I have a USAT GP30 with the AirWire drop in + a Phoenix sound card. I am not very electronically minded, so, could somebody, in simple language, please explain to me how to reduce, control or perhaps set the sound volume. At present, I get Max or nothing using buttons 7 or 8.
I’m using a T9000 throttle.
Thanks.
Rod,
the buttons 7&8 on the Airwire controller are latching. which means that they stay on when pushed, until pushed again. as an alternative your Phoenix sound card should have come with a toggle switch that also controls sound level. I mount this somewhere out of site with easy access. as I am steam guy the toggle is usually under the water hatch on the tender.
it does take a little practice to get the sound level with the two buttons.
AL P.
Thanks Al. Got it. Sort of a double click. I have the volume set to what I want now.
Can’t you make 7 & 8 momentary?
Happy to try Greg. How?
Greg Elmassian said:
Can’t you make 7 & 8 momentary?
It’s not a function of the AirWire decoder, but rather the Phoenix board. AirWire just passes DCC to the Phoenix. It does allow you to select between latched and momentary for some of the function inputs (e.g. the horn on F2), but I’ve never tried doing this with the volume up/down functions.
There use to be diagrams on the Phoenix Sound website that showed how to raise or lower the sound volume using a throttle. I believe it was in a section called The Knowledgebase, but I can not find it there or in the Support Section now.
Using their information I made small boards with a circuit that uses a 1K ohm resistor and a 2N3906 transistor to raise or lower sound volume of the P8 with two of my Revolution throttle keys. It is handy to be able to control the volume while operating without having to use the provided switch.
Phoenix Sound may have the information to do the same thing with the AirWire decoder. Perhaps a telephone call should be made.
Paul, since he has Airwire, his system has the capability to send the DCC commands to the Phoenix board, like any other DCC system.
The twist here is to send the commands up or down a bit at a time (momentary), as opposed to sending “down” for example until the button is pressed again (toggle/latching).
I read the manuals, it appears that F2 is hard wired as momentary, and I cannot find any reference to setting any other function keys to momentary. Guess you will just have to learn to double press F7 and F8 to change volume.
Greg
Greg, you can select whether the functions are latched or momentary in the software (e.g. for F2). There’s a check box in one of the config screens. I’m just not sure if it applies to functions like volume rather than actual sounds. I’m on the road for a couple days, but will try it when I get home.
I’d like to add a little here. There has been comment that function 7 And 8 are for volume. This is a function assignment in the P8. Sound up or down can be assigned to other keys if desired or not at all if you need the functions for something else and just use the volume up or down toggle which is my preference. It is surprising how fast the function keys can be used up. Using the volume up or down function keys does take a little practice. Its a matter of anticipating when it is about right and pushing the key again. There are some functions that the Airwire decoder will use like cruise control, programmable lighting, ditch lights. You would want to leave those function keys unassigned in the P8. Other wise you might get double assignments. There are factory default function settings in the G3 and drop in decoders that will also in all likely hood need to be changed or unassigned too. I usually write down all the function assignments first on a small card that can be taped inside the loco, designating which are Airwire decoder functions and which are P8 functions. Make sense? I now have around 35 steam and diesel locos with Airwire and P5 or P8 sound.
Eric, thanks, I read the “manuals” I could find on CVP and no mention of re-configuring The t9000 or t5000… I’d like a link to something if you have it…
Of course it’s clear we are just controlling the function commands sent by the throttle.
Paul, yes, clear about reassigning the Phoenix mapping between functions and what DCC functions operate them… the question here was to change the behavior of the throttle sending the commands from latched to momentary… from your statement, it infers that you have only latched functions on the AirWire throttle for the volume commands to the Phoenix.
Trying to find a more elegant and easy to use solution.
Greg
Greg, the behavior is not determined by the throttle. It generates function on/off packets like any DCC throttle. The receiver passes these to the Phoenix hardware. It is the P8 configuration that allows you to set the momentary option. Essentially, it responds to EITHER on or off while packets are being sent. Of course it has to keep track of which type was sent previously and only respond to the opposite since functions are multiplexed into packets.
Greg,
I knew I was drifting off subject a bit but just wanted to keep some of the basics of key assignment in tack. With these new systems there are so many options it is easy to lose the big picture. I don’t think the latching configuration on the Airwire transmitters is really a problem. It’s just a matter of knowing that is how it works and learning to use it.
The easiest thing to do is just learn to push the button twice, like the rest of Airwire users have.
Chris that’s what I’ve Done. It’s done just what I wanted.
Thank you for your advice.
Eric, the F2 function is momentary in the throttle, so I thought you were talking about having that for F7 & F8… so as I understand it this is not changeable in the throttle.
So I suppose F2 sends horn on packets continuously when pressed, and horn off packets for some amount of time when released.
Apparently the other function buttons work differently somewhat but still repeat if held. For lights (F0) for example do you push once to turn on and push again to turn off?
Never got into the guts of these… guess some compromises/departures were made to save battery or interface to other stuff.
Greg