB system it will be able to do the indexed CV's .....Mike

[reinhardtjh]

Well, dang, I hate these things! With a passion!
A simple problem that shouldn’t be a problem to begin with turns into a bigger problem and another stupid and time consuming exercise in frustration... I’d much rather spend my time building models😬
Thank you very much for your feedback and words of caution. Yes I do have a Powerhouse Pro 5 Amp system and did use a Pro Cab, but I did it on the main like I do all my programming except for changing addresses...and yes, the last CV didn’t take. Don’t yet know what other CV’s may have gotten corrupted, or god forbid other locos on the layout😬😬😬
Did I mention I hate these things?
Otto

According to everything I've read, the Powerhouse Pro and Pro Cab combination is NOT affected by this bug.  Only if you have the Power Pro and Power Cab.  So you should be okay whether or not you do POM (Programming on Main) or use the programming track.

[Cajonpassfan]

According to everything I've read, the Powerhouse Pro and Pro Cab combination is NOT affected by this bug.  Only if you have the Power Pro and Power Cab.  So you should be okay whether or not you do POM (Programming on Main) or use the programming track.

Well, my Powerhouse Pro is... It won’t take values starting with 4, just flashes.
I need to find someone with another system nearby..
Thanks, Otto

[reinhardtjh]

Well, my Powerhouse Pro is... It won’t take values starting with 4, just flashes.
I need to find someone with another system nearby..
Thanks, Otto

Yeah. That's some other issue.  This bug with the Power Pro and Power Cab won't stop you from mis-programming your decoder.  The flashing when you put in the "4" is something else.  I wonder if there is a firmware upgrade for the Powerhouse Pro.

[jdcolombo]

Hi Otto.

You may hate 'em, but the problems you are having aren't ESU's fault - they are NCE's fault. 

And no other sound decoder has an actual recording from a working 539T Alco prime mover, which sounds like nothing else on the planet. 

John C.

[RBrodzinsky]

Otto,  if all else fails, you can send me these next month, when I do your F3s

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks for the offer, Rick, I might just do that if I don’t find a fix before then.
John C., I’m not knocking ESU, they do produce an excellent product.

When I said “I hate these things” in my frustration, I meant decoders in general as I spend/waste an inordinate amount of my hobby time on them. With these S2’s, I thought I’d buy a couple of locos with good prototype sound already installed and here I am, wasting time again on what should be a minor issue (or frankly shouldn’t be an issue at all).

Why do the S2’s default to sound coming on upon power up? Don’t the designers realize that people have layouts with multiple other locos? Or is this an Atlas thing...most of my other ESU decoders don’t behave this way.
Thanks for your help guys,
Otto

[reinhardtjh]

Why do the S2’s default to sound coming on upon power up? Don’t the designers realize that people have layouts with multiple other locos? Or is this an Atlas thing...most of my other ESU decoders don’t behave this way.
Thanks for your help guys,
Otto

It's Atlas, kinda.  ESU programs it's sound files so that on power up the sound is silent.  You have to push F8 to start the engine, like in real life.  That's their claim anyway.  Atlas switched it so that the sound starts whenever power appears.  There was some question about that and they had said it was because most people expected it plus it cut down on the "Why doesn't my loco make sound?" questions when people didn't RTFM to discover you had to press F8.

[ntex]

You could possibly try programming cv403 this way if you haven’t tried it yet.
http://www.sbs4dcc.com/tutorialstipstricks/esuextendedcvprogramming.html

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks @ntex, afret I read the instructions three times , I think I get it. Still intimidating, as I don’t want to mess up other functions...
Thanks again,
Otto K.