ESU 58941 Kato Widebody

[UP Simon]

Anyone seen it yet? Any tips to fitting to an E8?
Mine is on the way so just tapping into the collective wisdom

[Jbub]

https://store.sbs4dcc.com/ESU58941LokSound5MicroDirectNMRADCCSoundDecoder-KatoUSAWidebod.aspx

https://tonystrains.com/product/esu-58941-loksound-5-micro-dcc-direct-kato-usa-widebody-sound-decoder-n-scale

[peteski]

Wow!  They finally arrived!  I have to pick one up.

There isn't much room between the chassis and roof in Kato E units.  There was a problem  with the earlier Next18 version of the board (not by ESU).  Hopefully this one (with the lower profile connector) will be usable.

[reinhardtjh]

I got my order of them today.  Haven't had time to text fit them anywhere.  I took a quick look and they look pretty thin.  I think there was a remark about having to trim something from the roof of an E8 but that may have been for something else.

If I get a chance to play I'll post.

[John]

wow -- they cost more than the loco i would put them in ..

[reinhardtjh]

wow -- they cost more than the loco i would put them in ..

Yeah. ESU had a price increase a month or two ago.  Though the Kato Widebody is cheaper than buying a LS5 Micro and the Wutter board - The Widebody is only 4$ more than the plain Nano which it hosts.  The Wutter board wouldn't fit a number of the chassis the Widebody will so it's worth it.

[peteski]

wow -- they cost more than the loco i would put them in ..

Maybe so, but at $127.96 Soundtraxx 885032 TSU-KN1 Tsunami 2 DCC Sound Decoder - Kato E/F/PA/F40/P42 has a same outline as ESU 58941 (at $102.70), but is much less capable or programmable than ESU.  Well, it has a graphic equalizer built-in (as I see it, the only thing it has going for it). 

So IMO, the ESU is a bargain.  Prices are from Streamline Backshop website.

[nightmare0331]

I had 50 or so show up last week.

I slapped one in an F7B.  I have some P42's and an E8 here that I'll slap them in soon enough but I don't forsee any issues with them going in.

Just insert time I don't have to make this happen. 

Enjoy!

Kelley.

[Lemosteam]

I offer high volume speaker boxes to fit the curve in the back af various e and f units. They were proposed and requested by @Scott Lupia.

[UP Simon]

So Kato Widebody Decoder has arrived
Only criticism so far (in first 5 minutes) is the lack of documentation

[peteski]

So Kato Widebody Decoder has arrived
Only criticism so far (in first 5 minutes) is the lack of documentation

Yes, that is a problem with ESU. Mine are still in transit.  Once I get them and find some time,  I'll do a write-up on them.

They are basically a large adapter boards for the LokSound 5 nano decoder.  Looking at your photos, it looks like they seem to have on-board resistors for the AUX functions (nano itself has no resistors on any of the AUX outputs).

[UP Simon]

ESU sent me a CAD image of the decoder
392 resistors

[peteski]

That's the silk screen pattern of the legends on the decoder board.

[nightmare0331]

58941 fits just fine in E and F units.  I also got a few installed in P42's.

Just a heads up...it sits to high to fit in the Kato PA/PB1.

Hope this helps!

Kelley.

[DRGWTennPass]

Anyone having sound quality issues with these?
Specifically with P42 file S0582.

A fellow modeler and I fussed with two over the weekend, and they sound like they are under water wrapped in a sock.
Other files sound just as bad.

Same file on a 58741 sounds fine.
SBS 8x12s on all trials.
Did try 9x16 and 11x15 and they were worse.

Thoughts?