Sondtraxx decoders

[jim81147]

How are these decoders at improving slow speed performance?

 

[Selector]

I only ever tried it on one locomotive. It was a Stealth series of BLI's. It was a 4-8-4 steamer, a Northern Type, from the Norfolk & Western. It was jerky and hesitated at start-up. Someone posted instructions using the high CV's to fine tune the drivetrain and the thing turned out moving like the real locomotive. It was quite amazing.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

There is a setting for CV65 kick start. It gives a bit of a voltage kick at speed step 1 to get a sticky loco rolling. I think the settings are 0 - 9 and it only works on speed step 1.

 

[Iron Horseman]

How are these decoders at improving slow speed performance?

Soundtraxx has made bunches of different decoders through the years. Do you mean a current production Tsunami or Econamai, or one of the older units?

 

[jim81147]

I was looking at their Tsunami series .

 

[flyboy2610]

I put a Tsunami in a Bachmann 4-8-4, had to hardwire it, no plug. That engine will creep along reeeeaaaal slow. I would give it a thumbs up!

 

[jim81147]

Good to hear Flyboy , I am wanting to put one in a Bachmann 2-8-0- consolidation . Its the only model I could find decorated for Durango and Silverton . I talked with Soundtraxx tech support and they make a 9 pin to 8 pin adapter which costs about 5 dollars and allows you to plug it in rather than solder it in . If I go with one of these decoders I will buy the adapter .

 

[dinwitty]

you will solder the adapter in and the decoder plugs in, its good for quick removal if needed, but for amall engines the extra hardware just gets in the way. BEMF is the key for good slow speed performance. If you have one of their decoders and its doing the herky jerky as mentioned above, poking with the BEMF controls should fix it.
I am not a fan of the kick start, if you need that your model has issues, not the decoder.

 

[jim81147]

This adapter actually has pins on both ends , the tech said it just plugs in . I don't know what BEMF is . Could you explain that to me? Thanks.

 

[dinwitty]

Back Electro-Motive Force, the motor is being pulsed, one to power it....then power is shut off so it can "Read" the voltage coming out of it using the motor as a generator. The decoder is reading the voltage/current to get signals how the motor is functioning, this is how they are doing all the motor control trickery, monitoring the motor. This is happening in milliseconds so you never notice it.