SoundTraxx Tsunami Users Guide

Tsunami™ Digital Sound Decoder

Steam Sound

User’s Guide

Software Release 1.00

Rev. B 1/13//06

Notice

The information in this document is subject to change without notice.

SoundTraxx (Throttle Up!) shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein; nor for incidental or consequential dam ages resulting from the furnishing, performance or use of this material.

This document contains information protected by copyright. No part of this document may be photocopied or reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of Throttle Up! Corp.

Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

SoundTraxx, Tsunami, SoundTraxx DCC, Digital Sound Decoder, Dynamic Digital Exhaust, Auto-Exhaust and Hyperlight are trademarks of Throttle Up! Corp.

Table of Contents

All Aboard! ...........................................................................1

Overview ................................................................................................1

Operation .............................................................................2

Using Your Tsunami Digital Sound Decoder ..........................................2

Basics of Programming ......................................................6

Programming the CVs ...........................................................................6

Step 1: Conﬁguring the Address ..........................................................13

Step 2: Conﬁguring the Decoder .........................................................15

Step 3: Conﬁguring the Throttle ...........................................................17

Step 4: Conﬁguring for Consist Operation ........................................... 21

Step 5: Function Mapping ...................................................................24

Step 6: Conﬁguring the Lighting Outputs ............................................30

Sound Programming .........................................................35

Step 7: Modifying the Sound Effects ................................................... 35

Advanced Programming ...................................................50

Step 8: Conﬁguring the Dynamic Digital Exhaust ................................ 50

Step 9: Setting up the Hyperdrive .......................................................57

Step 10: Conﬁguring Tsunami’s Miscellaneous Features ....................61

Troubleshooting ................................................................68

Appendix A - Decimal-Hex-Binary Conversion ...............

Appendix B - List of Conﬁguration Variables .................

Appendix C - License Agreement ....................................72

Overview

All Aboard!

Congratulations on the purchase of your SoundTraxx™ Tsunami™ Digital Sound Decoder™. This User’s Guide will walk you through the various aspects of programming your Tsunami decoder, as well as some tips on troubleshooting. For the power user, the Tsunami Technical Reference will provide a list of all the CVs available for use with Tsunami decoders and their exact function and make-up for those who wish to have a complete reference for advanced programming techniques.

Technical Bulletins and Application Notes covering various topics are also published from time to time, and these may be downloaded free of charge from our website at www.soundtraxx.com.

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Operation

Using Your Tsunami Digital Sound Decoder

Your SoundTraxx Tsunami has been shipped with all CVs pre-programmed so you can begin using your locomotive immediately without having to worry about what adjustments to make. Function Assignments are as follows:

Steam Decoders

Function Key Effect

F0 Headlight/Backup Light/Dynamo F1 Bell F2 Whistle F3 Short Whistle F4 Steam Release F5 FX5 Output F6 FX6 Output F7 Dimmer F8 Mute the Sound F9 Water Stop F10 Injectors F11 Brake Squeal/Release F12 Coupler Clank Direction Button Johnson Bar Throttle Exhaust Chuff, Snifter Valve

While these are the default settings, you may wish to make changes to the function mapping later. For now, simply set your controller to Locomotive 3, place the locomotive on the mainline and away you go! Now that you have control of your decoder, let’s see what happens!

Turn on the Lights

Press F0 on your cab to turn on the Headlight. As you turn on the headlight, the dynamo will ‘spool up’ in an accelerating whine until it reaches full power, when it will sound more like a soft buzz – can’t have lights without turning on the generator now can you? Reverse locomotive direction and the headlight turns off as the backup light turns on.

If you have wired your Tsunami decoder for Functions 5 and/or 6, pressing these keys will activate these effects. While waiting on a siding, you can press F7 to dim the headlight for an oncoming train.

Ring the Bell

Engineers are required to ring the bell during yard movement. To ring the bell, press F1 on your cab. This is an on/off function, i.e. once on, the bell will continue to ring until you turn it off. Press F1 again to turn it off.

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Operation

Whistle Signals

Note: � = Short Blast — = Long Blast

— — � — Approaching Grade Crossing. (Hold final blast until crossing

is reached.)

�

— Approaching a bridge or tunnel

� Stop, set brakes

— — Release brakes and proceed forward

� � � Backup

� � � � Request signal from Trainman

— � Warning whistle, used when approaching points where

view is obstructed.

Blow the Whistle

Engineers are required to blow various whistle signals to warn of the approaching train as well as notify both passengers and train crew to the planned movement of the locomotive. Some of these are signals for grade crossings, stopping, moving forward, backing up and more.

