I think a lot of the bad reviews are of MRC's earlier decoders like the ones where you needed to mill out the fuel tank for the speaker. IMHO they have been improving, I have three Kato PA's fitted with the later decoder specifically made for them and they are not that bad and have the correct sounds. I've never studied law, so maybe there's something I don't get, but if Digitrax has been stopped from making drop-in sound decoders how come MRC has been happily making them, and what has been stopping Soundtraxx and Loksound, they already have sound decoders, all they need to do is put them on a drop-in circuit board. Soundtraxx did it for Athearn with the FP45, how about doing it to fit other locos? Until then, like them or not, MRC are the only game in town.
I run the Kato F Unit MRC sound board, and there are a few tricks to get it to work all right. First, it has a nasty habit of scrambling the internal CVs. I do a full reset every so often. Also, if there is a consist number set in the decoder and it's the wrong number, the decoder will react randomly to commands (!). Finally, the decoder will overheat and the sound or light will stop working after about an hour of constant running. This includes idling with the sound running. It seems to protect itself from this overheat, but it won't work until you let it sit off the rails for a while. Is it worth it? The F unit sound is quite impressive. Like all sound units, the lack of other ambient sounds gives me an intense headache. If your 401K deduction is already cranked all the way up, then go for it, otherwise start saving for retirement now and wait a few years for the technology to catch up! :mconfused:
I have two installed, one in a Kato SD40-2 - it shows the symptoms of overheating as described in an earlier post. (Now I know why the sound went away even if it was only idling!). The headlight is so dim that it might not even be there. I don't know if that's only the decoder I have, but I read somewhere that I'm not alone with that. The other in a Kato F40PH, which cost me nerves because I did not read the manual and so I shorted it out but that's another story. Over all, diesel sound decoders are all missing the mass of a real locomotive and therefore it just does not sound right. The rumbling and deep tones of an approaching locomotive are missing but that is owed to the law of physics as you cannot "feel" the train with your feet. The operators, however, like the bell and the horn which they use constantly and most like the diesel sound, too. It might be too early to have reliable sound decoders in N. Let's see what the future brings us! Michael
I think your other questioins have been covered fairly well, but I don't think anybody answered this one. The MRC N scale sound decoders do not have any auxillary functions for ditch lights, so unless you can fiind room to add a function only decoder, the answer is no. The N scale Soundtraxx Tsunami also has only two function outputs, but they can be programmed for ditch light functionality, so it would be possible to hardwire the headlight to stay on all the time and have control over the ditch light flashing. The Loksound Micro is the only currently available N scale sound decoder that I know of with enough function outputs for the headlights and ditch lights(4 function outputs).
I too am reasonably happy with my Kato F units, I am hoping MRC do a decoder for the IM F7, they have just released one for the FP7 but it will not fit the straight F7.
My local decoder installer 'expert', Bob Horn - - installed an MRC sound decoder in a U23-B unit for me. This is one of MRC's newer boards. Initially the sound is quite acceptable. It did take a bit of time to get the CV's set properly for running charectoristics, thanks to 'Bruce the Great' (programmer). I like it, as it adds another dimension to modeling, but I'll see if I can get Bob and/or Bruce to comment on the operating issues, since the loco has been operating on Bob's layout.
I have several of the Kato F3/F7 decoders. and have run the engines several times using the DC mode only. I have an MRC Prodigy Advance Squared set-up which I haven't used yet... so I can't speak for the DCC aspect of the decoder. In DC, using the BlackBox, the sound isn't great... IMHO... not worth spending up to $80 for only a decoder for sound. Perhaps if I used the DCC features I'd be more impressed. The running characteristics in DC are not great... any speck of dust on the track or misalignment of track tends to be magnified by stalling or resetting of the decoder. This may be common with all DC/DCC sound decoders though... I think my LL/Walthers Mallet has QSI/Quantum sound and doesn't do much better. The key to this sound decoder are the words "DROP IN". In the F units... it really is just that... fast easy way to get sound equiped Dual Mode (DC/DCC) engines. If you are transitioning from DC to DCC... it is a good way to get into sound... and later fully into DCC. I've read that the newer MRC decoders are getting better... but I'd be willing to try other brands if they offer similar 'Drop-in' solutions.
I've got a pair of U23B's with the 1811 decoders, I'm satisfied enough with them that I've got three 1812's coming to try out in Atlas geeps.
When you use the BlackBox, you actually are running the engine in DCC. I know MRC likes to say "The BlackBox is not DCC," but it is.
I'm not a lawyer, and I don't know the particulars of this lawsuit, but... It could be simply the various corporate cultures, and how comfortable they are taking their chances against potential suits. Digitrax, Soundtraxx, and Loksound may be reluctant to risk a suit (perhaps not very deep pockets, or other reasons), and so they refrain. MRC, OTOH, may look at the situation and say, "Hey, let's go for it. If we get sued, we'll deal. But we might make enough money in the meantime it'll be worth it." It's all about risk/reward, especially in patent law. MRC might also have some cross-licensing deals already in place with the other company. Who knows?
Last night my Athearn Challenger (MRC decoder I think) quit working on DCC. It will not move, but the sounds work. I did a DC reset and it still will not move on DC or DCC. Between the Athearn quitting and reading this thread, I'm bummed. I have a new Kato F3 A/B set that I'm getting ready to put in an MRC sound decoder in A and their standard decoder in B. I hope I don't regret the new decoder purchase.
sny one using i had one do the same thing with digatrax decoder had to reprog. from loco number back to number three then back to loco number then everthing worked again
I think the decoder is defective. No sound, no lights, nothing. I emailed MRC to see what they suggest.
Fred, Set the loco on a DC track and go through the DC hard reset proceedure if you haven't already. As was mentioned above, MRC decoders like to glitch into and out of a consist on their own if you don't program the addresses directly. They do realy strange things when this happens. A DC reset is sometimes the only way to fix it. I fought with an HO Challenger and BigBoy for months until I decided to program the addresses and CV29 directly instead of relying on the Digitrax system to set the CV's. After this, they have now ran for 2 years without a glitch.
I never did a consist on the MRC decoder for the A/B set. The A just doesn't respond. I did this already to the Athearn. It idles, but will not move when throttled. The chuffing just goes up (crazy sounding up). Athearn told me I probably damaged the gear/drive rod assembly so I'll look at that. I know it it was on the track running fine and untouched, then it stopped responding so I don't think I damaged it, but I'll check.
I doubt this is the issue. Yes, improper handling can damage those parts and cause the loco to seize, however that would not cause the sound to go from idle to chuffing at 100 miles per hour. If you are able to mute the sound, then listen closely and you will not be able to hear the motor moving, or trying to move, which under normal conditions should be distinctly audible. My father's challenger has been returned to Athearn 5 times because of this issue which I believe is 100% decoder failure. This time he has requested a full refund instead of a replacement, an unfortunate end as the locomotive and mechanism itself are superb, but the MRC decoder is just not worth the trouble.
I muted the sound and throttled only to get no response. Total silence. I told Athearn, and they told me to send it in to them with a letter and receipt for warranty service. I've heard it will take a while to get it back, but if they send me the newer decoder it'll be worth it. I'm gonna ask for tsunami.
