Hornbyguy1707822480 Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 Hello all, I have this dcc fitted Britannia loco a loksound 4.0 decoder and I have been running it a lot.Now on my layout but then I turn on my select controller and press F1 it made a loud weird noise that hurted my ear it was so hard to hear the chuff chuff all other sounds work but not F1 so if anyone could help me please do.All I did was press F1 and it happened I just started using this train Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hornbyguy1707822480 Posted May 25, 2021 Author Share Posted May 25, 2021 Aslo, I forgot to add when I press F1 again it turns the chuff chuff sound off including the weird sounds but I need to press F1 to start the chuff chuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 To me it sounds like something is wrong with your decoder. You could try changing the speaker, it might be that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 I agree it is a decoder problem but having trouble with its being the speaker given other sounds work.Do the weird sounds always occur with the chuff, or just that once? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 I think you can get funny effects with speakers if there is something mechanically loose. The weird noise sounds like positive feedback. I must admit the decoder is my favourite, but the speaker is cheap and easy to change just in case. In my case I have loads of old ones out of TTS decoders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashbang Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 HiBe cautious about putting in any old speaker! The speaker chosen has to have the correct Ohm rating (and wattage if necessary) to match the ESU Loksound decoders output. Connect a speaker that has too low an ohm rating and you seriously risk blowing the amplifier in the decoder! ESU recommend... Impedance 4-8 Ohms, 4 Ohms recommended. What version of firmware is your Select using?? This is shown at initial start up with a series of three two digit numbers. It is the first set to appear that's important. Latest are 1.6 or 2.0 (both are same but the latter one applies the newer 'face lift' Selects). If its anything lower than 1.6 then personally I would contact Hornby Customer Service by email or phone and arrange to have it upgraded. It will cost around £15 plus VAT and your postage costs to get it to Hornby return P & P is included.Post edited to add ESU Impedance recommended ratings. grinning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 Correct me if I am wrong. If it was a Loksound 3.5 then it needs a 100 ohm speaker. As far as I know Loksound 4.0 can use 4 to 8 ohm speakers. So generally as most speakers are either 4 or 8 ohm, then no issue. Even if you put a 100 ohm one in, all that would happen is you would hardly hear anything. Now if you fitted a 4 to 8 ohm speaker to a Loksound 3.5, then you would blow it up. Similarly if you fitted a 4 ohm speaker to a TTS decoder again you would damage it. Generally speakers are 8 ohm, definitely the one that come with TTS decoders are 8 ohm.I looked into Loksound decoders when I was repairing one. If it is 4.0 or over Loksound do a deal where they will give you a brand new one for £30.00. South West Digital do this deal.As to Hornby they haven't fitted Loksound decoders for years, so I doubt you would get much joy, but by all means try. I very seriously doubt they have the means to repair them. Either way it would cost more than £30.00.If it is the decoder, it probably something wrong with the amplifier that handles the sound, but either way it is a replacement.Initialling do a reset on the decoder see if that cures it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 @ColinOP said it was a Loksound v4.0 so it should already have a 4-ohm speaker.We don’t know if it was a Hornby factory fit model (R . . . . XS) or aftermarket and to which model (Hornby or other make), not that it really matters if the decoder has blown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 Yes 98RAF I know that, all I was saying was that generally with this decoder loudspeaker impedance is not such an issue. Hornby I gather did fit Loksound decoders, but the one I took out from a Hornby loco was version 3.5. It depends whether it is an 8 pin socket or a 21 pin socket. If 21 pin socket, then Hornby fitted it.Either way if it was mine, I would first reset the chip, I doubt it would have any effect but you never know. Next I would try another loudspeaker, 4 ohm or 8 ohm doesn't matter, it just wouldn't be so loud with 8 ohm. If none of these work then consider getting a new sound decoder, which if you get a new for old off Loksound (South West Digital), will be £30.00.I don't know if Loksound are the same as Zimo, but with next18 decoders the loudspeaker impedance is 8 ohms, 4 ohms will damage it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 @colinLookee here at the range of early sound decoders Hornby fitted, all 21 pin.https://support.hornby.com/hc/en-gb/sections/360004186779-Sound-LocomotivesNot sure why you brought up Next 18 as so far Hornby hasn’t used that format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 The Next 18 was for information only, I only found out when I bought one for a Bachmann loco. Generally the advantage of using an 8 ohm speaker is that the current is lower so I try to use them all the time, especially as I tend to use iphone speakers a lot. The loco I took the LokSound v3.5 out of was a City of Sheffield about 2010 vintage. Looking at that web link it looks like Hornby were fitting TTS from at least 2016 onwards. It is a shame Hornby stopped fitting those 21 pin sockets, in the tender they are a much neater solution. I fitted them to a couple of locos I was converting to DCC (I got the PCB from scrap tenders). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 I like the Next-18 format with its compact size and reversibility of fit, but as always it comes in variants - sound or no sound with different pinouts, same as 21 pin (logic or voltage functions) and Plux (#s of pins) variants. Why can’t the model railway world settle on a decent future proof standard and stick with it. A simple slot in device like a thick version of an SD card with edge connectors would be robust and very easy to fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 Actually 96RAF that is a good idea, you could take something like the Zimo MX617 which is quite small, put a double sided edge connector on it and that would work. Dapol is probably the firm most likely to implement something like that, they seem to be a bit better at electrical. Seeing as you talk to Hornby have you not mentioned it to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 I have Colin.Scalextric are getting there . . .https://uk.scalextric.com/products/easyfit-digital-plug-c8515All down to the bean counters backing development of a new system element - remember Zero-1. Safer to tread in the footsteps of others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hornbyguy1707822480 Posted October 9, 2021 Author Share Posted October 9, 2021 sorry for the late reply it seemed that the decoder got burned out somehow i don't how it happened and well yeah i got a new decoder but still somehow didn't work it works on a dc controller tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted October 9, 2021 Share Posted October 9, 2021 Have a check around all your dcc connections. It sounds like you have a short between pickups and motor connections, that would definitely blow up a decoder. On one of my A4 chassis, I found the large "glob" of solder on the motor bottom connector was touching the chassis. I don't have much experience of Loksound decoders blowing up, so I don't know if there is an inherent problem. Also check the impedance of the speaker is correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hornbyguy1707822480 Posted March 21, 2022 Author Share Posted March 21, 2022 Hello thanks seems I was given an faulty loco on ebay seems that even tts decoders like to blow up to well I took it to my loco metro hobbies to get it repaired and after 3 4 weeks ot came back and work for like 5 days so I'm just gonna sell it for parts Thanks for all this helpYusuf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted March 22, 2022 Share Posted March 22, 2022 I am sure it is fixable but obviously if you are paying someone to fix it then it is the best idea to sell it. Just list it as normal stating that it kills decoders, there are a lot of people that still run DC. It has got to be fixable, trouble is I hate to say this, a lot of so called repairers don't have the skill, but obviously take the money. Finding shorts is time consuming. I have fixed many locos supposedly previously fixed by a repairer. That is why I am a bit harsh with some of my responses, I hate to see people getting "ripped off". Before you sell it check to see if it has a capacitor across the motor, they sometimes go short circuit and blow up decoders. If the socket is in the loco check the pins of the socket aren't too long and touching the chassis, that would short things out and if the spacing was marginal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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