Learning and using the various whistle signals can add a lot of fun to your operating sessions! Some of the more common signals are indicated here. To activate the Whistle, press F2 on your cab: the longer you press the key, the longer the whistle will blow. While this allows you to make short or long signals, F3 is designated as a ‘short’ whistle so your shorts will have that nice, crisp, ‘toot’ regardless of how responsive your cab controls are…try a grade crossing whistle!

Blow Down the Boiler

If your steam engine’s been sitting in the station awhile, there’s bound to be some particle buildup in the boiler. Press the F4 key to open the blowdown valve and blow out the sediment. Press the F4 key again to close the blowdown valve.

Automatic Steam Sound Functions

Some sound effects happen in response to an action other than pressing a function key. The blowers will automatically simmer in the background to help vent the steam and keep up a good draft.

Airpumps

Brakes on trains operate using air pressure. When the engineer activates the brakes, he is releasing air pressure, forcing the brake shoes against the wheels and causing the train to slow down. When the engine stops the air pressure is build up using a compressor, also called an airpump. The air pumps will pound out a steadily slowing cadence that simulates the build up of air pressure in the main reservoir. Deceleration of the locomotive while applying the brakes will cause the air pump to resume pumping.

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More Automatic Sound Functions on Next Page

Operation

Snifter Valve

Just as you start to move the engine, you’ll hear the Pffffffft! of the snifter valve.

Johnson Bar

Changing the locomotive direction will automatically activate the sound of the Johnson Bar being thrown one way or the other.

Fireman Fred

Each time the engine is brought to a stop, Fireman Fred may attend to a randomly selected task (or tasks), including shoveling coal, oiling the side rods, and more.

Exhaust Chuff and Rod Clank

The exhaust chuff and rod clank sounds are automatically generated whenever the locomotive is set into motion. Both effects may be optionally synchronized to a cam (see page 44) and may also be conﬁgured to vary in volume in response to load changes using Tsunami’s Dynamic Digital Exhaust setting (see page 54).

Activating other Functions and Effects

Depending on the number of function keys provided on your cab, you might have additional functions immediately available for you to activate.

Mute the Sound

Pressing F8 on all Tsunami decoders will gradually mute all sound effects

- great for a quick answer of the telephone! Pressing it a second time will allow you to hear the sounds again.

Water Stop

All steam engines require water! The Water Stop initiates a sequence of events beginning with the ﬁreman opening a rather squeaky water hatch, followed by the sound of water ﬁlling the tender. This effect is activated when the engine is stopped by pressing F9 and can be stopped by pressing F9 again. If the locomotive is started while the effect is running, the effect will automatically turn off.

Injector

The injector delivers feed water to the boiler. Pressing F10 on all Tsunami decoders will turn on the sound of the injector. Pressing it a second time will turn the injector off.

Brake Squeal/Release

The sound of the brakes squealing is typically heard just before the wheels of the locomotive stop turning. Pressing F11 when the engine is moving will initiate a brake squeal effect. Press F11 again to turn this feature off.

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Operation

Coupler Clank

Pressing F12 will activate the coupler clank sound effect, see how well you can time the effect to the actual coupling of the locomotive to the train!

As you see, no programming is necessary to begin enjoying your DSD! However… after you have had a chance to play with your decoder for a little while, you may wish to make some changes such as selecting a new address or altering a sound effect. The following section will introduce you to CVs and how and why you might wish to change them.

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Basics of Programming

Programming the CVs

What is a CV?

CV stands for Conﬁguration Variable, which is the industry-adopted term for a decoder’s user-programmable memory locations. CVs allow you to customize individual decoder properties such as the address, momentum, throttle response, sound volume and much more. Once a CV has been programmed, the setting will be permanently remembered even after the power has been turned off. A CV can be modiﬁed as often as necessary by simply reprogramming it with a new value.

With the large number of CVs available, ﬁrst inspection of the available options may cause confusion and little panic! Relax. As you have already seen the DSD has been shipped with all CVs pre-programmed so you can begin using your locomotive immediately without having to worry about what adjustments to make.

The following paragraphs break the sound decoder’s CVs into various subsystems so it is only necessary to change a few CV’s at a time. As you become comfortable with it’s operation, move onto a new section and begin exploring the options and capabilities found there. For more technically inclined users, detailed information on any CV can be found in the Tsunami

Technical Reference.

