Brake Squeal on PS-2

You can try slowing the engine's deceleration and see if that makes a difference.

Try setting the DEC rate to about 2 or 3.

Barry,  I tried setting the DEC rate to every setting between 1 and 10 and only once got a slight brake sound.  Anything higher just seems absurd.  Works fair in conventional mode, though you do have to make a rather sharp throttle drop to set it off.  In Command mode it's basically unless I can figure out a trigger mechanism.  Rather disappointed at the moment.

That's really odd. Every DCS engine I own, 95 at present, does a very nice rendition of squealing brakes under DCS.

Have you tried a Factory Reset? If that doesn't work, call MTH and ask if there's a newer sound file available.

I'll try the Factory Reset.  For clarification, how do you trigger the brake sounds?  I have been pushing and holding the BRAKE side of the BOOST / BRAKE switch.  I have the BOOST / BRAKE set to "hold" setting (not "resume").  I wonder if that could effect the operation of the sound?  I'll experiment with that tonight.

You should set the feature to "AUTO" and it will do it every time you slow down or change direction while moving at a decent speed.

Press: Menu/Sound/Brakes and press the "AUTO" soft key.

i agree what Barry said all my DCS engines brakes sounds work perfectly,you  just have to decelerate from a high voltage to under 10 volts and it should squeal. it might actually have to be under 9 volts , i played around a lot with these engines when i first got into DCS, PS 2 and protosound both worked the same way, maybe your not lowering the voltage quick enough, the voltage change has to come quickly otherwise the squeal effect does not activate.good luck, and try again

Alan

Im sorry, I don't understand?  In DCS mode the track voltage is always 18v, right?  Could someone tell me how to really actuate the brake sound in DCS mode?  I thought you did it my holding down the BRAKE rocker?  I have the Sound/Brakes set to AUTO.

I can get the brakes to work in conventional mode just as you described.

Eventually I will charge up another PS-2 engine and try it.

Gene

Gene,

 Could someone tell me how to really actuate the brake sound in DCS mode? 

To repeat my post 3 above yours...

You should set the feature to "AUTO" and it will do it every time you slow down or change direction while moving at a decent speed.

 

Press: Menu/Sound/Brakes and press the "AUTO" soft key.

try this then under dcs control, have your train running around 25 to 30 smph, then when it has been running a few minutes hit the red direction but and as the engine stop quickly you'll hear the brakes squeal, i just did it on my steam engine ok

Alan

I thought the BRAKE/BOOST rocker simply slows down or speeds up the engine...it does not directly activate the brake squeal sound.  

The brake squeal sound is triggered when the engine is commanded to a speed much less than the current speed.  As suggested, try going from some reasonable speed to 0 via the Direction button.  That's the easiest way I know to command a "much less" speed.

I find 10 mph is the cut-off for brake squeal on my PS-2 engines. If I hold the red direction button down I get some flywheel coast and I get a good brake squeal and stop before releasing the direction button again. At 9 scale mph and below there is no squeal. My DEC rate is set for 2.

          Vern

Stan,

I thought the BRAKE/BOOST rocker simply slows down or speeds up the engine...it does not directly activate the brake squeal sound.  

That's correct.

The brake squeal sound is triggered when the engine is commanded to a speed much less than the current speed.  As suggested, try going from some reasonable speed to 0 via the Direction button.  That's the easiest way I know to command a "much less" speed.

Again, correct. However, Squealing Brakes must be set to AUTO in the Sound Menu.

It's not that the BRAKE/BOOST activates the brakes , it's the fact you raise the engine speed quickly and when you release the boost key on the remote the engine slow down quickly and automatically from the DCS system OK.it's the sudden slowing speed that triggers the brake squeal.!

Alan

P.S. works first time every time

noswad,

   As Barry advises, just set the Brakes to Auto, the Train Brakes are one of my favorite activation sound on my 263E, way realistic sound effects for sure, and the auto setting works them perfectly all the time.

PCRR/Dave

Many thanks to all who have taken the time and interest to reply. 

It is clear now to me that what triggers the brake sound in DCS mode (Brake set to AUTO)  is a significant change in the engine speed.  This can be accomplished by thumb wheel, boost/brake, or DIR button.  As previously mentioned the brake sounds work well in conventional mode and the brake sound will start early and last a significant time.  I have experimented a great deal and the only way I can get DCS to play brake sounds consistently is to use the DIR button and then I only get about 0.5 seconds of brake sound at the very end of a drastic stop.  Occasionally I can get the same short brake sound with the boost/brake switch if the DEC value is over 10.  Both of these methods produce only a tiny squeak at the end of the stop and require a stop so fast as to be ridiculous.

Yesterday I got out my Premier BNSF 4400 with Protosound 2.0 and it gives exactly the same behavior.  So I don't think this is an isolated engine problem.  I'm totally stumped and frankly don't have much more time i can afford to devote to the issue.  Sadly, I remain pretty unimpressed with my PS-2 operation. At some point I may engage with Mth directly but don't have time to continue much longer.

Again, many thanks for all the inputs.

Gene

I have all DEC rates set at 1 and get long stopping distance with brakes on all the way. I don't know what holding the DIR button does; never used it that way.

John H,how are you commanding the speed reduction to trigger the brake function?

For anyone who cares, I finally have an acceptable solution.  I have only found two ways to command enough speed reduction fast enough to trigger the brake sounds reliably. 

1.  Hit the DIR button

2.  Double hit the Brake rocker switch.  (Quick Set speed to 0 may also work?)

I have my ACC and DEC rates both set to 1.  The above two methods work reliably with this DEC setting.  However, the train deceleration is a little faster than I would like when activated in this manner, but I can live with it.

Also, as an aside from this experimentation, I have found that with the ACC and DEC both set to 1 the train will accelerate twice as fast using the Quick Set feature as it does with the BOOST rocker or the Thumb wheel.   On the flip side, when slowing the DIR button or double hit on BRAKE rocker will stop the train about twice as fast and pressing and holding the BRAKE rocker.

One reason I was having such a hard time was that I was not aware that the DIR button should be used to slow the train, and I also didn't know about the double hit on the BRAKE rocker.  I discovered this quite by accident.

Again, thanks to all.  I'm signing off of this one.  Hope this can help someone else avoid my frustration.

Thanks for the tip on double hit on brake.

Clem

I have 3 MTH diesels (1 ProtoSound 2 and 2 ProtoSound 3s) and I activate the squealing brakes by tapping the rocker switch down and then quickly tapping and holding it down.

I've noticed that the squealing brakes do not work below 10 scale miles per hour.

I always stop the trains with the direction button.