# Phoenix P5 Sound behaviour



## kumpelmagnet (Sep 12, 2009)

Hi,

i have a P5 Sound board installed to a USA trains SD70 with a Digitrax DG583S with speed compensation set off. What me wonders is that the sound changes when the trains runs up or down a hill.
When the train runs up the hill its becomes slower and the sound changes to a slower RPM sound and down the hill when the trains runs faster the sound accelerates again. But i do not change the speed value on the dcc controller. I thought the sound controlled by the speed value of the dcc controller not by the actual speed of the train. So how does the sound board detect that the train is run up or down a hill ?


Thanks


Cheers

Anton


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

it shouldn't be able to tell UNLESS you perhaps have too much resistance in your track wiring causing the DCC voltage to rise and fall. I haven't observed this but maybe the P5 is sensitive to track voltage as well?


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## SlateCreek (Jan 2, 2008)

Not sure about the DCC factor, but Soundtraxx Sierra and Phoenix both do this on DC, if you catch it just right. The loading on the engine draws the voltage down as the unit draws more current, and if you're right on the fence between two notches it's sometimes enough to make it transition back and forth. With Sierra, if you're fortunate enough to catch it between 3 and 4, it'll go through the whole transition every time it hits the hill..... 

Again, that's on DC. I'm not sure what DCC would do for it .... though I think even in DCC mode it uses relative motor voltage to get "speed" for the prime mover, doesn't it? 

Matthew (OV)


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

The P5 is supposed to read the speed commanded in the DCC packets addressed to it and respond to that speed. If the motor decoder is not connected, it will respond anyway.


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

I put my Doodlebug on the test track on rollers. I can switch the test track between two boosters, one running 18 volts and the other 22 volts. Other than the motor speeding up and the headlight getting brighter at 22 volts, I could not detect a change in the "pitch" of the P5 sound at several test speed ranging between 25% and 99% of full throttle. 

In this case, it appears to be doing what it is supposed to do. 

Do you have the analog board with your P5? I do not.


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## kumpelmagnet (Sep 12, 2009)

Hi,
hm the P5 shoud read the Speed from the DCC Signal because its programed with the same address as the decoder for the motor, not from the track voltage and i do not change the speed on the dcc controller. The P5 board runs on DCC only. Is there Any setting so the P5 can be programmed to respond to voltage changes ?


Cheers 

Anton


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## artgibson (Jan 2, 2008)

im new to the Digitrax system and am having a similiar problem with a P-5 board. The board recognizesall the functions of the sounds but does not respond to the throttle increasing, It stays in idle constanly. 
Can anyone give me advice as what to do. Do I need to reprorgam throttlllle somehow.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.


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## Jim Agnew (Jan 2, 2008)

Gibs035, did you connect the P5 to the track inputs (same connections as the motor decoder)?


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

You might also have the P5 set to a different address than the DCC motor decoder. 

The P5 has good sound quality, but I am getting annoyed with it's behavior. 

The grade crossing signal at 70% throttle is annoying me. I might be able to turn it off with the programmer. I haven't tried. 

The thing keeps wanting to set it's volume to zero making it sound like it's died.


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## artgibson (Jan 2, 2008)

/
Yes I have the P-5 connected at the track connectors on either end of the 583. As i mentioned above all of the functions respond on the throttle except the sound stays in idle and does not rev up when power is applied.
I guess ill have to learn how to program the decoder. I called the Phoenis people and we went thru the routine of going thru the program of Phoenix but to no avail. Cannot check sound board with any other source other than Dcc. Guess I will go back to the 2k2 boards. Any other suggestions Pleas. Thanks Art Gibson


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