Bits and Bytes

One of the most confusing aspects of programming a CV is ﬁguring out what all the different bits, bytes and x’s found in the various decoder manuals mean. The problem is compounded further by differences in each command station manufacturer’s user interface. For users unfamiliar with such terms, a short math lesson (ugh!) is in order before proceeding:

Each decoder CV stores a numeric value that can be represented in one of three forms:

Decimal - This is the form everyone is familiar with and we use in our day-today lives. Numbers are represented as a sequence of digits composed of the numerals 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and 9.

Hexadecimal - Also referred to as simply “hex”, this is a more specialized number representation that, in addition to 0 through 9, also uses the characters A-F. It has the advantage that a given decimal number can be more compactly represented. For example, the decimal number 127 converts to a simple 7F in hex (one less digit). This allows user interfaces with a limited number of digits (i.e., the LCD on your cab) to display a wider range of numbers.

Binary - Binary numbers get their name from the fact they use only two digits 0 and 1 called ‘bits’ and is the fundamental number system used by all computers including the ones found inside a digital decoder. Because there

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Basics of Programming

bit 7 bit 6 bit 5 bit 4 bit 3 bit 2 bit 1 bit 0

are only two bit values, it takes more digits to represent a number using binary. The decimal number 127, for example, is written as 01111111 in binary notation. A ‘byte’ is a binary number made up of eight bits. And a ‘nibble’ is half a byte or four bits. Really! We didn’t make that up.

Coincidentally, each CV is made up from one byte or eight bits and can store any number between 0 and 255. Most of the CVs contain a single piece of data that can be easily represented in any of the three forms, i.e., CV 3, the acceleration rate, can be loaded with any value from 0 to 255 and it always affects the same thing - the acceleration rate.

On the other hand, some CVs use individual bits to control different features. This allows up to eight individual features to be controlled by a single CV and is done to conserve the number of CVs. As the bit variables can take on only one of two values (0 and 1) they are usually used for simple variables that are either On or Off, enabled or disabled or something similar. Unfortunately, bit variables are difﬁcult to represent in any form other than binary and still preserve any meaning. Because most DCC system user interfaces don’t use binary representation, these numbers are the most difﬁcult to work with and require a tedious series of additions to convert to the decimal or hex form used by most systems.

We have tried to use the decimal number system in this manual when describing the proper values to program into a given CV; however, you will occasionally ﬁnd values listed in the Technical Reference in binary, hex and decimal values. Hex numbers can be distinguished from a decimal number by noting a 0x preﬁx. Thus 0x10 is the hex version of sixteen and not ten as one might guess. Binary numbers are represented using a ‘b’ sufﬁx. 100b is really the number four and not one hundred. To further assist the mathimpaired, we have provided a handy-dandy conversion table in Appendix A that allows one to quickly convert between decimal, hex and binary.

When working with individual bits such as in CV 29, we suggest the following procedure for determining the correct value to program. Referring to the CV description, write down the value desired for each individual bit. Consider for example, the case of CV 29. We would like to set this CV so that speed tables are enabled and the 28 speed-step mode is in effect. Referring to the Technical Reference, we see that bit 4 and bit 1 should be set to 1 and all other bits are cleared to zero. Remembering that we are dealing with binary, write down the individual bit values and we get:

We then look up the binary value 00010010b in Appendix A and see that it corresponds to the decimal value 18 (0x12 in hex). This is the value to use when programming the CV.

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Basics of Programming

bit 7 bit 6 bit 5 bit 4 bit 3 bit 2 bit 1 bit 0

When bit is set to 1, value = 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1

Therefore: 0 + 0 + 0 + 16 + 0 + 0 + 2 + 0 = 18

If you don’t have the conversion chart available, you can also calculate the value in the following manner. Reading from right to left, each bit has a decimal value associated with it, beginning with a 1 and doubling this value as you go from bit 0 to bit 7. This value is only counted when the bit is a ‘1’. Looking at the ﬁgure below, you can see that using this method, bit 1 has a value of 2 and bit 4 has a value of 16. Adding these two numbers together gives the correct decimal value of 18.

Programming Methods

There are two methods for changing the sound decoder’s CVs:

Service Mode Programming - This programming mode usually requires the locomotive to be placed on a special programming track or connected to a dedicated programmer. Tsunami is an advanced line of decoders and support four types of service mode instructions:

Address Mode - Can change CV 1 (Primary Address) only. Register Mode - Can change CVs 1,2,3,4,7,8 and 29 only. Paged Mode - Uses a page register to indirectly modify any CV. Direct Mode - Can directly change any CV.

