# Digitrax fx0416 question



## britblad (Jan 2, 2012)

i have a Digitrax fx0416 the horn is very low even tho the bell and other sounds are quite normal i have turned up every CV that controls volume (58,140,142,143) and its still at the same volume am i missing one or do i need to record one that's louder and find someone with a pr3 to add it?


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

It's a SFX0416 decoder.
There are CV's 141 and 145 for sound too!
I would bet that the speaker or the speaker enclosure or lack of is the real problem.
A poor speaker will give off some sounds but not all of them.
The SFX0416 is a rather poor sound decoder.. it's a very old design and has a poor amp and probably came with a poor speaker. 
Try turning down the other sounds and see if the amp can keep up with the horn.


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## britblad (Jan 2, 2012)

I was messing around with it the other day and turned it to Diesel sounds and that horn is loud as well so its just the steam whistle that is low.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

There are several steam whistles pre programmed into it if I remember right, try some of the others and see if they are louder.


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## britblad (Jan 2, 2012)

Oh I could return the book and see how to cycle through


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## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

A messy story...part one.

Dad used to say "a lesson learned from an error is one that you remember longer" or something like that...Well,it's me again...tampering with CV's.Being quite satisfied with what I've learned so far with setting Tsunami's,I thought I could do just as well with another sound decoder I've had sitting since purchase because I couldn't get it to work then.

It is one of those jewels,an SFX0416,that I had never been able to read with my Digitrax set (DCS200/DT400R) in any mode I tried.Now that I have a PR3/Booster setup,I thought I'd finally read its CV's and hopefully have it working.No way...I can't read any CV's,wether on the main or with Decoder Pro.

OK guys,stay with me on this...it's a messy case...or has become anyway.Not quitting easy,I tried writing a couple CV's to see if this could be done and yes,CV's can be written to it but still,the thing is totally mute...no sound whatsoever.Obviously some CV is messed up but wich one?Not being able to read...I'm in a jam.

OK then...what are my options?Quit?No way.So I thought that if I dumped a whole set of CV's from other Digitrax decoders I have (from DP roster),it might fix the faulty CV.Nothing to lose anyway.So I did.Dumped in all the CV's from a working DN163K2 decoder I have and it worked...the SFX0416 came back to life with all the nice steam sounds,etc.

Messy story...part two.

I should have been satisfied,wich I was in a way.However,I have no use for this decoder in my N scale steamers (no room) so I thought I could install it in one of my HO diesels if I could dig the diesel sounds from it.Should be easy,change CV60...that simple.

First problem arise...I can't read that thing and none of my Digitrax equipped diesels has a CV60 and I can't create a CV60 in Decoder Pro's CV list (or don't know how).So I turned to another solution...searched the roster for a decoder that has a CV60 (Tsunami's do) so I fed the SFX0416 with Tsunami datas so that I could have a CV60 to work with.

Now it's really messed up...completely dead.I tried resetting CV8 to 8...Decoder Pro doesn't allow it and the DT400 (in OPS mode) says "GOOD" but nothing changes.Tried feeding the CV's from the DN163K2 again...nothing.May be I've ruined it...God knows...I should have tried setting CV60 blindly in OPS mode,but didn't think of that then.My goof.

Does any one have an idea why I can't read it or why it doesn't reset?I won't lose my sleep over it though,but it would be fun to have it working again and learn something more in the process.Thanks.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Brakeman Jake,
SFX0416 has to be the dodgiest of all the Digitrax decoder ever made!
I have had the same problems with some of my past uses of the SFX0416.
If you open up decoder pro and pull up the SFX0416, go to CV's and go down 3/4 of the way down the list and you will find CV60, the CV's are not in order.
change it to 1.


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## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

Sean...this is my problem...I can't have Decoder Pro list the CV's from the SFX0416...it won't read them...And I can't create that list manually either...so I'm nose to the wall on both sides.I'm aware that these decoders aren't very good but still,if I could de-bug it,that would be fun and I could use it too.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Try this step by step and see if it helps you get to the CV's you need to change.
Open Decoder Pro 







Click on programming track







Find and click on decoder 







Open programmer 







Click on CV's 







Scroll down to value needed and change value and write.


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## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

Sean...thanks for your effort.I didn't know that CV settings were stored in Decoder Pro.However,I did re-write them to the decoder to no avail.I can't get a single sound out of it.If I had known about this Decoder Pro feature,I wouldn't have fed it with Tsunami CV's wich really messed it up.It was working (steam sound) before I did this foolish thing.I suppose it is all scrambled with some Tsunami CV that it doesn't understand and I have no clue as to wich one nor how to erase it.Re-writing and reset don't work and I'm out of ideas.It's late now here and I have to go to bed...tomorrow is another day.......


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## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

Well...that's it...I quit...whatever I try,I can't get any reaction from this piece of junk.I tought I was indeed writing CV's to it but it was an illusion...Decoder Pro says "writing CV no XYZ" then "OK" even if there's no decoder linked to it.Tried with the DT400 in OPS mode...it says "Good" then you try to read back,then it says "Fail".It seems that it does get written to,at least sometimes,but I have no way to verify that I know of.

I know some decoders,if not most,need a motor or a resistor across the motor power leads to program correctly,but since this junk has no motor supply power,is there an alternate way that I don't know of?Could the capacitor be the culprit?I admit I've been thinking of cutting it out just to see wich I'll do if I'm not suggested a better idea.I'm that close to throwing this thing away and just forget about it.


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## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

This decoder got the best out of me ole self...lost patience...cut the speaker off...the wires too...and found a beautiful use for it...in the thrash can..........


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Brakeman Jake and others that are reading.
NCE has a really neat turn in policy, give them any decoder from anyone and they will give you a new decoder for Cheap. Granted it's not a sound decoder but a great decoder non the less! Go to the NCE Here and look at the bottom of the page:

*Special Offer
*
Send in any manufacturer's HO or N Scale damaged decoder with $10.00 plus $2.00S&H and we will replace the decoder with one of NCE's finest replacements! Home Support, assistance, and comradery are available at the following email groups:



I love NCE decoders. I've installed a thousand + and I would say that maybe I've had one failure in all the years! They make one tough decoder!


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