# QSI volume control?



## kcndrr (Jan 7, 2008)

Another question for the QSI. 
How do I change volume on the system?
I have the reed switch but can’t seem to change volume output.
The system is run off battery power, QSI and GWire with airwire 9000.
The manuals are pretty vauge


KC


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

KC, 

The manual you should be using is (no offense) anything but vague. Big, heavy, verbose would be the adjectives I would use.

I suspect you are not using the right manual. 

Is your manual about 267 pages long?









Regards, Greg


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

You can use the reed switch--just move a magnet back and forth near it



The documentation is terrible. QSI sends you a bunch of stuff that sort of seems to apply but sort of seems to be written for HO scale. The website has a bunch of links to what seem to all be the same thing. Greg knows which one is the "real" manual. It's something like 800 pages long. 

I found out how to set the volume using the airwire in a document called "Steam Q1a operation manual rev 4.1." It came wth a QSI card. Here's what ist says


Hold on, I'm just going to scan it and upload the picture. While that's going on I can say tat it's been a little balky., Sometimes I have to do the procedure a couple times to get it where I want it. 


You can use the "set mute volume" feature to give you to volumes--the main volume and another volume when yuou press the "8" key, which mutes the sound. So on some locos I have the mutes set to play the sounds really low, and on others I have it set to cut off completely


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Ok here's the scan












But you don't know how to do any of that rght? No, niether did i! That's because you now need to got to the Airwire manual. The Airiwre manual--I'll scan th relvant page of that in a second


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

It's on page 25--this is where they tell you how to program the decoder, how to set CV values, which is where it gets interesting










So I needed to ave both these things in front of me--the airwire manual tells me what keys to push, and the QSI manual tells me what buttons to enter. It actually looks harder than it is--it

s pretty sttraightforward once you done it a couple times


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yep, exactly, you need to know how to "send" the commands as well as know what the commands are. 

In any DCC system, there are always these 2 things you need to know how to do. The decoder manufacturer (QSI) cannot possibly list the programming steps for CV's for every DCC system manufacturer. 

Likewise, AirWire cannot list the CV's for every decoder you could use. 

If you have a DCC system (which you have) I would recommend setting things with DCC commands, not the magnet. 

Your QSI will also verbally acknowledge when you set CV49 to 0 and whatever you set CV 51.0 to. 

You do need to get the "real" manual for the QSI, download from the QSI site. 

Regards, Greg


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Greg:


which is the real manual again?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Here's a page that has some of the separate topics: *http://www.qsisolutions.com/products/techinfo/index.html
*


(the manual is actually on this page) 


And the manual you want is for the HO decoders too: *http://www.qsisolutions.com/pdf/quantumdccrefmanual_4_4_0.pdf*

The description is for HO on that first page, but it's for all the Q2 decoders.

It's huge, but there is a wealth of information in it, tuning motor performance, setting the BEMF chuff, etc.


Regards, Greg


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## kcndrr (Jan 7, 2008)

I received about 5 manuals for the system, and all the QSI manuals refer to steam.
My system is diesel. I tired the reed switch with magnet but could not ascertain any volume change.
Thanks to Lownote for sending me in the right directions and showing the way to do it.
Sorry Greg, I am not a tech geek for electronics, am learning as I go, I understand it must be difficult with your knowledge to speak to a lower level persons than yourself;
My system originally came with no flat wire between GWire and QSI card, and then came with no speaker wire, just chuff wire for steam but I am running diesel.
Had to figure that out and still waiting for correct wiring harness.
As you see not to confident with system as if all parts came the first time, just spending time to go over all manuals trying to find answers has gotten me this far, and Lownote has gotten me the farther with no attitude toward my dumb questions.

Thanks

KC


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

KC, I'm in California, give me a call sometime (email me at [email protected]) and in 15 minutes I think I could save you a lot of grief. I really have to get QSI to tell people where to look for the manual, no insult intended, I was letting some of my emotion show.... argh!!.. 

Unfortunately, many dealers who SHOULD know this stuff, don't... and they give you a diesel board but a steam "manual" and vice versa. 

I apologize again, you don't deserve attitude after all the hassles you have gone through! 

I have not had a lot of fun using the reedswitch myself. 

email me your phone number and it will be on my dime, how's that? 

Regards, Greg


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

George Schreyer has a nice overview of the QSI card on his website:

http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips10/qsi_tips.html


Unlike me, Greg actually understands this stuff. I'm just blundering along. Today I went downstairs to play around with it a bit, and BAM, I entered some values that made the sound quit altogether. I had to call QSI, and they told me to reset the card--hold a magnet to the reed switch, then turn on the power. It worked. But there's still a bunch of stuff I don't get. I wish I had a weekend to devote to really studying the thing


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I have some more stuff on the QSI on my site, but more of it is specific to tuning for a particular loco. I've been working with this so long it's in my brain. I'm sort of in the beta program. 

One thing to check is the firmware version, most of the very early ones have been updated, but if yours announces the firmware version when it starts, get it updated. 

Regards, Greg


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## kcndrr (Jan 7, 2008)

OK, another question, 
can the QSI card power more than one speaker?