Operations Mode Programming - Sometimes called ‘Ops Mode’ or ‘Programming on the Main’, this programming mode allows the CVs to be changed while the locomotive is operating on the layout even when other locomotives are present. The neat thing about this mode is that the CVs can be changed in the middle of operation allowing the engineer for example, to increase the momentum rate of a locomotive after it couples to a train. The main disadvantage of operations mode programming is that the CV data cannot be read back to verify its value.

Reading CVs

Certain command stations also allow you to read a CV during Service Mode Programming, which is useful to verify its current setting. If you have trouble reading or verifying CVs, the problem may be due to the design of your command station and not the DSD itself. Tsunami and all other decoders communicate back to the command station using what’s called an acknowledgment pulse, which is deﬁned in NMRA RP-9.2.3 as “an increased load on the programming track of at least 60mA for at least 5ms.” Like most decoders, the DSD generates the acknowledgment pulse by momentarily applying power to the motor. You can often visually verify that the Tsunami is properly responding to your programmer by observing a slight twitch in the

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Basics of Programming

Power In Po

wer In

Programming Track Output Programming Tr

ack Output

Programming Track

To Programming Track

COMMAND STATION POWER SUPPLY

COMMAND

STATION

PTB-100

BLACK

BLA

ORANGE

YELLOW

motor shaft when a read or write command is given.

If your DSD is otherwise working properly (i.e., responds properly on the mainline to speed and direction commands) but your command station is having troubles reading CV data from the DSD, it may be due to incompatibilities between the electrical requirements of the DSD (which are different from conventional decoders due to the added audio circuitry) and the electrical characteristics of your programming track. In such an event, we suggest you simply go ahead and program the data into the CVs anyway. Usually the DSD will accept the data and function properly when placed back on the main track.

Another option is to use a Programming Track Booster, such as SoundTraxx PTB-100 (P.N. 829002). The PTB-100 ampliﬁes the programming track signals to levels that work best with Tsunami. It is easy to install (see below) and inexpensive. An advantage to using the PTB-100 is that it also provides short circuit detection and some helpful diagnostics. It works well with all other SoundTraxx decoders, too.

Figure 1 - General Wiring Diagram for the SoundTraxx PTB-100

Finally, if you continue to experience difﬁculties, try a different programming mode. If your system supports it, the best way to program the CVs is Operations Mode, as it allows you to immediately see or hear the results of your changes. It is important, however, to realize that not all programming modes will program all CVs. Additionally, the speciﬁc programming mode you use will depend upon the type of DCC system you are using. Some of the newer DCC systems can automatically select the proper programming mode so all you need to do is specify the CV number and its new value. On the other hand, some systems support only a few of the programming modes and may restrict which CVs you can program. If in doubt, refer to your DCC

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system’s manual or contact the manufacturer to determine which methods they support.

Basics of Programming

Programming Procedure

As each DCC system is different, the procedure for programming a CV will vary depending upon the system. Unfortunately, we cannot provide detailed instructions to cover every command station and have to assume that you have some level of understanding regarding it’s capabilities and operating procedures. For speciﬁc programming procedures, please consult your DCC system manual.

Locking and Unlocking CVs

The CV Lock/Unlock is a relatively new feature available in some DCC decoders which allows you to program a decoder without the danger of overwriting the programming in another. This especially useful in installations where multiple decoders are used. For example, if you have installed a function decoder in addition to the sound decoder, you may wish to lock the CVs after programming to prevent accidentally programming one or the other.

To use the CV Lock feature implemented in CV 15 and 16, Bit 0 of CV 30 must ﬁrst be set to 1 (the default value is 0). This is to avoid inadvertently locking the decoder when the CV Lock feature is not needed.

CV 15 and 16 are used for locking and unlocking the decoder. CV 15 is the Unlock Code and may be programmed to any value between 0 and 255 regardless of whether the decoder is locked or unlocked. CV 16 is the Lock Code and may be set to any value between 0 and 7 but only when the decoder is unlocked. Attempts to program CV 16 with a value greater than 7 will be ignored.

The decoder is unlocked when the value in CV 15 matches the value in CV

16. Otherwise the decoder is locked and can not be programmed in either operations mode or service mode. Further, a locked decoder can not be reset to its factory defaults until it is ﬁrst unlocked. Tsunami decoders are shipped from the factory with all CVs unlocked, that is, CV 15 and 16 are both set to 0.

