Cheapo diesel sound card

[ge_rik]

5) So coming back to (2) above, when programming:
Starts with one flash... input 3, which it repeats so ACCEPT it.
Moves to two flashes... input 2, which it repeats, so ACCEPT it
Moves to three flashes... input 1, continues with three flashes, input 1 again, continues with three, then repeat ad infinitum, so eventually ACCEPT anyway.
Moves to four flashes... input 1, continues with four, input 1 again...and so on, eventually ACCEPT in frustration,
Moves back to One flash... goes through the whole sequence again, and again, and...!

Now, I can't remember the detail, but I think I had similar issues when I tried to set it up to P2 Ch4, which is why I sent it to Andy to do, so could there be a problem with my Tx somehow not sending the One flash code?

Hi Philip
When you say "input 3" or "input 1" how are you doing that?

Moving the direction switch to the "forward" position should increment the fashing by one flash. So, if it flashes once, clicking the direction switch forward should make it flash twice, clicking it forward again should increase it to three. Is that what you mean by "input 3"?

Rik

[Phil.P]

Rik,
You said:
Moving the direction switch to the "forward" position should increment the fashing by one flash. So, if it flashes once, clicking the direction switch forward should make it flash twice, clicking it forward again should increase it to three. Is that what you mean by "input 3"?

Which I think you have got wrong?

Toggle-left (reverse/low) increments the flash-count, toggle-right (forward/high) accepts the value, and moves to the next option.

If the third level is flashing 3-times, it indicates that the P output is set to be an On/Off led. - I wonder if it is set as an auto-light output, and that option is taking precedence?
The third level should allow you to left-toggle, until the count reverts to '1'. You would then toggle-right, to accept the value.

Phil(lipy)
You can give me a ring if you like, but it appears you are doing things correctly, but this particular receiver does not want to play?

Phil.P

[philipy]

Moving the direction switch to the "forward" position should increment the fashing by one flash. So, if it flashes once, clicking the direction switch forward should make it flash twice, clicking it forward again should increase it to three. Is that what you mean by "input 3"?

Rik,
Yes, that's exactly what I mean.
However, I'm giving up on it now, it's not worth the hassle. It won't accept anything at all now, it sits there giving a double flash and nothing else after the initial fast flash. I've tried going back to square one several times but nothing changes. It is still working to control speed and direction, and the sound thing was just an after thought anyway.

I'm fairly sure this is pretty much what happened initially when I gave up and sent it back to Andy. He managed to put the 3, 2, 1,4 in it to control the servo on the Inertia knob and thats what it is still wired for. That worked as far as I know ( I never actually tested it because I bought a second Rx because RM lost this one for about a month!).

[philipy]

Phil(lipy)
You can give me a ring if you like, but it appears you are doing things correctly, but this particular receiver does not want to play?

Phil.P

Thanks Phil, but I've wasted enough time on this @~?%!! for something that isn't that important in the grand scheme of things, I've done little else for the last 24 hours and I have better things to waste my ( and your ) time on, but I do appreciate you trying to help, as usual.

[Phil.P]

[FWLR]

Well it works on a standard RX setup, sorry about the out of focus video Next thing is getting a servo output on a Micron RX603.

Well, I need to talk to you about a soundcard, so I can give you instructions on how to configure a spare 'P' output to be a servo, as well..


Phil.P

Erm, yup, that would be very helpful.

I tried changing the programming on P1 to be the same as CH1, with no success. I used SOS mode to enter programming mode, no issues there. I then done 2,1,1,1,1 (using the switch for forward/reverse) thinking that would change P1 to be a servo like CH1, all seemed to go in and it went back to a solid light. Then tested the output and it's still set as a forward LED? I have tried this numerous times even trying P4 instead of P1, but alas, it's still the same?

Far to complicated for me...it's all double-dutch that...

I would love to know how in really simple layman's talk.. how to fit a sound card to a battery loco, but wiring is a little bit confusing for me at times...

[ge_rik]

I would love to know how in really simple layman's talk.. how to fit a sound card to a battery loco, but wiring is a little bit confusing for me at times...

Hi Rod
The MyLocoSound card is dead easy to fit. Two wires to the battery (via the loco's on off switch), two wires to the motor and two wires to the speaker. The most difficult bit is finding enough space for the card.

Rik

[philipy]

You should be able to work out the version you have, from the numbers written on the chip.

