Duke of Gloucester TTS chip problems

[keithyoung89]

I bought a DoG from a very reputabe supplier. Two or three times it 'died' (no response for motion or sound) and I had too reset the decoder to factory defaults to get it going again. I ended up contacting the supplier who was brilliant and sent a replacement free of charge, no quibble. I test ran the replacement today - all OK, if a little jerky - with sound on. Having stopped the loco the sound would not turn off. I cut the power and when I tried restarting it was 'dead' again. I've reset the decoder and it runs again but I seem to have lost 'wheel slip' sound and gained a couple of horns! I shall be contacting the supplier again but wondered if anybody has experienced similar issues.

[2e0dtoeric]

It would appear from your description that your decoder has reset itself into a diesel one! The DoG doesn't HAVE any horns!

The DoG was the first loco fitted with TTS, and it is possible that you have got a mark one decoder - new old stock, as the ad's say.

I may be, and probably am, wrong, but it is quite likely that the one decoder chip can be factory set to make generic diesel or steam noises, as required, and you have somehow managed to completely re-set it!

[96RAF]

@2eric

 

The TTS decoder according to Hornby is a WORM (write once read many) device so once the blank has been written to it cannot be overwritten, so there is no chance of Hornby resetting a steam decoder to a diesel one or vice versa.

 

The only explanation is the wrong decoder has been installed, unless  ky89 can post a list of which sounds he has against function numbers To prove otherwise.

[keithyoung89]

Thanks for your replies. Just to update I think it's all fixed now, but it was a bit of job! When I did the decoder reset (via Railmaster/eLink) it whinged that the chip was unknown on its database - sorry, I didn't note what chip it found. When the reset had completed (after about 25 mins) the loco set up had no functions allocated to any sounds - I have had to do that manually. I'll append a list of the sounds after this update if anybody is interested. I said yesterday that I had lost 'wheel slip', but by a process of experimentation I found it with a wrong label! So I think I now have most if not all the sounds that I want.

These are the sound effects that were listed as being available to allocate to functions, although not all did anything:

Air horn signal, Air pump, Blow out, Brake release, Buffer action, Cab lights on/off, Coal on/off, Compressor on/off, Conductor signal, Coupler, Diesel notch down, Diesel notch up, Doors open/close, Doors slam, Double horn, Fan on/off, Flange squeal, Guard/driver buzzer (in fact this is a whistle), Horn, Horn (short) 1, Horn (short) 2, Horn 1 on/off, Horn 2 on/off, Injector, Lights on/off, Rail clack, Sand valve, Shunt on/off, Smoke on/off, Sound on/off, Train brakes, Valve on/off, Ventilator, Whistle (long), Whistle (short), Windscreen wipers.

The fact remains, however, that whatever chip Hornby have used decided to stop working far too easily!!

 

Thanks again.

[96RAF]

Windscreen wipers on the D o G.

 

I think what you have listed there is more akin to a Loksound decoder not TTS.

 

I would go back to RM, delete your loco and call up a new loco under the D o G s R number and all the correct functions will be allocated and will work as advertised in the manual that came with the loco.

[keithyoung89]

Thanks RAF96. I did as you suggested and removed from Railmaster DoG and added again and all functions appeared as they should have done. Many thanks for the tip.So that's all sorted ... until next time!