Note that if the decoder is unlocked, changing the value in CV 16 will instantly lock the decoder. You must then set CV 15 to the same value as was just programmed into CV 16 to unlock the decoder again.

If you decide to use the CV Locking feature for a multi-decoder installation, each decoder installed inside that locomotive must ﬁrst have its Lock Code in CV 16 set prior to installation of any other decoders. Otherwise, all the decoders will have the same Lock Code and the feature will not work. The easiest way to go about this is to ﬁrst install one decoder and program its Lock Code. Then install the next decoder and program its Lock Code. Since the ﬁrst decoder is now locked it will be unaffected by the programming of the second decoder (unless you accidentally set the Lock Code of the two decoders to the same value. If this happens you will need to disconnect one decoder and start over). Continue in this manner until all decoders have been installed and their Lock Codes have been set.

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Basics of Programming

It is a good idea to set up a standardized system so you don’t forget the Lock Code settings. You might, for example, set all motor decoders to a CV Lock Value of 1, sound decoders to a value of 2 and function decoders to a value of 3. Keeping CV 15 set to 0 will guarantee the decoder stays locked until you are ready to begin programming.

Example: Let’s say you will be installing motor decoder, a sound decoder and a function decoder in one locomotive. Using the previously described system, you would ﬁrst install the motor decoder and set its Lock Code by programming CV 16 to 1. Since CV 15 is currently set to 0 (the default value), the decoder is immediately locked. Now install the sound decoder and set its Lock Code by programming CV 16 to 2. Since CV 15 is still set to 0, this decoder is also immediately locked. Now install the function decoder and set its Lock Code by programming CV 16 to 3. At this point, all three decoders are installed and locked. Starting with the motor decoder, set CV 15 (the Unlock Code) to 1 to unlock and program the motor decoder. When you are ﬁnished set CV 15 to 2 and program the sound decoder. Finally, set CV 15 to 3 and program the function decoder. When you are done, set CV 15 back to 0 to lock all the decoders.

If You Forget the Lock Code

As there are only eight possible combinations, you can easily determine a forgotten Lock Code setting using trial and error with the following procedure:

Place the locomotive on the Programming Track and set CV 15 to 0. Then try to read the value in CV 16. If CV 16 does not read back, the decoder is locked. Set CV 15 to 1 and try reading CV 16 once more. Again, if CV 16 does not read back, the decoder is still locked. Program CV 15 to 2 and try reading CV 16 again. Continuing in the manner, you should eventually ﬁnd the value stored in CV 16 as it can only be programmed between 0 and 7. If you have tried setting CV 15 to all eight values between 0 and 7 and the decoder still does not respond, there may be a problem with the installation, the program track or the decoder itself and further investigation will be required.

If you do not have access to a programming track with read-back capabilities (or are uncertain as to whether it is working properly) you can also use operations mode to discover the Lock Code by alternately programming CV 15 and setting another CV to a value where there is a known response. For example, changing CV 128, the master volume control, will provide auditory feedback as to whether the decoder is unlocked by virtue of a change in sound level. Thus, you would begin by setting CV 15 to 0 and then setting CV 128 to 0. If the volume does not fall to zero, the decoder is locked. Then set CV 15 to 1 and try programming CV 128 again. Repeat this process until you ﬁnd a value for CV 15 that results in a change in sound volume as you change CV 128.

Troubleshooting Tip

Be aware that even if you are not planning to use the CV Lock feature, it can still be accidentally activated by inadvertently programming CV 15 or 16 with a non-default value. If you have a decoder that is otherwise working

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Basic Programming

(i.e., making sound and responding to throttle function commands) but has suddenly stopped accepting CV changes, then ﬁrst run through the procedure under “If you Forget the Lock Code” to determine if the decoder has been locked.

Resetting the CVs or Starting Over

Occasionally, something goes wrong and Tsunami will not respond as expected. Usually, this is caused by one or more CVs being programmed to the wrong value. The CVs can be quickly reset to their factory default values using the following procedure.

1. Program CV 30 to 2 (or CV 8 to 8) using either Service Mode or Operations Mode

2. Place locomotive on a powered section of track. If locomotive is already on the mainline, cycle power to the decoder by turning power to the track off and then back on.

3. After power is restored to the track there should be no indication of activity other than the power LED turning on for a period of six seconds. If sound comes on imediately upon restoring power, the decoder did not reset. Repeat steps 1 and 2.

4. Once the six-second period has elapsed, the sound should come on and the headlight, backup light and onboard diagnostic light will blink 16 times indicating that the CVs were successfully reset.