KC


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

kc go to my webpage and link on the you tube videos there you will see an Aristo Mallet as the lead off photo. It has G-wire and qsi sound in it, it also has a 4 speaker custom sound system, that was suggested to me by greg e. on his website. Its from 1to1 scale sound. google his page or go to gregs website there is also a link in there otherwise email me at [email protected] and i will send you the link that sound system has 4 speakers in it and is awesome! Go take a look those speakers are $28 delivered and to me are well worth the money, if you can work them into your engine, and I believe you can. The Regal 

whoops webpage is http://blueregal.angelfire.com/


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I'm reading between the lines here, you want more volume. 

The first place is obviously the volume, but I'm guessing that's your original real question. 

Default is all the way up for 51.0.... 

If I am guessing right, you really want more volume, not 2 speakers. 

The key here is the sound file. Many sound files are not set to max volume for all the "components" of the sound. Now, I'm not talking the individual CV's, but when the sound file is programmed into the decoder. Some diesels are much "quieter" than others. 

The best way to do this is get the programmer and do it. 

If you don't have the programmer, then you can download the software free and run it on your pc. Now download the sound file (also free) that you have already in your decoder into the software. 

Check the volume settings here. 9 times out of 10 you can kick them way up, and then you are good to go (reprogram your decoder with the higher levels). 

You should REALLY give me a call. I've addressed this problem before. 

Now to answer your original question, yes, you can add a second speaker, but you cannot go under 8 ohms, so the 2 speakers need to have an aggregate impedence of 8 ohms, so you need to understand series/parallel connections, 2 eight ohm speakers in parallel is 4 ohms, no good. 2 eight ohm speakers in series is 16 ohms. ok for the QSI, but will be less volume. 

Bottom line, (as this topic is much more complex) even 2 speakers connected/arranged to get 8 ohms will still probably not increase your volume. 

Regards, Greg


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## kcndrr (Jan 7, 2008)

Don’t want more volume; have set the system up to run two NW-2's cow and calf unit.
Cow unit has QSI and GWire, calf unit will run motors off cow GWire and QSI card motor feed.
Want to put speakers in cow/calf unit also to get each unit with sound.
Don’t want more volume, want it to be a little quieter but have both units with sound running off QSI card.

What I have done for RC control is put batteries in trail car, run power feed thru calf unit into cow unit, can run individual or tandem.
Power feeds cow unit, and then output of QSI motor control back to calf unit with separate wires to control calf unit motors. (motors (4))
i have also put speakers in each unit and can share speaker feeds between each unit.

Each speaker is 8 ohms, how would i wire them so the would both work at same time and when the cow is disconnected from calf unit the cow will still have sound?

KC


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

KC, try two 16 ohm speakers in parallel. That will be 8 ohms to the QSU 

Then when you disconnect, you will have a bit less total volume, but still protect the QSI by having at least 8 ohms (actually 16 in this case). 

More ohms means slightly less power output by the speaker. 

Under the minimum ohms, normally destroys the audio amplifier. 

If you have trouble getting 16 ohm speakers, contact me, I'll either help you find them, or come up with an alternative, although it might be even MORE speakers! 

There may be a fundamental flaw in your idea though. 

You will not be able to run both locos from the QSI, it does not have the current handling capability. 

I might have an idea if you only ran at very low speeds and light loads, but I'm not thinking this is a good idea. 

The QSI is rated at 3 amps. You will be running 4 motors from it with your idea. Definitely not recommended. 

You can try it, but be careful. 

Regards, Greg


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## kcndrr (Jan 7, 2008)

Again running with battery power, no command track or computer program. 

Reed switch and magnet for sound control does nothing. 
The magnet will work with other systems accessing code, but not the OSI system. 

Using the airwire to change CV does nothing, goes through steps but when I hit the # key to transmit to board, the sound goes dead and no voice or reply for conformation, only way to reactive is to unplug power to board and repower, seems to go back to default. 
Tired with sound and mute control, same results, dead sound, unplug power and reapply, goes back to default. 
Wife is getting perturbed because of the loudness and me continually trying to change CV values. 

Would call you Greg, but at work from 5 am â€" 7pm and donâ€™t have loco there, 
Would need to contact you after that time if OK 

KC


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

OK after 7pm.... I will talk to my friend who used QSI and AirWire tonight... sounds like programming sequence from AirWire is messed up somehow, and is muting the QSI, but that is weird. 

The QSI should "speak" every time you program a CV, but maybe you are not even the first CV programmed. 

When you try programming with magnet, do you get verbal prompts/info at all? 

Regards, Greg


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## kcndrr (Jan 7, 2008)

no responce at all from magnet. none from the cv value change attempt
KC


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Ouch... a wild idea, do you want to send your QSI module to me to check it out for you? a couple bucks shipping is all it will cost... 

I can also update the firmware for you if you want. 

Just a thought... 

Greg


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## kcndrr (Jan 7, 2008)

OK, I downloaded and printed out the manual. 
I have read the volume control part and think I have found my issue. 
I am not programming on a control track, I am programming on the so-called main, 
running battery power from trialcar. 
So that means I do not push the SPR key to program, I push the OPR key. 
I have done that and now it is reacting correct. 
Gives me verbal conformation and the sound change is noticed right away, 
I will continue with this to change the defaults on other items. 

Thanks Greg for providing the manual link, it has help much. 

Thanks much Greg 

KC


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