@gunrunnerjohn posted:The diodes solve the low speed issue without compromising performance and pulling power throughout the throttle range. In that regard, they're a superior solution. I'm not sure why the sound card still misbehaves, I did the same mod to a conventional locomotive for a customer and it solved the sound start-up issue.
When I did this wiring years ago (mentioned above series motor wiring with thermistor), it was on a conventional locomotive, and it "solved the sound" problem as well, for that loco: the sound started before the loco began to move.
I also worked this on Bachmann SD45s (a pair, second wired to run in reverse), using diodes and the thermistor. Added a sound card from MRC in each loco. Loved it, but am now running LC+ with Legacy, so have not run these for years. These were VERY fast locos straight from Bachmann, so they still had a strong top speed after.
No idea why your sound is not starting before the loco moves.
You could try an experiment with all 10 diodes in one direction, just to test if more voltage drop will get the sound to come on before the loco moves. Nothing else to buy, just a concept test.