5. Tsunami should now respond to short address 3 just as it did when it was ﬁrst unpacked.

6. If you cannot get the decoder to reset, check to see that it has not been inadvertently locked (see “If You Forget the Lock Code” in the previous section).

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Basic Programming

Step 1: Conﬁguring the Address

The ﬁrst group of CVs you will want to change are those that set Tsunami’s address:

CV 1, Primary Address CV 17:18, Extended Address

Tsunami may be set up to recognize either the primary address (also called the short address), which provides a range of 1 to 127 or the extended (long) address, which has a range of 1 to 9999! Whether you use the primary or extended address will ﬁrst depend on whether or not your DCC system uses extended addressing (not all of them do - if in doubt, see your command station owner’s manual.) Second, it will depend on your preferences and the numbering scheme you use for setting your decoder addresses. The extended address has the advantage that you can use all four digits of a locomotive’s road number for the decoder address making it easy to remember. Be aware that some DCC systems do not support the full range of available addresses.

Primary Address

To use the primary address, simply set CV 1 to the desired address between 1 and 127.

Programming Notes: Both the primary and extended address may be changed at any time using service mode.

Some DCC systems will also allow the decoder address to be modiﬁed using operations mode programming (consult your system manual for details). Please note that when programming in operations mode, the following restrictions apply:

If the decoder’s primary address is enabled (i.e., CV 29, bit 5 is 0), only the extended address may be changed using operations mode programming.

If the decoder’s extended address is enabled (i.e., CV 29, bit 5 is 1), only the primary address may be changed using operations mode programming.

Extended Address

The extended address is actually made up of two CVs, 17 and 18. Unless you are an experienced user, you should not try to program these CVs individually as a speciﬁc protocol is required in order for the DSD to accept the new data (See the Technical Reference for details). Since most command stations that support extended addressing will automatically generate the correct protocol, simply follow their instructions for setting the extended address.

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Basic Programming

Once the extended address is stored in CV 17 and 18, bit 5 of CV 29 must be set to 1 so the decoder will recognize the extended address format. Otherwise, the decoder will continue to respond only to its primary address. See the next section, Conﬁguring the Decoder.

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Basic Programming

Bit 7 Bit 0

0 0 EAM STE ACK APS F0 DIR

Step 2: Conﬁguring the Decoder

The next CV you will want to change is CV 29, Decoder Conﬁguration Byte. CV 29 is one of those complicated bit variables mentioned earlier

and is used in conjunction with other CVs to set a multitude of decoder characteristics including Locomotive Direction, Speed Step Mode Selection, Speed Table Enable and Alternate Power Mode Enable.

Locomotive Direction - Causes the decoder to invert direction commands so that the locomotive runs in reverse when it receives a command to move forward and vice-versa. This operating mode is most useful for setting up diesel engines that ran with the long hood section forward. However, it is also useful for electronically correcting installations where the motor wires were accidentally reversed and avoids tearing apart the locomotive a second time.

Speed Step Mode Selection - As it is a digital system, Tsunami splits the throttle voltage over its minimum and maximum range into discrete speed steps. Tsunami can be conﬁgured so there are 14, 28 or 128 individual speed steps. The largest number of steps will give the smoothest throttle response. Since not all DCC systems have the ability to control 28 or 128 speed steps, your choice will depend upon the technical capabilities of your command station.

Speed Table - Sets the decoder to use the speed table speciﬁed by CV 25 (see “Conﬁguring the Throttle”, page 17).

Primary or Extended Address

address in CV 1 or extended address in CV 17:18 (see “Conﬁguring the Address”, page 13).

Alternate (Analog) Power Mode - Enables the decoder to work with an alternate power mode (such as DC operation) as set by CV 12 when a DCC signal is not present.

To assist the novice user, we have created Table A on the next page that lists the correct value for CV 29 to get the desired operating modes.

To use the table, simply ﬁnd the row that has the modes you want and program CV 29 with the listed value.

The advanced user should refer to the Technical Reference for more details. Remember, table values are in decimal. If your command station uses Hex (Hexadecimal), you will need to convert the value shown using Appendix A.

- Sets the decoder to recognize its primary

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Basic Programming

Primary (CV1)

Extended (CV17:18)

Address Type

28/128

Speed Steps

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Normal

Reversed

Locomotive Direction

CV 29 Valu

Analog Mode?

Yes

Use Speed Ta

bles?

