ZIMO MS450 Instruction Manual Download Page 47

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MS - SOUND decoders MS440 to MS990 and MN - NON-SOUND decoders MN170 to MN340 Page 47

Key arrangement on the ZIMO MX31:

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A more convenient procedure (w/o manual CV #300 programming) is available with MX31/MX32

A sound project is composed of…

... sound samples, schedules, and CV settings.

To produce the sound of a locomotive, the sound project contains the following components:

1) the

"main engine"

sound

: this is the central sound, such as the chuff or diesel engine sound, or the

cooling fan (which is the key sound in electric locomotive projects).

This "main engine" sound is the only sound component associated with a

schedule

, which defines

important properties, especially the transitions between different sound samples in various speed,
acceleration, and load situations.

This schedule can only be changed in the "ZIMO Sound Programmer" ZSP, not by CVs. However,

there are numerous possibilities for

fine-tuning

the main engine sound

through CVs

(e.g. relation

between chuff frequency and speed, lead-chuff accentuation, coasting/notching functions, etc.)

2) Other

scheduled sounds

(often inaccurately called background sounds): these are boiling, draining,

turbocharger or brake squealing sounds and many others; also, in the case of electric locomotives
the actual primary sounds of the thyristor unit and the electric motor.

"Scheduled" sounds - both the "main engine" and "other" - are characterized in that the decoder

plays them automatically, based on the driving situation, while the "function sounds" (see below) are
activated with the cab’s function keys.

These "other" sounds (i.e.

all except the "main engine” sound, see above) are NOT played according

to a schedule, i.e. they are

fully defined by CVs

and can be modified

directly by the relevant CVs

or CV #300 - procedures, even in operation (speed, load dependence, etc.). Only the underlying
original recordings, that is, the sound sample or a selection of samples, is stored in the sound project
(or in the sound collection).

3) The

function sounds

, which are played back by pressing the corresponding function keys includes

acoustic signals such as whistles, horns, bells but also other sounds like coal shoveling, coupler
clank, lowering of pantographs as well as station announcements.

The volumes of each sound and whether it is “looped” (for continuous playback as long as the func-

tion key is pressed) is

defined by CVs

but can also be

modified by these CVs

or with the CV #300

procedure. Here too, only the sound samples of the project or selections of several projects are
predefined.

4) and 5) the

switch input

and

random sounds

are normally sounds that can also be used as function

sounds but are triggered by switch inputs or random generators.

The occasionally used term "driving sound" refers to a subset of all the sounds, namely the "main en-
gine" sound and most of the "other" sounds; the "departure whistle" sound for example is not included
because it is not dependent on driving data.

The term "CV #300 - procedure" means the use of CV #300, which allows the

modification of the

currently loaded sound project

during normal operation, in relation to:

- the selection of sound samples within the various sound groups (i.e.

“short whistle”), if it is a “sound

collection” (which has several sound samples in some of its sound groups) or a “normal” sound project
with several sound samples in certain groups.

the

volume

and the sound

loop

behavior of individual sounds; for example, setting the whistle volume

different to the driving sound volume (i.e. chuff beats).

NOTE

: If setting the volume of individual sound classes is the main concern, it is more convenient to

use the direct CVs, see chapter "5.3 SOUND: Basic settings independent of powertrain"; in many appli-
cations the CV #300 procedure is therefore NOT needed.

Selecting a chuff set

(if several sets are present in a sound collection):

(only possible for steam projects, not for diesel or electrics)

The following procedures are always used in the same way despite the flexible decoder layout with
different sound sample compilations. It is also worth mentioning that the sound samples can be listened
to and evaluated under actual operating conditions (with the engine running), not just on the computer.

The

selection procedure

is started with a “Pseudo-Programming” in operations mode (“on-the-main”):

CV #300 = 100

The “Pseudo-Programming” (meaning that the entered value is not really stored in memory) has the
effect that the

function keys F0 to F8

no longer actuate function outputs but instead are now available

for

special tasks

within the sound selection procedure. The function keys should be set to momentary,

if possible, which would facilitate the procedure.

CV #300 procedures must be done in Operational

Mode (on the main), NOT in Service Mode!

The function key identifications (and the MX31/MX32 controller displays) shown are typical for a ZIMO
controller during the selection procedures (and for other sound adjustment procedures) but

is analog

to the function keys of third-party controllers,

although the keyboard layout may be different.

The function keys have the following special meaning during the selection procedure!

Planned for the display;

= play: plays back the current chuff sound for evaluation; only possible with the engine at a stand-

still; the chuff sounds are played back automatically when the engine is moving.

F1, F2

= prev, next: plays back the previous or next recording, which is stored in the sound decoder

= CLEAR + end: The

selection procedure

stopped

and the selection is cleared, that is,

no chuff sound will be played (but boiling and blow-off sound remains).

= STORE + end: The

selection procedure

ends

and the current chuff set

is replaced with the selected chuff set.

The

selection procedure

is also stopped when programming anything else (e.g.

CV #300 = 0,

or any

other value or any other CV) or by interrupting power. In these cases, the

current chuff set remains.

Such “forced endings” are also useful when the “old” sound should remain as the current sound without
first having to locate it again.

The selection procedure is supported with

sound signals:

The

“cuckoo jingle”

sounds when….

…. the last stored chuff sound is reached; use the key to scroll in the opposite direction (F1, F2) to
listen to the other stored chuff sounds,
. . . …. play-back attempted (with F0) but no sound sample is available,
…. a wrong key is pressed (F4, F5 etc.)

The

“confirmation jingle”

is played after ending the allocation procedure with F3 or F8.

The engines can be

operated normally

during the selection procedure: with speed regulator, direction

key and MAN key (the latter only with ZIMO cabs); functions cannot be actuated until the selection
procedure is terminated with F3, F8 or by other programming steps, see above.

SOUND SELECTION

Steam chuffs --- SAMPLE ---

((((( play ((((( prev ((((( next

CLEAR

((((( + end ((((( (((((

STORE

((((( ((((( ((((( +

end