favorite decoder and why

[ebtbob]

Jim Banner,

     Would define playable whistle please.

Bob

[Jim Banner]

In the real world, the sound that comes out of a whistle depends on how much steam is fed to the whistle.  The engineer can vary the tone by varying how far he opens the valve that admits steam to his whistle.  He does this by varying his pull on the whistle cord.  In this way, he can develop his own whistle "signature."

In the model world, this has been replicated by using a pressure sensitive button for function 2 on some throttles.  Digitrax's DT400 is one such throttle.  I do not know what the protocol is but obviously it is more than just turning function 2 on and off.  Some sound decoders are able to interpret this protocol in terms of whistle pitch.  The Soundraxx Tsunami is one of them.  Both the throttle and the sound decoder need some programming to make them play nice together.

I am still low on the learning curve when it comes to sound.  I was busy learning more about this aspect when a paying customer walked in the door needing immediate help, followed closely by my wife wanting me to get my butt out in the garden and get busy.  So much for trains for a little while.

Jim