Sound problem Atlas S2

[nstars]

Hi,

Today my Atlas S2 gold with the Loksound ran perfectly until suddenly the sound stopped working. This may be due a short happening on the layout.  I have tried already several things like resetting the decoder, but nothing brings back the sound. I can run the loco, but if I push F8 no sound. It looks like something may be wrong with the function mapping of the loco as the normal delay before the loco starts moving is not happening despite that F8 is on.

Has anyone experienced something similar before?

Marc

[mu26aeh]

This may be due a short happening on the layout.

If you think it is caused by something with the layout, can you hook up a piece of loose track and see if it works there ? 

[160pennsy]

Hi,

Today my Atlas S2 gold with the Loksound ran perfectly until suddenly the sound stopped working. This may be due a short happening on the layout.  I have tried already several things like resetting the decoder, but nothing brings back the sound. I can run the loco, but if I push F8 no sound. It looks like something may be wrong with the function mapping of the loco as the normal delay before the loco starts moving is not happening despite that F8 is on.

Has anyone experienced something similar before?

Marc

Hello Marc,

My Atlas S2 gold was sent back for warranty repair. While test running the locomotive after 4-5 laps it stopped moving but the sound was still functional. Tried all the various decoder resets to factory default, lifting one set of wheels off the track, etc...still bad. The sheet sent back with the locomotive said the sound board was replaced - bad driver. New sound board seems to be working fine - thanks Atlas!

[nstars]

My guess is that indeed the sound board or speaker is at fault. I did try it on another layout and another command station, it doesn't help. I probably have to send it back.

Marc

[jdcolombo]

Hi,

Today my Atlas S2 gold with the Loksound ran perfectly until suddenly the sound stopped working. This may be due a short happening on the layout.  I have tried already several things like resetting the decoder, but nothing brings back the sound. I can run the loco, but if I push F8 no sound. It looks like something may be wrong with the function mapping of the loco as the normal delay before the loco starts moving is not happening despite that F8 is on.

Has anyone experienced something similar before?

Marc

I have had this happen with one of my own ESU LokSound installs after a layout short.  I've also had the opposite happen once (sound is fine, but the loco won't move, turn headlight on, etc.).  In my case, re-loading the sound file via the LokProgrammer fixed the issue (it appears that the short "scrambled" the sound programming).  If you know someone with a LokProgrammer, you might try this (the sound file for the S-2 is the ALCo 539T file, ESU #73411; though the web site says it is an HO file, it will work fine on a LokSound select micro, which I think is what the Atlas S-2 board is - the LokProgrammer will automatically convert the file for installation).  If you don't have a LokProgrammer nearby, best bet is to send it back to Atlas.

John C.

[peteski]

Unfortunately this is the price we pay for having all those fancy features in our models.  An electrical glitch can fully or partially "blow the brains" of a decoder. And of course, the more complex the decoder is, the more delicate it seems to be.

Decoders  are fully-featured miniature computers.  Some are probably running some version of Linux!  These complex electronic devices use Flash Memory for storing their internal programming and sound files.  Flash memory is semi-permanent storage which is electrically-erasable.  So, there is a possibility that a voltage spike can partially erase the programming.  If instead of Flash, these used the old-fashioned ROM (Read-Only Memory) which is permanently programmed, they wouldn't be as susceptible to problems. But again, this is the price we pay for progress. ROM is permanent (cannot be updated) and we want both the decoder firmware and sound files to be upgradable. So, we use Flash Memory for convenience, but that makes the decoders more susceptible to damage.

[Cajonpassfan]

Hmm, well that's annoying. Shorts are going to happen, maybe not frequently, but they will. People running a closed switch, derailment at the wrong place etc. So I have a question: does the type of circuit breaker, its sensitivity, or other protection (auto bulbs) have an effect on decoders getting or not getting scrambled? Or put another way, given the sensitivity of these things, what kind of protective measures should we take to minimize or eliminate this problem?
Otto K.

[nstars]

I have had this happen with one of my own ESU LokSound installs after a layout short.  I've also had the opposite happen once (sound is fine, but the loco won't move, turn headlight on, etc.).  In my case, re-loading the sound file via the LokProgrammer fixed the issue (it appears that the short "scrambled" the sound programming).  If you know someone with a LokProgrammer, you might try this (the sound file for the S-2 is the ALCo 539T file, ESU #73411; though the web site says it is an HO file, it will work fine on a LokSound select micro, which I think is what the Atlas S-2 board is - the LokProgrammer will automatically convert the file for installation).  If you don't have a LokProgrammer nearby, best bet is to send it back to Atlas.

John C.

Programming the decoder with the Loksound programmer is indeed the last option I will try before sending it back to Atlas. I do have the programmer myself, but it's at home and I won't be able to do it before Saturday next week. That's th reason to see if anybody else has had the same problem. I also like to know which file to use before I get any problem with the warranty. Besides the 73411 you mentioned there is also the 91475, which Atlas probably has used. The HO file format is no problem as I know the software converts that to the right format.

Marc

[nstars]

The layout the loco was running on, uses the Digitrax PM 42 as circuit breakers. I'm certainly not a fan of these and there were some problems with them on the layout, so it could be the cause. If it can be solved by a reprogramming of the decoder, than its fine with me. Reprogramming is easy and reliable. In the mean time I would recommend to everybody to use those solid state circuit breakers. These work so much quicker.

Marc

[jdcolombo]

Hmm, well that's annoying. Shorts are going to happen, maybe not frequently, but they will. People running a closed switch, derailment at the wrong place etc. So I have a question: does the type of circuit breaker, its sensitivity, or other protection (auto bulbs) have an effect on decoders getting or not getting scrambled? Or put another way, given the sensitivity of these things, what kind of protective measures should we take to minimize or eliminate this problem?
Otto K.

I've had tons of shorts on my layout (it's not unusual to have a dozen or so during a three-hour op session) and I've only had two cases of decoder brain scramble.  I don't use PM 42's; instead, I have multiple Digitrax boosters, each assigned to a specific section of the layout.  They respond to shorts very quickly, but I think Peteski hit it when he noted that flash memory is occasionally susceptible to these sorts of things.  In my case, reprogramming cured the problem, so I found it more of a minor inconvenience than a major issue.  I've never had a layout short permanently damage a decoder (knock on wood).

John C.

[nstars]

I reprogrammed the decoder and the result was unfortunately not good. There came for a moment some noises from the speaker but after that it was dead silence. I suspect there is something with the speaker or with the speaker connection. In theory not to difficult to repair our selves, but to avoid losing the warranty I will send the loco back to Atlas.

Regards,

Marc