I am considering converting an HO locomotive to DCC with sound, does anyone have experience with using the EZ command DCC system with a sound loco? ???
First loco will be diesel maybe second is a steam engine.
Also I am looking for a recommendation for a DCC decoder with sound that will work well with the EZ command system.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Get a better DCC controller. Sound locos will work but you cannot do much of any CV modification with the EZ Command. It is a very basic actually out dated controller for sound decoders.
Get the Dynamis system.
EZ Command
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/ezcommand.php?ezpage=1
Dynamis
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/ez_content/dynamis_manual.pdf
Rich
I have both EZ Command & Digitrax Zephyr. With EZ Command, I have only two options: press 1 or 2 for bell or whistle for continuous sound until I press the button again, or press the button for a short sound & quickly press it again. Digitrax Zephyr has about the same options for the bell sounds, but the whistle or horn sounds play only as long as I hold the button down. I can elicit different lengths & variations of sound by how long I hold the button down. It's much more fun to blow the whistle on my BLI Heavy Mikado & the horn on my BLI SD40-2 using Digitrax Zephyr than EZ Command.
While your E-Z Command cannot help you with programming the sound CV's, it will quite happily operate the sounds, up to about 9 or so of them depending on the decoder you use. And often there are sounds that can operate without pushing a buttonl, for example, the chuff sound.
If you have a friend with a more comprehensive system, perhaps he can help you adjust the CV's to your liking. Alternately, the local club or hobby shop may do this for a nominal charge or even for free.
Jim
I bought an ez command command on eBay new and cheap just to see how I liked it with a rail truck, liked it so much I installed a sound decoder and it runs it great, it got me hooked on dcc,
I just bought a forney with sound works great also. As far as the whistle goes I have no problem varying the whistle, you just have to get used to tapping the button when you want to start or stop the long blast. For as cheap as you can get an ez command you really can't go wrong, even if you are planning on an advanced system in the future. I'm connecting wires
To the tracks on my display shelves so I can fire the locos up when I want to show them off with out moving them to my layout, the ez command will be perfect for this
NM
:)
Thanks this was exactly the info I needed that yes you can get sound using the EZ command.
Understand it is somewhat simple but given how much I like programing "simple" devices and the low cost E Z command seemed to be the answer for me right now.
I have been primarily using digitrax DH123 decoders in my mostly Athearn conversions to date and have been very happy with them.
The loco I am planning to convert first to sound is an Athearn GP7. The MRC 1657 looks like it might work. My thought is to fit with the speaker (possibly modified) in the top of the cab. I will look around on line to see for conversions of GP7s.
I have a On 30 2 6 0 that will be the steamer I convert. I have several articles on how to convert that so that will be the next big project after I clear these more expensive sound decoders with management.
Thanks again for the helpful info.