Smart Start Timer

[_trainski]

I have been working on adding a Smart Start Timer to LokSound 5 sound bulletins without this feature. I copied a known working Smart Start Timer sequence to an empty sound slot, removed any associated .WAV audio files, and saved it as a blank Smart Start Timer in the Template Folder. Then I load a sound bulletin without a Smart Start Timer, select sound slot 2 and copy the blank Smart Start Timer sequence to sound slot 2. Right Click on sound slot 2 to edit, copy (Shift Click) the Smart Start container, the “S” container, and the (3) connected transition nodes. Now Right Click on sound slot 1 “Prime Mover” to edit, set zoom level to 30%, click above the “MS” container in the open space and paste the Smart Start Timer into the page. At this point a few important connections must be reconnected, audio files in “S” container reconnected, and runtime actions cleaned up. Sound CV14 controls the length of the Smart Start Timer, 1 = 1 minute, 3 = 3 minutes, etc.

This process is very effective, yields great results, but warrants a working knowledge of LokSound 5 sound bulletin programming logic. If anyone wants more details please be kind to reach out and let me know.

Thanks to Peteski for inspiring me to keep going and figuring it out!

Cheers!

[peteski]

I'm glad to hear that, but I must be getting forgetful - what is a "smart start timer"?

[_trainski]

The Smart Start (timer) is a prime mover automatic shutdown sequence that runs when the locomotive is idle. The duration of time on and time off is controlled by SoundCV14 or CV168. I sincerely hope this better explains this LokSound 5 feature.

Cheers 🚂

[peteski]

The Smart Start (timer) is a prime mover automatic shutdown sequence that runs when the locomotive is idle. The duration of time on and time off is controlled by SoundCV14 or CV168. I sincerely hope this better explains this LokSound 5 feature.

Cheers 🚂

Ah, thanks trainski!

[OrangeAnon]

I found that on the file I tested, S0523, changing the timer had no influence on how long the prime mover ran; it was always about 5 and a half minutes. Setting the timer to 1 gave me 2 minutes of down time, setting the timer to 2 gave me 3 minutes of down time.
"Intervals of your choice" is not correct given you can only influence the down time, and it's certainly not in multiples of 3 minutes.

The transition into the Smart Start container can only be done from low idle, and the condition "User3 >= 4" means the time period of the engine running is fixed, and not influenced by the Smart Start timer sound CV.


The length of time in Smart Start is determined by User3 and Timer1. User3 is adjusted with the Smart Start timer sound CV. Set the sound CV to 2, and User3 will be set to 2 upon entering Smart Start. The timers run on intervals of .25 seconds, and here Timer 1 runs cycles of 240; 1 minute. Every time Timer1 reaches 0, User3 decreases by 1 and Timer1 resets to 240. Once both User3 and Timer1 reach 0, Smart Start ends.


In reality, sound CV14=1 is a 2 minute down time, and each increase simply adds one more minute. Setting 255 should be a 256 minute down time, not 765.

[_trainski]

Hi OrangeAnon,

I read your posting and will open up sound bulletin S0523 to investigate further and hopefully have an answer to your findings. So far I’ve had to adjust “User 3 = 0” on various sound bulletins in my current roster to allow 240 to equal 1 minute. Cheers

[_trainski]

In my initial post I did not clarify the type of prime mover “idle mode” that I was using and how I was able to add a smart start timer sequence. I was using only a “normal idle” prime mover sound bulletin, and I hadn’t attempted a “low idle” or a “high idle” prime mover just yet. My apologies for jumping right in there with erroneous information. Upon reviewing sound bulletin S0523 I realized that the low and high idle were cycling back and forth, and after 4 cycles passed the smart start timer would kick in. I set the Smart Start Timer CV168 / SoundCV14 to equal 1, and made sure the smart start off & smart start on were set to equal 240 (which is 60 seconds). This seemed to function correctly, but further testing will be needed to also verify transitioning to/from all notches, including the dynamic brake (shift 1) on & off. I use the simulation mode while watching the flow of conditions and actions to determine any odd loops or strange behaviour. Thanks for sharing your experience and settings.