Description
Synch Disk – Clamp Fit Availability: These are now printed in house and sometimes there may be a small delay while more are printed
| Available Axle Diameters | 4mm, 4.5mm, 5mm & 3/16″ |
| Loco Cylinders | 3 cylinder loco |
| Chuff | On Beat |
| Fit | 2 part, clamps around the axle |
Fit
This is a two part synch disk that assembles around the axle and so clamps itself in place. The ideal would be the clip fit style we do for 2 cylinder engines but a 3 cylinder engine needs a magnet to be placed where the axle gap is in a clip fit disk. Once assembled you may need to apply a spot of glue to prevent the disk rotating around the axle
What is in the kit.
The sound synch disk comes in two parts with the magnets already fastened in place. Also included is a 5mm glass enclosure reed switch as the sensor.
Function
In the graphic you can see the magnets with colour coded ends noting their polarity. Note that the alternate red/black shows the polarity alternates. Counter intuitively it not the proximity of the magnet that causes the reed to switch but a point equidistant between adjacent magnets at which point they are cancelling each other out to give zero magnetic field. The reed switch is placed on the loco frames somewhere close enough to sense this but distance isnt the critical issue. You may need to experiment with its position to get the best switching. Connect a continuity buzzer to it and then rotate the loco wheels to tune up the placement. Experience suggests off to one side slightly works better.
Connecting to a Sound Decoder
Weve connected these directly to the cam connections of ZIMO decoders (and set the CV to cam), to ESU Loksound 3.5 and 4 decoders and to the first generation Soundtraxx Tsunami.
The second generation Tsunami doesnt support cam operation. We havent had chance to try it with a ESU Loksound 5 yet. In the earlier ESU Loksound decoders you have to set them to cam operation and two two pulses per chuff as they chuff on the reed opening and on it closing
