BNSF 5383 (finally!) gets a LokSound

[ednadolski]

Here is BNSF 5383, a Kato C44-9W which I had detailed/painted/weathered from a few years back.  I have at long last gotten around to installing a LokSound Select Micro along with an 8x12mm Sugar Cube speaker & enclosure.   Not too much magic about the installation, it did take a little bit of  frame grinding but I found that I was able to fit the decoder without any shell mods, after I took off the shrink wrap.



Here she is, leading a consist of 3 more C44-9Ws (all ScaleTrains) in Run 8 around a scale-sized (43" r.) test curve (which I affectionately refer to as "The Foamboard Loop").

(Tell me that these LokSounds ain't da sheetz!) 

ED

[conrad]

Very nice job.

Am I correct in seeing from the photo that you chopped off the back of the lightboard and used it for the front light and motor connections?

Also did you mill/file down the rear to about the level of the bearing retainer?

Is there a rear led?

Finally, is the ESU micro the 58823?

Conrad

[ednadolski]

Am I correct in seeing from the photo that you chopped off the back of the lightboard and used it for the front light and motor connections?

Also did you mill/file down the rear to about the level of the bearing retainer?

Is there a rear led?

Finally, is the ESU micro the 58823?

Hi @conrad , yes, that is a Kato factory lightboard cut down as you say.  I also cut thru the circuit traces to avoid any shorting to the frame or anywhere else I did not want electrical contact.  There is also a 2.2k resistor in the circuit to the front LED.  No rear LED  (I got lazy there) tho I did ditch the rear plastic lens part since that looked like it would interfere with the speaker.   For the frame I ground off (belt grinder) the 'bumps' on the rear end of the frame, plus part of it over the aft flywheel.

I don't recall the exact model of the ESU as I bought it some 3 or so years ago, however it does look like this one: http://www.esu.eu/en/products/loksound/loksound-select-micro/.   I don't think it's a V5 but I could probably verify next time I put it on the ESU programmer.  Other than the shrink wrap removal the only other mod to the board itself was to desolder the factory wires for the rear light and other functions that I did not use.

No keep alive caps on this guy, it seems to run OK even on that kludgy little test track, which is just some recycled flextrack pinned down to the foam and definitely not any shining example of clean or well-laid track


Ed

[ednadolski]

No keep alive caps on this guy

FWIW, I don't think that those ScaleTrains locos come with keep-alives either, but they seem to be running just fine as well.  (I haven't disassembled then yet to find out, but I will when it is time to install LEZs and a few other things <vbg>)

E

[wazzou]

Ed, I've got interest in sound for my next layout, but I'm curious...do you find the prime mover volume to be too high and subsequently, the horns too low?
I know it's all subjective personally, but my preference would be to lower one and raise the second.

[ednadolski]

In that little vid, the camera didn't really pick up the horn sound very well, but it sounds ok to me in person.   The diesel sounds came out a bit overpowering, but I think that was from the proximity to the camera's microphone.  The good news is that with these decoders that the audio levels can be adjusted relative to one another, in addition to a master volume.   I think you can use JMRI or the command station, but with these ESUs I have a strong preference for the mfr's programmer (and that's needed anyways if you ever want to load new sound files into the decoder's flash).

Personally I find the bell sounds to be generally annoying, so I like to turn them way down.

Ed

[conrad]

Ed, I've got interest in sound for my next layout, but I'm curious...do you find the prime mover volume to be too high and subsequently, the horns too low?
I know it's all subjective personally, but my preference would be to lower one and raise the second.

All the sounds can be independently adjusted in volume and there is a master volume so only one CV needs to be changed for the overall volume.  I use JMRI DecoderPro and it works fine. ESU's LokProgrammer is pricey but offers many many features and is required to download sound files into the decoder.  However, most sellers of decoders will install the requested sound file into your decoder.  Without a LokProgrammer you cannot change a sound file from say a EMD 645E3 to a 710G3A prime mover.  Note, ESU decoders are complex compared to others so there is a learning curve.  Read as much as you can.

Conrad

[Steveruger45]

When setting sound volumes I tend to set at least as a start with overall volume 80-90%, horn 100%, prime mover 70% and the rest at 30%.

[conrad]

I don't recall the exact model of the ESU as I bought it some 3 or so years ago, however it does look like this one: http://www.esu.eu/en/products/loksound/loksound-select-micro/.   I don't think it's a V5 but I could probably verify next time I put it on the ESU programmer.  Other than the shrink wrap removal the only other mod to the board itself was to desolder the factory wires for the rear light and other functions that I did not use.
Ed

The reason I asked are the many discussions on the use of the NEM662 Next18 connector on the V5 micros.  Seems it causes an interference with Kato loco shells.  I don't think the LokSound Select Micro is made anymore.  It's height, 3.8mm, is the same as the V5 Micro 58823 BUT to use it you have to plug in the NEM662 connector thus making it taller.

Conrad

[reinhardtjh]

I don't recall the exact model of the ESU as I bought it some 3 or so years ago, however it does look like this one: http://www.esu.eu/en/products/loksound/loksound-select-micro/.   I don't think it's a V5 but I could probably verify next time I put it on the ESU programmer.  Other than the shrink wrap removal the only other mod to the board itself was to desolder the factory wires for the rear light and other functions that I did not use.

If it were 3 years ago then it would be the Select Micro, ESU 73800 or similar.  The LokSound 5 line was introduced in January 2019 and the LokSound 5 Micros weren't available until summer due to supply problems with one of the electronics parts.