Can't leave it alone, despite what I said yesterday - frustration speaking!

Yesterday evening I managed to find the little leaflet that came with it originally and that says it is version 5.20.

I've been through it all again this morning...
put the Tx in program mode and that is correct according to a note I had from Andy on the subject a while ago.
put the Rx into program mode and that is doing as it should, apparently.

However, I now think it isn't actually being programmed at all. Because I am only trying to alter 3,2,1,4, to 3,2,1,1, the first three are not being changed and it isn't obvious that the last command isn't doing anything, until I find that the Rx isn't doing what it should. I have tried changing one of the other parameters to test things but that doesn't seem to happen either.

Sooooo, as I said, I think this is pretty much what happened before, but Andy managed it and didn't say there had been any problem in doing so, and what he put in has stuck and all my messing about hasn't changed it.
If I plug the sound card in, the Inertia knob alters the volume and the Inertia knob is programmed to Ch4, so Andy's programming is still there and working correctly - if I replace the sound card with an ordinary servo, that works when the knob is rotated, as it should do.

[FWLR]

I would love to know how in really simple layman's talk.. how to fit a sound card to a battery loco, but wiring is a little bit confusing for me at times...

Hi Rod
The MyLocoSound card is dead easy to fit. Two wires to the battery (via the loco's on off switch), two wires to the motor and two wires to the speaker. The most difficult bit is finding enough space for the card.

Rik

Thanks Rik.

[-steves-]

Well it works on a standard RX setup, sorry about the out of focus video Next thing is getting a servo output on a Micron RX603.

Well, I need to talk to you about a soundcard, so I can give you instructions on how to configure a spare 'P' output to be a servo, as well..


Phil.P

Erm, yup, that would be very helpful.

I tried changing the programming on P1 to be the same as CH1, with no success. I used SOS mode to enter programming mode, no issues there. I then done 2,1,1,1,1 (using the switch for forward/reverse) thinking that would change P1 to be a servo like CH1, all seemed to go in and it went back to a solid light. Then tested the output and it's still set as a forward LED? I have tried this numerous times even trying P4 instead of P1, but alas, it's still the same?

Far to complicated for me...it's all double-dutch that...

I would love to know how in really simple layman's talk.. how to fit a sound card to a battery loco, but wiring is a little bit confusing for me at times...

It all depends on what RX you are using as to how easy or difficult it might be, what RX do you use in the one you want a sound card on? If it's Deltang or Micron based then it is doable, just get someone on here to programme it up and add the extra wire for you. If it's a standard RX then you can use a Y cable on ch1 with the ESC. It's really not as difficult as it sounds despite Andrew and I having a few programming issues along the way.

[FWLR]

Thanks Steve,

I have a Deltang, but I don't know which one at the moment, it's packed away with my locos.

Whats a Y cable though Steve...

[-steves-]

You should be able to work out the version you have, from the numbers written on the chip.

Can't leave it alone, despite what I said yesterday - frustration speaking!

Yesterday evening I managed to find the little leaflet that came with it originally and that says it is version 5.20.

I've been through it all again this morning...
put the Tx in program mode and that is correct according to a note I had from Andy on the subject a while ago.
put the Rx into program mode and that is doing as it should, apparently.

However, I now think it isn't actually being programmed at all. Because I am only trying to alter 3,2,1,4, to 3,2,1,1, the first three are not being changed and it isn't obvious that the last command isn't doing anything, until I find that the Rx isn't doing what it should. I have tried changing one of the other parameters to test things but that doesn't seem to happen either.

Sooooo, as I said, I think this is pretty much what happened before, but Andy managed it and didn't say there had been any problem in doing so, and what he put in has stuck and all my messing about hasn't changed it.
If I plug the sound card in, the Inertia knob alters the volume and the Inertia knob is programmed to Ch4, so Andy's programming is still there and working correctly - if I replace the sound card with an ordinary servo, that works when the knob is rotated, as it should do.

Can you borrow a prog 4 to programme it with, or borrow a different TX, like a TX20?

[philipy]

Can you borrow a prog 4 to programme it with, or borrow a different TX, like a TX20?

I have a Prog4 but it no longer works with the serial cables/Coolterm.. it's all obsolete. Nobody I know within half a days journey to borrow from ( I think you are about the nearest! ) unfortunately and it's not worth posting. I do have a suspicion that its the Tx at fault though, I suspect it has other issues as well. It's range is pants these days.

