PS2 Sound Files

What's the product number?

I guess I should have included that.

It's a RailKing 30-2659-1

Any file can be loaded into it so long as its the appropriate board set (3V or 5V). Use the product locator to find another SD-45 file and load that one into the engine.

Try loading this one: http://www.mthtrains.com/content/20-2915-1

Well, I'd sort of like the proper sound file, but if that one is not available, I guess I'll have no choice.  I can't imagine why that one is not available...

Call MTH on Monday.

That was my plan, I wonder why they post some files and not all of them?

I'm assuming my diagnosis is correct, I get the static bursts at the same place every time the engine sounds ramp up or down.  That seems to be too much of a coincidence to be anything else.

Is this the 5V system with the 8.4V battery?  If so check the 16ohm speaker for flaking around the magnet.  G

This is the 3V PS2 set.  Also, it's much too regular for a speaker issue, it happens exactly the same place in the audio ramp-up every time.

One thought to consider is that any SD45 soundset you load would test out your theory as to whether the sound file is the problem.  It wouldn't be difficult to replace it with the correct one, once you have it...FWIW.

Depending on how the coil is covered with the metalic flakes could effect the freq range, hence the common point.  I have seen the full range of impacts with the 16 ohm from no sound to various levels of distortion.

Charly's advice works, plus you can upload your sound file into your computer so that if it is not the sound file, you can put it back in.   G

I think I'll try Monday and see if MTH can cough up the real sound file for this locomotive.

The speaker looks fine, I think it's very unlikely to be the issue.

Your SD45 is a Railking model. Someone above advises you to try a the sound file from a Premier model. You might not want to do that. Remember, "sound" files actually are operating files that control things like speed. And Railking and Premier SD45s are two different animals with different gearing. The Premier model has 3/2 trucks with three powered axles on each. The Railkings have the older trucks with the unpowered axle with blind idler wheels. There is a good chance that if you use the Premier sound file (which is excellent, by the way), the speed and other features in your engine may be off. 

If you have no luck finding a Railking SD45 sound file, maybe try the sounds from a Railking FP45. If your engine is one of the former Premier models ("Railking Scale" -- there was yet another Railking SD45, which was undersized) the gearing should be the same as on the FP45 and the Prime mover sounds are correct for both models.

RM

I swap Railking & Premier sound files back and forth all the time.  I even use G Gauge PS2 sound files, particulary in steamers, to get the best sound.  Never had a control or speed issue so long as the drive wheel diameters are the same or close.  Obviously, if you swap a file intended for a passenger steamer into a 0-6-0 switcher you'll have speed & control issues.  Diesels have never presented a problem.

I think I'll change my speeds and download a different SD-45 sound set, just to make sure my analysis is correct.  Thanks everyone for prodding me in that direction, I'll see how that goes.

John, you might have a 1 meg board.  You have to download a 3V file from about the same time your engine came out.  I think you are around 2006 or later.  The processor boards with the 2 meg files have the word sharp printed on the bottom.  These started showing up around June of 2007.  I think you are correct on a bad sound file.  It is not common but it sounds like that it where you are at.  I have a known good CAT file from an SD-90 I will send you in your email.  Try that to confirm your thoughts on a bad file.

Hi all,

It is normal practice on the Railking engines to use the same sound file on all the engines in a production run regardless of road name.  They might have done something special for the "Cat" engines, but they might not.  It's not uncommon for MTH to only post the sound file on one engine (usually with the lowest product number) for that production run if the sound file is shared.  I suspect that all the Railking Scale production runs from '03v1 and '06v1 shared the same sound file.  Here is a link to that file:

r022pf3sd45___all040924afin.mth

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

JOHN... USE THE ABOVE FILE!!!

  The first Railking Scale SD45's were cataloged in 2003v1 but didn't ship until October '04.  There were a few changes made to the frame for PS2 and the shell was modified to add a smoke unit.  Changes like this usually slow down the delivery.  In this case, that resulted in the engines shipping with 3 volt boards instead of 5 volt.  As a result, you can use the above sound file in any 3 volt engine ever produced, including John's engine.

Marty brought up the issue of the 3v2x boards with 2 megs of memory rather than 1 meg.  Some sound files created for 3v2x engines were still less than 1 meg in size and could be loaded onto any 3 volt board.  Unfortunately, that's not the case with the more recent Premier SD45 sound files.  They are 1.2 megs and cannot be loaded onto John's engine.

Originally posted by:  Rich Montague

Remember, "sound" files actually are operating files that control things like speed. And Railking and Premier SD45s are two different animals with different gearing. The Premier model has 3/2 trucks with three powered axles on each. The Railkings have the older trucks with the unpowered axle with blind idler wheels. There is a good chance that if you use the Premier sound file (which is excellent, by the way), the speed and other features in your engine may be off.

All MTH diesels have the same wheel diameter (.890 in.), gear ratio (10.5:1), and number of stripes on their flywheel (48).  As dvbull observed, you can swap diesel files at will without altering the speed map.  The Proto 3/2 trucks have extra idler gears compared to the earlier trucks, but this has no effect of the final drive ratio.

I tried a reload of one that I found the MTH site, it's different, but still has the bursts of static.  I'll try this one and see if it reacts any differently.

Dave,

I tried to load that file, but the loader complained that it was a 5V file and refuses to load it.

OK.  Try this one.

Marty sent me an SD-90 file that I tested, that worked fine and has no issues.  I loaded up the r022pf3sd45___all040924afin from another SD-45, it also has the odd sounds.

I'm starting to think they intended these to be air release sounds, though it's certainly more than a little odd.

If I had another 3V diesel, I'd load one of these and test it, however the other two are both 5V units.