GE Evolution - New Sound File Posted

Hi Barry,

Do you think the next batch of these locomotives will come with the new sound file?

Hi, Barry.

 

After you update your GE Evo with the new sound file, please let us know what you think in terms of quality of sound, how much louder it is compared to the original sound file etc.

 

Thanks.

 

Erol

Do you think the next batch of these locomotives will come with the new sound file?

Yes, I expect that they will.

Erol,

After you update your GE Evo with the new sound file, please let us know what you think in terms of quality of sound, how much louder it is compared to the original sound file etc.

Yes, I plan to do the load tomorrow and will post my results.

Please read my updated initial post before attempting the upgrade of any PS3 engine's sound file.

I just finished replacing the sound file in my GE Evolution. My setup was as follows:

• Rev. I3 TIU powered by a Radio Shack power supply. This is my test bench TIU.
• Postwar KW transformer set to approx. 18 volts into TIU Fixed Channel #1. Although MTH recommends using DC voltage for the engine's track power, I used the KW since I didn't have a readily available source of filtered DC power.
• Transfer time using a mid-level Windows laptop with Windows 7 one Premium Edition was just about 21 minutes for the 4 meg sound file. There were absolutely no "glitches" or retries during the transfer. It was absolutely flawless using the KW for AC power.

After loading the new file, the following sound volume improvements were noted:

• Engine sounds were quite a bit louder, on the order of 30-40%.
• Accent sounds (PFA , couplers firing, idle sounds, etc.) were also quite a bit louder.
• Bell and horn were only a little bit louder, with not as much volume improvement as engine or accent sounds..
• All other functions continued to work fine.

The bottom line is that while the new sound file is definitely an improvement, it's not going to rock your world. Part of the limitation may be due to the 40 mm speaker rather than the 50 mm speaker used in other engines. I hadn't realized it previously, however, the space available for the speaker in the fuel tank is actually smaller than the space in, for example, an SD70Ace's fuel tank.

 

The upgrade is most certainly an improvement and I recommend it for those who are looking for increased volume in the Evo's sounds.

What is the recommended DC voltage and current required.

Where is the MTH post about this ?

 

 

What is the recommended DC voltage and current required.

There was no such recommendation.

Where is the MTH post about this ?

There was no "post" from MTH. It was included in an ASC tech note.

 

Are you at all familiar with the process of transferring DCS sound files?

WOW... what I terrific feature to even be able to address this issue so quickly via what is essentially a "firmware patch" to the locomotive.  Folks who purchased Lionel's latest Blue Comet loco would LOVE to have a similar capability (which they obviously don't.)  Just sayin... 

 

It's not my intent to start any flaming here.  I'm simply observing how both companies have handled related issues in two very different ways.

 

I commend MTH for addressing this issue so quickly.

 

David

That sound file has been available for a month now. It improves the volume somewhat, but it changes the horn to a higher pitched one, with still not enough volume to my taste. Still not totally satisfied with the soundset.

I also own a GE Evolution in which I will update the sound file.

 

How can we distinguish the old sound file from the new? The one I currently have is the  p121_f__es44ac_ge_120525gf4x.mth. Is this the old or the new one?

 

How can we be made aware of these sound file updates on other PS 3 engines?

 

This last question will also be forwarded to MTH.

 

I am very handy with sound file tranfers.

 

Thank you Barry.

JP,

 

I don't know what the number was on the original file, however, that number is the same as the file I downloaded a few minutes ago.

 

It's dated 5/25/12 and I've attached it to this post. Click on the link to download the file.

Thank you very much Barry.

 

Please see the email I sent to MTH on that matter.  I copied you.

Up dated my sound file. Took 31 minutes but at section 48 it had to retry to upload at a slower speed. It retried 3 times each time slower. The file loaded and sounds are much improved.

Barry,

 

I have had many issues in the past loading sound files into upgraded ps2 engines where it takes manyattempts.  Can I use DC voltage on PS2 upgrades and will it help?  If so, what voltage?

 

Thanks

 

Mike

Mike,

 

MTH actually recommends using DC to perform sound file transfers rather than AC. However, I've never used DC and never had much in the way of retries using AC. Regardless, I've never had a transfer fail unless eh DCS signal strength was lower than 8. Sound file transfers need very good DCS signal strength.

 

Every so often I've encountered a "stubborn" transfer that required quite a few retries. This was the case not long ago when updating the sound file in a friend's PS2 (3 volt board) steamer. On the other hand, I recently updated my PS3 GE Evo with a 4 meg file and the transfer went perfectly.

 

All of my sound file transfers are done on a test track using a Rev. I TIU and a PW KW transformer with separate power for the TIU via its Aux. Power port.

 

If you have a 16-18 volt DC power pack available, you could try using that with fixed channel #1.

Barry,

 

Would you pleae respond to my post regarding MTH Mohawk L3a sound file.

Would you pleae respond to my post regarding MTH Mohawk L3a sound file.

I just did.

Hi Barry,

 

I've just completed the sound file update as you mentioned engine and accent sounds are much louder, while the bell is slightly louder.  The horn for me, is now lower and muffled/distorted.  I read your initial post and have all the latest requirements.

 

Any ideas what I may have done wrong?

 

Thanks,

 

BC

Thanks for the response Barry. Do you know if only the volume of the horn changed or did how the horn sounds change too? Thanks again, BC

BC,

 

I believe that only the volume settings were changed.

 

Also, I've learned that MTH has a replacement speaker available that also increases the sound levels.

Further, note that you must use Loader Program 2.10 or later to avoid possible corruption of a PS3 engine's sound file, and you also must be using DCS 4.20 or the update will not be attempted at all.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong but if the file gets corrupted it has to go back to MTH, it's not something we can fix at home????? 

Gregg,

Please correct me if I'm wrong but if the file gets corrupted it has to go back to MTH, it's not something we can fix at home????? 

Unless something has changed of which I'm not aware, that's the way it works.