Yes

Table A. Quick-Reference Table for CV 29 Values

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Basic Programming

Step 3: Conﬁguring the Throttle

There are seven CVs that characterize the Tsunami’s throttle response and 28 more used to create a custom speed table:

CV 2, VStart CV 3, Acceleration Rate CV 4, Braking Rate CV 25, Speed Table Select CV 29, Conﬁguration Data CV 66, Forward Trim CV 95, Reverse Trim CV 67-94, Loadable Speed Table

This may sound like a lot of CVs but don’t worry; it’s not necessary to change all of them if you don’t want to. We’ve already talked about speed step selection in CV 29 (Step 2).

Set the Start Voltage

Tsunami provides CV 2, Vstart, to set the starting voltage that is applied to the motor at Speed Step 1 and is used to compensate for inefﬁciencies in the locomotive’s motor and driveline. CV 2 may be programmed with any value between 0 and 255 with each step in value being about 0.5% of the maximum available motor voltage. To calculate the value of CV 2, you can use the formula:

Desired Starting Voltage

CV 2 = 255 X —————————————— Maximum Motor Voltage

If your DCC system supports Operations Mode Programming, an alternative method for setting Vstart is to turn your throttle to the ﬁrst speed step and then use the operations mode programming feature to increase the value in CV 2 until the locomotive just begins to move.

Set the Acceleration and Braking Rates

Tsunami provides two CVs to simulate the momentum due to train weight. CV 3, Acceleration Rate, controls how fast the locomotive responds to increases in throttle settings and CV 4, Braking Rate, controls how fast the locomotive will respond to decreases in the throttle setting.

Both CVs can be programmed with any value between 0 and 255 with 255 corresponding to the slowest acceleration or braking rate. Lower settings yield a more responsive locomotive, which is useful for switching. When both CVs are set to 0, the locomotive will respond nearly instantly to any throttle changes. A setting of 255, on the other hand, will require several minutes for a locomotive to reach full speed from a standing stop!

Tsunami’s Dynamic Digital Exhaust feature will be more dramatic if you use

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Basic Programming

CV 25

Speed Curve Type

Straight LIne

Logarithmic Curve 1

Logarithmic Curve 2

Logarithmic Curve 3

Logarithmic Curve 4

Logarithmic Curve 5

Logarithmic Curve 6

Logarithmic Curve 7

Exponential Curve 1

Exponential Curve 2

Exponential Curve 3

Exponential Curve 4

Exponential Curve 5

Exponential Curve 6

User Loadable Speed Table

Table B. Speed Table Selection

100%

75%

50%

25%

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28

LOG

LINEAR

EXP

EXP 3

EXP

Speed Step

Motor Speed

larger values for these CVs; we therefore suggest setting CV 3 and CV 4 to a minimum value of 16 or higher.

If you are using 14 or 28 Speed Step modes, setting CV 3 and CV 4 to any value greater than 0 will also improve the Tsunami’s throttle response. While it is accelerating or braking, Tsunami interpolates between speed steps so in effect, your locomotive will respond as if it were being controlled with 128 speed steps. No more sudden lurching from one speed step to another!

Select the Speed Table

Tsunami provides 14 preset and one loadable speed table that can be used for several purposes:

1. Matching the Auto Exhaust chufﬁng rate to locomotive speed.

2. Speed matching one locomotive to another.

3. Changing the feel of the throttle. For example, you could conﬁgure a switching locomotive so there are more speed steps available at lower speeds for switching and fewer steps at high speeds where the locomotive is seldom operated.

4. Compensating for an improperly designed driveline so the locomotive will operate within its prototypical speed range.

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Preset Speed Tables

CV 25, Speed Table Select, is used to select which speed curve will be used by the DSD. CV 25 may be programmed with any value between 2 and 15 to select one of the preset speed curves shown in Table B, below.

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Basic Programming

CV#

100

% Full Speed

100

109

118

127

137

146

155

164

173

182

191

200

209

219

228

237

246

255

CV Value

Speed Step

Table C. Calculating the User Loadable Speed Table

The exact throttle response for each curve is shown graphically. The logarithmic curve provides a rapid throttle response at low speeds, while the exponential curve provides a rapid throttle response at higher speeds.

In order for the speed table selection in CV 25 to take effect, bit 4 of CV 29 must be set to 1. Refer to the previous section “Conﬁguring the Decoder” or the Technical Reference to determine the correct value for CV 29.

