DCC / QSI for the E8

Original QSI Revolution

I have used the original QSI Revolution decoders in the E8 with success. The sound files actually somewhat simulated the 2 prime movers, but it was just the same sounds starting up one after the other. The prime movers do go in and out of sync. It was something you could hear if you were "looking" for it. Nice but not really dramatic.

QSI Titan in E8

In September 2012 I converted my 3 E8's to the new QSI Titan. I was pretty excited because the new Titan has basically been redesigned so that the second prime mover sounds are really like a second engine with it's own characteristics.

First, you will NEED to put in the second speaker (remember that the Titan has 2 separate speaker outputs, and can direct sounds to either speaker or both)

I found this out because I hooked it up to the single factory speaker and had no horn!

The bell is on speaker 1 and the horn is on speaker 2.

I found a simple way to add a second speaker, by making a foam surround from 3/8" thick weatherstripping "tape", and hooking one end of the speaker under the connector for the nearest smoke unit.This just holds it in place until I assemble it:

Then I built up foam on the chassis to hold the speaker in place, note the height of the foam in relation to the standoffs. Works like a charm!

Wow! Does it ever sound great. The new "q3" files have so much more character to the motor and the 2 speakers one dedicated to each prime mover make it sound really realistic. I had previously thought the "stereo" idea was so much marketing hype, but now I am a believer.

Note: the front headlight on the E8 is a simulated "Mars" light, and it's circuit will not "follow" the output from the Titan, i.e. if you are doing some of the programming with the magnet, like setting AirWire mode... the Titan will "blink" the output, but that goes into the Aristo "Mars" circuit, so you may not see the "blink", since the Mars circuit has a mind of it's own.