Can the Basic Train Engineer, be connected to a battery in the tender.

The track is outside & I'd rather get rid of track power completely.

The Basic TE is relatively inexpensive compared to other systems.

I'm not really into Diesels, unless they're unusual, such as a BL-2.

So the M-10000 was greatly anticipated.

The only problem is the exorbitant price tag!

Consider the coaches, for example, assuming they are equal in quality to BLi's California Zephyrs, then they are worth $69.99 RRP.

That's $140 from the $425 price, leaves $285 for the Loco, which does not have a sound decoder or even DCC!

Let me put a little perspective on that.
PCM-130 NYC Sharknose, RF-16 A, DCC/Sound $249.99 RRP
PCM-164 PRR Sharknose, BF-16 A, No Sound.  $159.99  RRP
Brand X U.P. M-10000 loco ONLY, No Sound/DCC Ready Est. $285.00 OUCH!

I'm sure these are very nice, but I guess I'll have to miss out.

Pity Bachmann didn't make these. I'm sure they would have been very affordable.

The new Southern 4-4-0 with Tsunami Sound is in BLACK Livery.

I hope Bachmann lets this livery filter down to the NON-Tsunami fleet.

I'm sure a they'd sell a few.

G'Day Charles,

That's all good advise & would certainly go a long way to attaining sychronisation.

I do think it unfortunate that Soundtraxx could perform a relatively simple rewrite of the Tsunami firmwear, & the Bemf signal could be made available for the Auto Exhaust to use, solving the problem for everyone.

To take the ball to the try line, but not step over & score, always seems odd to me.

Quote from: grumpy on May 30, 2008, 06:51:01 PM
The whistle is good but the steam chuff  leaves something to be desired.
Don

Don,
You can change the CHUFF SOUND TYPE - there are five or six to choose from. They range from tinny to terrifying.
Have a look in your instruction manual. I am away from home at the moment, so can't look it up for you.

I have four Athearn Challengers, & am very happy with their performance.
They run particularly well on an MRC BLACK BOX , as do Tsunami fitted locos. NOTE : You cannot run NON-DCC locos on an MRC BlackBox It gives you access to all the sounds but pumps out the same power as a DCC controller, so is unsuitable for DC-only locos.

I have noticed Athearn Challengers & Big Boys occasionally get confused & must be reset.
This is a rare occurrence & symptoms include remaining stationary & chuffing. A reset is quick & easy, so your should not feel too alarmed about this rare trait.

The NON TRACTION TYRED driver set is available from Athearn for around $10, plus postage. This will reduce the Braking effect on tight curves  caused by the traction tyre.

Quote from: Ozzie21 on May 29, 2008, 07:41:51 PM
it's not linked to throttle position but to motor load. Change the load on the motor and the chuff rate will change slightly as will the timbre of the exhaust. While the the Tsnumai OEM is laid out differently to a Tsnuami all the Cv's are the same except for whistle which has only 3 selections instead of the normal 7. By tuning the decoder CV's 2,3,4,5,6, 116,209 and 210, whose default settings are a compromise to allow the loco to run. By further tuning these CV's the running qualites will be improved.

G'day Charles,

I'll have to disagree with you on one point. CV 116; the Auto Exhaust Rate, is not controlled or related to any Bemf signal. If that is the case you cannot attain a sychronised Chuff Rate across the speed range.  CV 116 is  linearly proportional to throttle setting. You can apply a Speed Table, CV25, but this again is only an approximation & not connected with any Bemf input.

Quote from: Hoople on May 29, 2008, 11:47:04 AM

Yes, this is true. You can put the tender on the track and open up the throttle and watch the tender do nothing but it sounds like it's doing full speed.

You don't actually have to remove the loco, just add a load & listen to it chuff it's smokebox off, without turning a wheel. 

Seriously though, QSi, MRC & ESU  OEM installations chuff at, or very near to, the correct rate.
So maybe I am expecting too much from Tsunami OEM - though not according to their advertising.
Anyone who has a Blackstone K27, knows just how good a Tsunami can be when the chuff is sync'd.

Quote from: SteamGene on May 28, 2008, 02:43:18 PM
If you can alter CVs, you can alter the chuff rate.
Gene

That's true.

But unfortunately, the OEM Tsunami's chuff rate is linked to the throttle & not the anything the loco is doing.
I have corrected the chuff on several Tsunami OEM locos, but as soon as you apply any load [incline or cars]; or remove any load [decline] the throttle position is changed & therefore the chuff is running at a different rate.

So I guess, if you get rid of all that boring stuff like freight & passenger cars, shunting, inclines etc - I mean, what's wrong with running your Tsunami OEM loco light, on a billiard table smooth flat surface?.......?

G'Day,

I don't think you need any extra weight. My Spectrum 4-4-0's all pull four Roundhouse RTR palace cars, on a 2% grade.

Did you bend the wiring harness back at 90 degrees to the plugs? - as the harness can drag on the sleepers & lift the drivers off the ground.

I can't remember if there is any foam between the boiler & bogie, but check anyway - as this will also unload the drivers.

Let's hear how you go.

[quote ]

The chuff is not synchronized. I have the Spectrum 4-4-0.

Rich
[/quote]

Thanks Rich,

I was going to trade my non sound locos in on a few new Tsunami versions, but if the chuff is not sync'd, there's really no point.

I might buy one of the Quantum Revolution systems & see if that will 'chuff in time'. Using Bemf, they are pretty good on the BLi's, so I may be lucky there.

Cheers.
Mark

If anyone acquires one of these, can they tell me if the chuff sound is synchronized or not.

Since all the other Bachmann/Tsunami OEM installations are not sync'd, I don't hold much hope, but maybe they have worked something out in the interim.

Quote from: Yampa Bob on May 05, 2008, 12:00:51 AM
I ran a sound equipped Bachmann loco on DC before I even bought my EZC. The chuff rate was perfectly timed, even if the wheels slipped, very realistic.  My only complaint was the perceived source of the sound.

G'Day Bob.
Was that a Factory fitted Tsunami in your Bachmann loco?
If so, was it "factory original" or had it been modified?

I'm just asking, as I have five [factory] Bachmann Tsunami locos, & the chuff rate is so far out on all of them, it's beyond a joke. I have reprogrammed two, but although the chuff was reasonably sync'd on level ground without a load, I cannot find any way of compensating for the addition of an incline or load.
I have stopped buying any more Bachmann Tsunami locos as a consequence.

TrainWorld is selling Richmond 4-4-0's for $99.99 - so there's not much change from a C note.  .

But they have very good service, if you receive a faulty one.

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