# LGB 65000 Chuff/Voltage



## nickpenn19 (Nov 2, 2009)

Hi all:
I run a small analog layout with a LGB Mogul and LGB small diesel. Last year, I added the LGB 65003 to a car behind the diesel for sound. It was very simple and worked great for my purposes. This year, I determined to add a third loco and the LGB 65000, also in a sound car. I added an LGB Forney and the 65000. My problem is that the voltage to run the locomotives does not appear to be high enough to get a chuff out of the 65000. Going around the layout, it only chuffs four or five times. The bell and whistle function without problem but I'm getting nothing for the chuff. Any thoughts?
Thanks for your help!
Nick


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

What is your power supply? I have seen cases where LGB sound units stop working properly when engines run due to being current starved.


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## nickpenn19 (Nov 2, 2009)

Thanks so much for your reply. I'm using an LGB 6005 5 amp supply. I took the other locos off of the line and ran the forney with the 65001 only. It was a bit better but not much. Should I get a larger power supply? If so, any suggestions?


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

THe forney with the 65000 should run fine from a 5 amp supply.
possibly a faulty supply or the motor in the engine is bad and drawing too much current.
Need an amp meter to verify what is occurring.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Dan, these are the stand alone, drop in systems that LGB made as add on's for mute engines. I have the same issue with the engine running fine, but only getting a few chuffs. Somewhere I read there is a CV in the sound unit(they have MTS built into them) that is adjustable to increase the chuff rate to be faster at lower voltages. But, can this be done by just isolating the motor and powering the sound system off a DCC system? The MTS board in the sound unit does not have a motor driver and nor does my 2015d. I suspect the OP's engines also lack full MTS, only having the drop in sound units. If this is the case, just hooking the sound unit to a DCC set up and playing with a CV value, then this is an easy fix. Mike


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

The only adjustment for DC users is a CV for start voltage of the chuff.
For the $$ these units are disappointing as a Phoenix for similar $$ will give you many more features and programmable sound selections plus input sensor control for speed. LGB only activated this input for steam versions.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I agree on being disappointing for what they cost. I got the unit with another engine and just want to adjust that setting so the chuffs start much sooner than they do now. For my one locomotive railroad, investing in DCC or a sound decoder that cost as much as the locomotive cost me doesn't make any sense for me. I had this unit on hand and like the OP, just want to increase the chuff rate. Mike


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

So, it sounds like $150 invested in a capable DCC system to program the CV's would be worth the money.

Greg


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

NO, its still not a good investment for a single engine that needs programmed Greg. Remember, not all of us have even that kind of spare income. I scrape together barely enough to have large scale at all. Its called, take the engine to a friends and program it there! Would have been nice for LGB to have provided an adjustable pot on the unit for what they charged for them. I guess the Germans assumed that everybody would have MTS/DCC. This is not the case. Mike


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I'm a little confused, you talk about how expensive the units are, so $150 for a DCC system that can program ANY decoder seems to make good long term sense.

Unless you got an expensive unit for cheap. Then it is no longer an expensive unit and I understand how $150 would be a lot.

But then I question the sort of complaining about how expensive they are.

I hope you can see my confusion... a one time investment to program any DCC decoder for a number of expensive decoders not a good idea?

Greg


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

To program decoders you do not need a DCC system.
I purchased for $25.00 the LGB 55045 programmer and it will do CV's 0-255 with a graphic interface that is really quite simple to understand. You can still find these for good prices (much less than $100). It does require a windows based PC, and in this day and age most people have more than one of these.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Thanks Dan, I will watch for one of those. I have several friends with DCC, I can just take the tender and jumper wire to the board(with the motor isolated) and program it. I got the unit dirt cheap at a show, owner upgraded to a lok sound system. I just wanted basic sound with a Euro whistle triggered off a magnet. I have it all set up, just need to increase the chuff rate to more closely match the train speed. Its way off right now. I will watch for that programmer that Dan posted. Mike


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