The SDN series are intended as basic sound decoders. But the decoders can be programmed with additional sound sets downloadable from the Digitrax website.
I tested the HO scale SDH164D in our workshop using an Ulrich Models decoder tester (ulrichmodels.biz, part no. 4-5000-001). I connected the wiring harness to the terminals on the tester, and using a Model Rectifier Corp. Prodigy Advance DCC system, I was able to address and control the decoder as though it were installed in a locomotive.
Turning up the throttle resulted in a steadily increasing tempo of authentic-sounding steam chuffs from the speaker. As I increased the speed, though, the sound sped up so it sounded more like a drumbeat than a steam locomotive.
By programming a value of 1 into Configuration Variable (CV) 60, I switched the decoder to play diesel sounds. The booklet that came with the decoder calls them Electro-Motive Division GP38-2 sounds.
In either steam or diesel mode, the sound set covers the necessary bases and then some. Function 1 triggers the bell, F2 the horn or whistle, and F3 a coupler crash. Other sounds play automatically.
Digitrax’s new SoundFX decoders are a good choice for the modeler with a large fleet of steam engines or EMD diesels to convert to DCC. The full set of programmable CVs and the ability to download new sound sets make them useful for more advanced users, too.
Manufacturer
Digitrax
2443 Transmitter Rd.
Panama City, FL 32404
www.digitrax.com
Features:
- Alternate horns
- Back-electromotive-force control
- Cam input wire for steam chuff synchronization
- Factory-wired speaker
- Steam and diesel sounds
- Programmable speed tables
- Upgradeable with downloadable sound sets (with SoundFX Programmer, sold separately)