Set the User Loadable Speed Curve

The User Loadable Speed Table allows you to create virtually any throttle response curve you can imagine. You will ﬁrst need to design and program the Loadable Speed Table. The Loadable Speed Table consists of 28 data points contained in CVs 67 through 94, each deﬁning the percentage of motor voltage applied at a given speed step. Each data point can contain a value of 0 to 255 corresponding to 0 to 100% of available motor voltage.

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In 28 speed-step mode, each data point directly corresponds to a speed step. In 128 speed-step mode, each data point corresponds to every four and a half speed steps. The motor voltage for intermediate steps is interpolated by Tsunami to produce a smooth curve. In 14 speed-step mode, alternate (odd numbered) data points correspond to speed steps 1-14. Important: all 28 data points must be programmed even for 14 speed-step mode or an unpredictable throttle response may occur while accelerating or braking.

To create a speed curve, begin by assuming that Tsunami will be operated in 28-speed step mode. Don’t worry if you are using another mode - Tsunami will automatically take care of the translation between modes.

1. Start by making a table containing 28 entries - one entry for each speed step.

2. For each entry, record the desired throttle response as a percentage of full speed, i.e., 0 to 100%.

Basic Programming

3. Compute and record the CV value for each step using the following formula:

Percentage of Full Speed (from Step 2)

CV Value = 255 X ——————————————————— 100

4. Program CV 67 with the value computed in step 3 for the ﬁrst data entry (Speed Step 1).

5. Program CV 68 with the value computed in step 3 for the second data entry (Speed Step 2).

6. Repeat step 5 for each of the remaining 26 CVs from CV 69 to CV 94 until they have been programmed with their respective values.

7. Set CV 25 to 16 to select the user loadable speed table.

8. Set bit 4 of CV 29 to 1 to enable speed table use. Refer back to the previous section “Conﬁguring the Decoder” to determine the correct value for CV 29.

Table C may be followed as an example and lists the CV values for a straightline response.

Adjust the Forward and Reverse Trim

Tsunami provides two CVs for adjusting or ‘trimming’ the forward and reverse speeds.

CV 66, Forward Trim CV 95, Reverse Trim

These CVs multiply all data points in the speed tables by a factor of n/128 (n is the CV value) allowing the overall speed curve to be adjusted up or down without reloading all 28 data points again. These CVs will not have any effect when the speed tables are disabled (i.e., CV 29, bit 4 = 0)

These CVs may contain any value between 0 and 255. Trim values between 129 and 255 will increase speed curve values between 100% and 200% in approximately 1% steps. Trim values between 1 and 127 will decrease speed curve values between 1% and 99%. A value of 128 yields a scaling factor of

1.0 and has no effect on the speed curve.

Using different values for the forward and reverse trim will yield different forward and reverse speeds.

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Basic Programming

Step 4: Conﬁguring for Consist Operation

The DSD supports advanced consist operations, which use ﬁve related CVs:

CV 19, Consist Address CV 21, Consist Function Control 1 CV 22, Consist Function Control 2 CV 23, Consist Acceleration Rate CV 24, Consist Braking Rate

Consists Explained

A consist is a group of locomotives that are set up to respond to throttle commands as a single unit. Consists make it easy for one operator to run a double headed steam train or a multi-unit diesel lash-up for example. The consist CVs allow the DSD to recognize a new address assigned to the consist without changing its primary or extended addresses. Additionally, they allow each locomotive in the consist to be run as a single unit but with different function properties allowing for example, only the horn to blow on the lead engine.

Consist Address

Each locomotive in the consist is assigned the same consist address by programming CV 19 with the consist address between 1 and 127. If a locomotive is facing backwards in the consist (common in diesel operations), it should be programmed with the same consist address plus 128. If the forward facing locomotives are set to consist address 60 for example, the backwards engine must be set to 60+128 = 188. Failure to do this will turn the consist into an angry pushme-pullyou as all locomotives will try to move forward from the perspective of their own cab and a few pulled couplers might result!

To deactivate the consist address and restore normal operation, CV 19 must be reprogrammed to 0.

Note that when the consist address is set, the DSD will continue to respond to instructions sent to its primary or extended address except for speed and direction data.

The DSD will not respond to operations mode programming commands sent to its consist address. These commands must always be used with the primary or extended address.

Consist Function Enable

CV 21 and 22 allow you to deﬁne how each engine individually responds to function commands sent to the consist address. When the consist is enabled, CV 21 controls which of functions 1-8 are active and CV 22 controls the F0 function for forward (F0(f)) and reverse (F0(r)), as well as functions 9-12.

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SoundTraxx Tsunami Users Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual