Sound Value Locomotives

[Yozzer]

Hi I am a UK modeller and whilst I have several analogue HO locomotives I have just purchased my first DCC sound locomotive, item no 63205 HO S4 Diesel locomotive. I use Hornby's Select DCC controller on my DCC layout.
I have got the engine running and have looked at 'turning on' the other functions. I turned the bell on but can't turn it off! I have run the engine in and have tried at various speeds to see if it would turn off, I have also followed the  Select manual section on turning off functions all without success.
As the model store I purchased the engine at is some 200 miles away I am hoping someone in the forum will be able to assist. I am reluctant to use the F8 Mute function in case it turns off the engine sound as well as there is no engine sound function code listed in the locomotive instructions. Can anyone help??

[kewatin]

YOZZER there is a fellow english chap that visits&posts here quite often whom may be able to help you.his handle is PLASMAN.he also uses a hornby power supply,but operates in n scale ,but no real difference.perhaps he will see this and respond,if not i will send him and e-mail to respond to you or maybe there is some one here in n america that uses hornby and will respond.
regards&later KEWATIN

[ricco]

I dont know if you've remedied your problem but ironically , this just happened to my little Bachman 2 6-0 .. I Finally just reset the decoder setting CV 8 to a value of 8 ...it worked but subsequent attempts to reset the engineg address failed ( I do these settings in a PROGRAM mode on a Digitrax system while the engine is on the main not on a programming track ...this is  a standard practice) yet I did reset my momentum CVs 3 and 4 without any problems. For what it is worth, in general I feel these decoders are not very good.  They have minimal functionality and they tend to be a bit quirky ( as you and I have experienced with the bell episodes ). Bottom line is "you get what you pay for ".

[rogertra]

I use JMRI to program all my locos on a programming track at my workbench, I seem to have none of these issues.

Using JMRI, you don't even have to know the CV you are setting.  You find "Bell", or headlight, or chuff rate or whatever and adjust it.  Easy as that.

Cheers


Roger T.

[brokenrail]

It is not the decoder.The decoder in the sound value has the same motor control as the Tsumani. You can also access pre -programmed speed curves by setting a few cv's. Or Adjust 2,3,4,5,6. That is it. I can run mine about a scale 3mph without lurching or stalling. Maybe you have a bind in the drive. If you have to use cv 2 to get her going at 2 speed steps .Good sign it is mechanical and not the control of the decoder.
Johnny

[Hunt]

Yozzer,
Hornby Select is best used with Hornby decoders. Having problems using Hornby Select with another brand of decoder especially a sound decoder  is not a surprise to me.  I do not currently have convenient access to a Hornby Select DCC controller so cannot try to duplicate the "bell function on but cannot turn it off" problem you have.
 
Function 8 (F8) turns on/off all sounds on the Sound Value decoder factory install in the Bachmann HO S4 locomotive. To turn the bell sound off in your situation, reset the Sound Value decoder. Since the Hornby Select (as I recall) cannot program by user supplied CV number you will need to find someone with a DCC system that can reset the decoder.



Resetting a Sound Value decoder CVs to their factory default value is a two-step procedure.
   1)  Program CV 8 with 8
   2)  Cycle power to the decoder by turning power to the track off and back on

After about six-seconds upon restoring power the headlight and backup light will blink simultaneously 16 times indicating that the CVs were successfully reset. However, if sound or lights come on immediately upon restoring power, the decoder did not successfully reset. Repeat the two-step procedure.



If you want to run locomotives with sound  -- I suggest you replace the Hornby Select with a full featured DCC system.



Roger T. --- JMRI DecoderPro cannot be used with a Hornby Select.