Installed Blunami Today

Since I started this post. I have been busy and really didn't have time for the layout. Recently I have been playing around with my Blunami locomotive. I found a setting for speaker size. The default was micro. I used a 2 inch speaker and since changing the settings to 2-4 inch speaker. Wow what different in sound. Fuller, richer and deeper. The non turbo 645 is outstanding.

These boards are pretty amazing.

@toddstrick posted:

Since I started this post. I have been busy and really didn't have time for the layout. Recently I have been playing around with my Blunami locomotive. I found a setting for speaker size. The default was micro. I used a 2 inch speaker and since changing the settings to 2-4 inch speaker. Wow what different in sound. Fuller, richer and deeper. The non turbo 645 is outstanding.

These boards are pretty amazing.

I tried to find where you can select speaker size but no luck. I looked at all the sound settings and all the CVs. Appreciate a pointer to where you found this.

Pete

It’s in the EQ section:

Thank you Norm! 👍

I see why I missed it. The default on mine was “Flat” no equilizer rather than micro speaker.

Pete

Wonderful help Norm, thank you.

I'm considering a Blunami install and have not seen one question I have answered yet, at least on this forum....

Can you doublehead/lash-up two engines if they both have Blunami installed?

@Prr7688 posted:

I'm considering a Blunami install and have not seen one question I have answered yet, at least on this forum....

Can you doublehead/lash-up two engines if they both have Blunami installed?

Yes. Its all in the manual.

Pete

@Prr7688 posted:

I'm considering a Blunami install and have not seen one question I have answered yet, at least on this forum....

Can you doublehead/lash-up two engines if they both have Blunami installed?

They call it consisting.  It works well whether all engines together or spread out in a DPU.  There is also a lot of customization which can be done with lights and sounds on front, middle and rear units.  And there is also a button to hit to instantly swap the lead and rear engines.  Great if you are doing run arounds.

Another few blunami questions - I think I know the answers but just checking before committing to an upgrade:

Does it have speed control built in? (I.e. a parallel to Lionel's Odyssey speed control)

For install in a brass engine - will the shell interfere with the signal?

@Prr7688 posted:

Another few blunami questions - I think I know the answers but just checking before committing to an upgrade:

Does it have speed control built in? (I.e. a parallel to Lionel's Odyssey speed control)

For install in a brass engine - will the shell interfere with the signal?

It claims to have back emf speed control similar to ERR and behaves as if it does. Metal will reduce the range you can control it from. I only got 10 feet inside a diecast engine shell but over 35 feet under a plastic coal load. Same engine, same board.

Pete

Blunami most certainly has speed control and it is much, much better than anything offered in the 3 rail systems, OEM or aftermarket. It is very easy to adjust and tune although I was surprised how well it worked before I really did anything to it. There are quite a few examples I filmed in my H10 thread if you’re curious. It would be real easy to share screenshots of the speed settings I used. (It would be nice to see others do this too in the near future.)

As for range, my range is similar to what I get with factory and upgraded TMCC and Legacy engines. It’s also comparable to Lionel Bluetooth response. Lionel doesn’t do anything special in regards to mounting their Bluetooth hardware btw.

It would be great to see Blunami become compatible with our Legacy remote signals, as well as with systems running MTH electronics. While controlling trains with a phone or iPad Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is undeniably cool,  there's something about having a remote in hand that makes the experience easier.

@The Wolf Of Trains posted:

It would be great to see Blunami become compatible with our Legacy remote signals, as well as with systems running MTH electronics. While controlling trains with a phone or iPad Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is undeniably cool,  there's something about having a remote in hand that makes the experience easier.

Hoping that Blunami, becomes compatible with proprietary systems is not going to happen.  Lionel and MTH need to think how they can make their trains compatible with the DCC standardization that is common with every other scale of model railroading.  MTH became close with their DCS/DCC switch.

@The Wolf Of Trains posted:

It would be great to see Blunami become compatible with our Legacy remote signals, as well as with systems running MTH electronics. While controlling trains with a phone or iPad Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is undeniably cool,  there's something about having a remote in hand that makes the experience easier.

You can run Blunami with a DCC handheld if the DCC signal is on the rails but then that kills the TMCC and DCS signals. Using Bluetooth allows for the compatibility. So current choice is handheld, DCC only or Bluetooth and run all your trains on the same track.

Pete

@The Wolf Of Trains posted:

It would be great to see Blunami become compatible with our Legacy remote signals, as well as with systems running MTH electronics. While controlling trains with a phone or iPad Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is undeniably cool,  there's something about having a remote in hand that makes the experience easier.

I have to agree that this will never happen. Soundtrax has built the Bluenami to work with the standard that all the other scales use as published by the NMRA. The MTH PS/3 electronics are at least compatible with the standard when placed in DCC mode, although not 100% compliant with said standard. It is close enough that Atlas has apparently decided to use PS/3 in all of their locomotives going forward, both 3 and 2 rail. This means they are only buying one system that can run on any layout be it 2 or 3 rail, DCS or DCC. Saves them money and helps keep cost down. At least with the Bluenami you can upgrade an engine to bluetooth and with the addition of a simple circuit run it on any A/C powered system along with the proprietary systems from MTH and Lionel. MTH is already DCC compatible, it would be nice if Lionel Legacy would be too, then we really could use one remote to run them all!