[-steves-]

Can you borrow a prog 4 to programme it with, or borrow a different TX, like a TX20?

I have a Prog4 but it no longer works with the serial cables/Coolterm.. it's all obsolete. Nobody I know within half a days journey to borrow from ( I think you are about the nearest! ) unfortunately and it's not worth posting. I do have a suspicion that its the Tx at fault though, I suspect it has other issues as well. It's range is pants these days.

Is this the same for all prog4's? I was going to use mine just the other day, I had it bound up with coolterm but wasn't sure what programming I needed, in the end I was lucky and it didn't need programming.

[ge_rik]

Can you borrow a prog 4 to programme it with, or borrow a different TX, like a TX20?

I have a Prog4 but it no longer works with the serial cables/Coolterm.. it's all obsolete. Nobody I know within half a days journey to borrow from ( I think you are about the nearest! ) unfortunately and it's not worth posting. I do have a suspicion that its the Tx at fault though, I suspect it has other issues as well. It's range is pants these days.

It might just need a replacement Tx2 board. A c15 min job with a soldering iron.

Rik

[philipy]

Is this the same for all prog4's? I was going to use mine just the other day, I had it bound up with coolterm but wasn't sure what programming I needed, in the end I was lucky and it didn't need programming.

This is what I wrote back in 2022 on my Austro Daimler build thread:


GTB wrote: ↑Sun, 09 Oct 2022 10:39 am

I've become allergic to programmable electronics over recent years and deliberately chose the RCS version of the MR603 which is plug 'n play.

The Rx41d is plug n play as long as you want the pre-programmed options, and as I said the basic speed/direction control is fine but I simply wanted to program Ch4 on P3 to operate a servo and for which I need to send a set of 4 digits .... simples
I think the problem is to do with the serial-USB interface. The driver for the very old fashioned adapter cable now shows an error in Device Manager which says it was retired in 2012! It all worked the last time I used it which was in about 2015/17 -ish I think, but I suspect that Windows 10 doesn't want to play nicely now. It really isn't worth messing about buying new serial adapters and Andy at Micron was happy to do it for me. If I had told him exactly what I was trying to do he'd have done it anyway when he sold it to me.

Andy also said that Prog 4's are so flaky he stopped selling them, He has/had 4 himself and only one worked.

[philipy]

It might just need a replacement Tx2 board. A c15 min job with a soldering iron.

I don't think thats the problem Rik. I replaced that last summer because I had other problems and Phil thought that might be the problem.

[Phil.P]

Not sure if Andy has any Tx2 left?

I am into single-figures, then it becomes a little more of a job. - The Micron module is a different beast, but the peripherals remain the same.

Phil.P

[Lonsdaler]

Can you borrow a prog 4 to programme it with, or borrow a different TX, like a TX20?

I have a Prog4 but it no longer works with the serial cables/Coolterm.. it's all obsolete. Nobody I know within half a days journey to borrow from ( I think you are about the nearest! ) unfortunately and it's not worth posting. I do have a suspicion that its the Tx at fault though, I suspect it has other issues as well. It's range is pants these days.

There is a fix to enable usb to serial cable operation. The best online explanation and links to required program can be found here https://www.totalcardiagnostics.com/sup ... le/View/92
Just pick the 64 or 32 bit solution.
We had to do this to continue using radio GPS tracking, and it worked.

[philipy]

Can you borrow a prog 4 to programme it with, or borrow a different TX, like a TX20?

I have a Prog4 but it no longer works with the serial cables/Coolterm.. it's all obsolete. Nobody I know within half a days journey to borrow from ( I think you are about the nearest! ) unfortunately and it's not worth posting. I do have a suspicion that its the Tx at fault though, I suspect it has other issues as well. It's range is pants these days.

There is a fix to enable usb to serial cable operation. The best online explanation and links to required program can be found here https://www.totalcardiagnostics.com/sup ... le/View/92
Just pick the 64 or 32 bit solution.
We had to do this to continue using radio GPS tracking, and it worked.

When I had problems the first time it occurred, I tried one of these 'fixes' which somebody recommended, but it had no effect at all, still didn't work. I can't now remember who or which site it was, but I wouldn't hold out much hope. No harm in trying of course, but I've dumped my bits and pieces, too much rubbish sitting around "in case it comes in handy one day"!