# ESU Loksound V 3.2 and V3.5 ...'keep alive'?



## beavercreek (Dec 12, 2008)

I have a few of the newer Loksound XL V4.0 decoders which have 'keep alive' built in but I also have quite a few of the older V3.2 and V3.5 XL which do not.
Is there a way of rigging a keep alive' module up and then attaching it to the V3.2/3.5 decoder?
Has anyone actually done this?

This would eradicate the sound drops and any motion problems due to any small track problems.

Please don't tell me to fix my track ;-)


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## Cougar Rock Rail (Jan 2, 2008)

Massoth make two versions (maxi for 2 motors, micro for 1 motor) which provide up to 30 seconds of buffering, and they are designed for any decoder as far as I know.
You can read the manual online from their download center to see how it gets hooked up.

Keith


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## beavercreek (Dec 12, 2008)

Hi Keith
Unfortunately, while Massoth equipped their decoders with the obvious connection points for the '+', '-' and charge. They also explain them in the manual.
ESU does no such thing! While easy to find the '+' and maybe the '-' there is no obvious connection to offer the 'charge'


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

Have you looked at the Shourt Line keep-alive modules? According to the site (http://shourtline.swl4.com), you just connect them to the decoder input and they do the rest...

I don't actually know how well they work, but I have one on order to test on my Eggliners, because they keep stopping on the unpowered frogs of my Piko switches...


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

No it is not connected to the decoder input, I think you have confused + and - (as the page you linked to states) with the track inputs to a decoder, which have NO plus and minus. (yes they are black and red wires, by convention)

Basically the capacitor (and often a diode and inrush resistor) connects to the plus and minus "voltage" which is right after the full wave bridge on the input. This is raw rectified track power.

Find this location and add the unit. If you cannot find an illustration of the location, or if you are not experienced with figuring out circuit boards, have someone else do it.

Greg


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## krs (Feb 29, 2008)

This might help:
http://www.sbs4dcc.com/tutorialstipstricks/esuloksound52400v35keepalive.html

Knut


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

Greg Elmassian said:


> No it is not connected to the decoder input, I think you have confused + and - (as the page you linked to states) with the track inputs to a decoder, which have NO plus and minus. (yes they are black and red wires, by convention)
> 
> Basically the capacitor (and often a diode and inrush resistor) connects to the plus and minus "voltage" which is right after the full wave bridge on the input. This is raw rectified track power.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the clarification, Greg. I'm glad you mentioned it before I let the magic smoke out


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## beavercreek (Dec 12, 2008)

Knut, I have tried the link but it just times out on all browsers that I am running (with adblock).

Greg, I was hoping that ESU would be able to relinquish that info but it seems not so far. I have contacted Matt and ESU directly, so I am waiting with bated breath..........

The Stortline module looks good. I have many options on the module itself (including building it myself) but it is the connections on the Loksound XL V3.2/3.5 that I really need to know......


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

Is this any help?

http://www.sbs4dcc.com/tutorialstipstricks/esuloksound52400v35keepalive.html


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## beavercreek (Dec 12, 2008)

riderdan said:


> Is this any help?
> 
> http://www.sbs4dcc.com/tutorialstipstricks/esuloksound52400v35keepalive.html


Thanks for that.
It did take some time but I got through.
The infr is really pertinent to the non-XL version of the Loksound but there is a little info on the XL but no info on the specification of the components that would be needed or the full wiring.
I am gradually piecing this together....bit.....by.... bit


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