Atlas User Manual: Diesels
with QSI Sound
15/52
13 January 2015
Decoders (Quantum, Quantum Titan, or
Quantum Titan with ET)
volts) to operate the electronics. Also, their response to the throttle is much slower and more like that of a prototype
locomotive.
Turn the throttle up slowly until you hear the Quantum sound system™ start up. If the prototype locomotive was
equipped with air-starting, you will also hear air-start sounds at this time. The
Number Board Lights
and
Front
Headlight(s
)
8
will turn on. The
Front Headlight
will come on in the
Dim
state. If your locomotive has operating
Ditch
Lights
, the
Front Headlight
will be
Dim
and the
Ditch Lights
will be
Off
. If your locomotive has a
Mars Light
, the
Mars
Light
will be
Dim
and the
Front Headlight
will be
Off
. For further information, see Table 3 and Table 4 in Section 4.1.1
that describe
Front Headlight
and
Rear Headlight
operation. You will hear the
Prime Mover
in your locomotive start
up followed by the
Air Pumps
. If the prototype locomotive has
two
Prime Movers, you will hear both
Diesel Engines
start, one after the other.
Continue
9
to turn up the throttle voltage until the locomotive barely starts to move in
Forward
(this voltage is
called V-
Start
10
). The
Prime Mover(s
) sounds will rev up with labored sounds proportional to the locomotive’s acceleration and
loading (see
Sound of Power
™, Section 3.8), and the locomotive will slowly begin to move. The
Headlight
will switch
to
Bright
, and the optional
Mars Light
will begin to pulse. After 10 seconds in
Forward
, the
Cab Lights
(if installed in
your locomotive) will automatically shut off.
If you feel that you need to turn your throttle up quite high to start your diesel locomotive, you can adjust
V-Start
for
operation with your particular DC power pack. (See Example 2 on page 23
of this User’s’ Manual.) For a list of
recommended DC power packs, consult the
Quantum Analog Reference Manual
[2]
.
3.2 Doppler Effect
This sound effect changes the Horn pitch and Prime Mover sounds as a QSI-sound-equipped locomotive passes by
you. To trigger this effect:
•
While the locomotive is moving toward you, flip the direction switch to turn on the
Horn
.
•
Wait at least one second while the
Horn
is blowing.
•
Flip the direction switch back and forth quickly so the
Horn
does not shut off. You will hear the
Horn
and
other
Prime Mover
sounds shift in pitch as the locomotive passes by you.
•
Either flip the direction switch back to shut off the
Horn
, or continue with long or short
Horn
operations.
•
When you are finished blowing the Horn, the locomotive sounds will automatically return to normal after a
few seconds. If the
Bell
was
On
, it will shut
Off
just before the sounds return to normal.
Note
:
The faster the locomotive is moving, the greater will be the Doppler shift. However, there is no Doppler shift
below 15 smph.
8
Your Atlas sound-equipped locomotive may not have all lights described here, depending on the particular locomotive you have.
9
It is not necessary to wait for the engine start up sounds to finish before entering
Forward
. If you turn up the throttle, the
Startup
sounds
terminate, and the diesel locomotive will immediately go into normal
Forward
operation.
10
V-Start
is set by default at 8.5 volts. It is important to note where
V-Start
is located on your throttle to know where you will enter and leave
Neutral
(see
Operation in
Neutral
, Section 3.4).
Locomotive Inertia Effects
Your new locomotive is pre-programmed at the factory to use
Regulated Throttle Control (RTC)
in Analog
(conventional DC powered) operation.
RTC
makes your locomotive operate as though it has the mass and
inertia of a prototype locomotive. As a result, your locomotive will resist accelerating too quickly if at rest and
will resist changes in speed once moving. [See Section 3.6
, Standard Throttle Control™ (STC™) and
Regulated Throttle Control™ (RTC™).
] Although the
Diesel Engine
will rev up quickly when the throttle is
increased, it takes a little practice to learn to wait for the locomotive to respond. If you prefer that your
locomotive respond almost immediately to throttle movements on your DC power pack, it may be
reprogrammed to use
Standard Throttle Control (STC).
Example 1 on page 22
in this
User’s’ Manual
explains
how to program your locomotive to use
STC
on a DC layout.
As you slow the locomotive down by gradually reducing the throttle to a little below
V-start
, the volume of the
Diesel Engine(s)
rev and labored sounds decreases, while
Squealing Brake
sounds occur as the locomotive
comes to a slow stop.
