Hey, Just getting into DCC (N scale). Looking at ESU sound decoders. I am wondering what the Difference is between the Loksound Micro 4.0 and the Loksound Select Micro?
See my above post where I said "Just getting into DCC" most of the stuff on that page is Gibberish to me. All I want to know is what makes the Loksound Micro 4.0 cost $40 more than the Select Micro.
It's smaller. I just can't get around a chip thats like $4 to cost so much when the sound files are continually used and the coding is the same. Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
I thought the select had a number of sounds stored already and cannot be user loaded... the "normal" product line can have any sound file loaded. The select was engineered to be cheaper. Greg
The select is less 'programmable' as far as adjusting various noises and sounds. For example I cannot turn the cylinder cock sound on or off, it is just random, or non existent or wherever the programmer placed it. The micro 4.0 is the same physical size now, but everything is programmable. Hence the extra cost.
More like convenience! But freedom ain't free anyhow! Hopefully I'll get one of those interface boards, which ain't free, and learn to do all the programming via keyboard......someday!
Even the blank boards I saw from ESU run around $80 with my free time coming up I will hopefully be done with a copy cat. Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
GDM, I am, by no means, an expert but the shop I purchase from gets $80 for a Select Micro and it has to have the sound file added by the e-tailer or by yourself, if you have the required equipment to do so. It is , I believe, the smallest ESU sound decoder made as of today. The sound file can be changed or just updated, if you have the ESU Programmer. It will fit onto the chassis of an older diesel model such as an SD-9. The Select V4 sells for $110 and is considerably larger than the Micro and may not fit in n scale diesel. Also, I think it comes with a speaker and the Micro does not. All I use are the ESU Select Micro decoders for my installs. The motor control is by far superior to most, if not all, of the USA made decoders and as good as the European decoders such as Zimo, just my opinion, of course. Carl
To get back to the original question. ESU makes both a LokSound v.4 and a LokSound Select in "micro" versions. They are exactly the same size, and have exactly the same functionality with one exception: the V.4 will accept custom sound files, while the Select can use only the sound files from ESU that are pre-programmed for the Select decoder (when you buy a Select decoder, you tell your dealer which sound file you want installed; the dealer will program the Select with the sound file you select before shipping it to you). That is the $40 difference. You can find a list of sound files for the Select here: http://www.esu.eu/en/downloads/sounds/loksound-select/loksound-select-usa/ Unless you want to customize your sound files yourself, there is no reason to order a V.4 decoder over a Select, especially when it comes to diesels. With steam, it is possible that you might want to "roll your own" sound file from scratch (not something I would recommend to the novice) or alter an existing sound file - for example, substituting a specific whistle for one already available. But the diesel sound files already come with nearly every horn that was available from diesel manufacturers, and already come with the appropriate prime-mover sound and bell. So there's really no reason to want to customize one of ESU's diesel sound files, which are already the best out there, IMHO. That said, if you are thinking about installing sound in a hood diesel (e.g., anything from a GP7 to a GEVO or SD70, as opposed to a cab diesel like an F or E unit or Alco PA), I also strongly recommend that you wait until November, when ESU is supposed to introduce a new "board" version of their Select Micro decoder. The current Select Micro is 10.6mm wide, which is about .6mm too wide for most narrow-hood diesels (not a problem with cab units, which have wider bodies and chassis). While there are ways to get around this width issue, the new board is going to be about 8.5mm wide, and should fit easily into virtually any narrow-hood split-frame diesel on the market (which is to say, nearly all of them made since the mid-1990's). In other words, the new board promises to make narrow-hood diesel sound installations much simpler than is currently the case. If you want to hear what ESU's sound files sound like installed with a good speaker in an N scale diesel (or steam), visit my YouTube page and play any of the videos available of my sound installs. https://www.youtube.com/user/jdcolombo1956 Here are a couple of examples: An RS3: A GP7: John C.
John WOW! Now that is just the best answer to the question I have read or heard. That explains the 40 dollar difference and it also gives you the skill set needed to do the project. Thank you, Arthur
