Beep Speed Question

I like them precisely because they are geared so they don't go too fast.  Later models - those that come with the tethers to inconnect units, have updated electronics and react to power a bit differently (much like the BEEFs) and are a bit faster

Thanks guys, just wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong with the engine.

KC

I have two of the Cancer Beeps that have a tether between them for power pickup. They go right through the switch smoothly where the third beep without a tether will stall at the frog.

A third beep will be a guinea pig for a DCC/Sound install so I can learn how to do them.

I have found the speeds to be quite reasonable and they can get into places the much bigger engines cannot. They are fun little engines. Now all I need to do is wait for RMT to build and have a Cancer Caboose to go with the two Beeps.

I suspect the Bangs will do better because of more wheels and slightly longer. And eventually will get the A-B-A if they have the tethers on the Beefs. Rivet counting not applicable here heh.

Do be careful on Ebay, RMT does great pricing while the ones who sell on Ebay tends to capture the unsuspecting at full retail.

Speaking of the Bay, someone is selling BEEPs for $125, and is listing them as W/SOUND. When I emailed the seller to ask if he put sound boards in them, he said no, they come that way. I was under the impression (based on the two older ones I have) that they don't have a horn and bell. Has that changed in the newest version?

Your impression is correct.  They (BEEPs) do not come equipped with sounds.

Comments on above:

BEEPS are sort of the silent monks of the model railroad world, going about their business making no noise, doing their job dependably and quietly, often being unnoticed and not given a lot of respect, but willing to go places and do duties others often won't/can't undertake. 

Not a lot of room to put a sound card and the speaker, and sealed enclosure it will require, in a BEEP but it could be done. 

The untethered ones DO stall on some switches, particularly if you try to run them as slow as possible.  They seem to suffer most at the hands of longer switches, not shorter.   Mine usually only stutter a tiny bit (you have to be watching for it to see it) on 36" - but often stall on 60" and 72" and I have one 72" switch that catches them every time.  I have nothing but Fastrack so cannot speak to anything else.

I added teathers between dual units long before RMT started offering them (easy to do) and it fixes them nicely.  They run smoother everywhere as a result. 

Sounds good.  Nice horm sound. 

What speaker did you use and where did you mount it?

Those sounds are good.  I'll need to get a couple of those ERR rigs for the Army Beeps that I have.  I have more than a dozen Beeps, but will likely be selling all except the Army and Alaska units at some point.

No real problem, David, 'cause I'm planning to sell most of my Beeps.  As I noted in my post, I'll likely just keep the Army and Alaska units, and perhaps the Christmas Beep (but I won't fit that one with sound).  All told, should be about three or four units, with the Army Beeps being done first.

I will just have to work it into the budget...somehow!  

I'm curious as to where you're going to get the ERR Sound Commanders as they've been out of production for some time now.

Just to make it clear about this stick shift - you are talking about RailSounds Commander 4.0? 

There's a HUGE difference!  The Sound Commander is a single board and will fit in the BEEP, the RS Commander is a two board stack and will NOT fit in the BEEP.  I'm surprised you failed to make that distinction.

This is why I am asking, gunrunnerjohn.  There are actually a number of products on their website and it is not clear to me he is talking about only Railsounds Commander 4.0.

ERR has a product called "Mini Commander 2" and the description says: "The Mini Commander 2 kit is designed specifically for operating vehicles and such as "Speeders", Lionel's Inspection vehicles, or small locos such as the RMT Beep™."  

The description goes on to say it provides a serial output for Railsounds, so based on this, I assume you need both Minicommander 2 and Railsounds 4.0? . . . . 

Here's a clip of the original sound commander in a BEEP. It just demonstrates the diesel and horn, but it also has a bell, a beep, and an uncoupling sound. From the discussion in subsequent posts it looks like the original is not available any more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...youtube_gdata_player

It would appear that you don't know what the RailSounds Commander and the Mini Commander consist of.  There is no receiver capability in the RailSounds Commander, and both boards are MANDATORY for it to function with any of the TMCC products, be it the Mini Commander, AC or DC Commander, or the Cruise Commander.

I suggest you look again, because it seems you don't actually understand the options or requirements of the ERR products.  I've used both the RailSounds Commander and the Sound Commander with a number of their TMCC controllers, and I can assure you that you need both boards for the RailSounds Commander to function in any environment.  The second board replaces the Lionel RS Power Supply board, as well as providing a "mini" motherboard for the other board to connect.

What sound board was used?  The kit for the BEEP used to include the Sound Commander single board, but that is no longer offered by ERR.

You are correct, the BEEP configuration used to consist of the Sound Commander single board sound and the Mini Commander 2.  Now that the Sound Commander is no longer available, there is no ERR solution to the BEEP for sound unless you can cram the RS Commander two board set in there.  From my looking, I don't see that happening, but I haven't actually tried.

There is no "receiver" connected to the RailSounds Commander, I can't imagine where you get the idea.  The ERR RailSounds commander requires both boards.  Rather than complaining about my post count, maybe you should work at the content of yours, because you're still not understanding the situation it would appear.

It is still unclear to me what I buy.  I don't really want TMCC - I run only conventional -  but I do want to install diesel sounds and that nice horm sound in one or two of my stock and bashed BEEPS and maybe two or my BEEFS. 

Is Railsounds commander 4.0 sufficient alone, or do I by something else, too?  What exactly is the product or products names?

Thank you.

Lee,
Here's the number for ERR They're in California so if your on the east coast like me don't call before 11:00 AM LOL
Ken's a very nice guy and he'll tell you exactly what you need.

(408) 454-4127 or (408) 454-4128

David

Yep, you need the ERR RS Commander only for conventional.  The Mini Commander is only for the TMCC capability.

Gee, what I see on Page 29 is you installed the RS Commander P/S board, and I'm 100% certain you had to plug the audio board on the top of it to get sound, right?

I didn't actually realize that that two board package would fit into a BEEP, it sure doesn't look like it would fit with a speaker and the Mini Commander.

I think I'll wait until you fellas sort everything out before I order any sound system for my Beeps. 

In the meantime, please play nice! 

David, if you just pointed out where I was wrong, I'd gladly retract any statement.  I always maintained that the RailSounds Commander two board set was the only solution available from ERR, and believe me I've had more than one conversation with Ken about any other option.

I didn't think you could stuff the two board set into the BEEP, I'd like to see a picture of that with the MiniCommander installed.  I was thinking of getting one or two of them, but I was under the impression that the RS Commander would not fit.  I'd be glad to be proven wrong on that point.

If you want sound, you could just add the nice, little MRC Sounder.

The MRC sounder is a great idea, and they posted recently that they were available again.  Cheaper than the RailSounds Commander as well.