Seeking Advice for Kato Kobo Custom Issue

[William Sparks]

Hello all- I need help with an issue I have with a two-year-old but brand-new Kato Kobo Custom DD51 HO-scale loco, item #29-827. It is meant to have an ESU Loksound decoder, which is indeed installed, but there are no sound files loaded to the chip. I would like to either have Kobo send me the files so I can load them via my LokProgrammer (unlikely to happen because I assume the sounds are proprietary) or send the loco to Japan to have them loaded to the decoder. My issue is that I'm having a heck of a time finding any contact info online as to where to send the loco, or who to email to request the sound files or request service. Anyone have any ideas, contact info for Kato/Kobo, or know where one can obtain DD51 sound files for the Loksound decoder? The hobby shop I ordered the model from appears to no longer exist, as their website is no longer valid, so I am pretty much stuck with a silent loco until I get it serviced. Any advice and information will be gratefully received. Cheers!

[Gryphr]

I can't find any information about Kobo, but it seems they're sold through KatoUSA, so I'd suggest trying to contact them:
http://www.katousa.com/Zcart/index.php?main_page=contact_us

[William Sparks]

Hey there Gryphr- Thanks for your message, much appreciated. I haven't yet tried Kato USA with this problem, but I have in the past with other minor issues with Japanese-prototype locomotives and was told that, as the American branch of Kato, they only deal with US-prototype Kato models. Monday is a holiday so I'll give Kato USA a call on Tuesday- the worst they can say is no-can-do. Fortunately I have found a contact phone number for Kato Japan but no email info, but it's early days and I'm still on the hunt. Thanks again for your help.  :-)

[gavino200]

1 hour ago, William Sparks said:

Hey there Gryphr- Thanks for your message, much appreciated. I haven't yet tried Kato USA with this problem, but I have in the past with other minor issues with Japanese-prototype locomotives and was told that, as the American branch of Kato, they only deal with US-prototype Kato models. Monday is a holiday so I'll give Kato USA a call on Tuesday- the worst they can say is no-can-do. Fortunately I have found a contact phone number for Kato Japan but no email info, but it's early days and I'm still on the hunt. Thanks again for your help.  :-)

 

That's been my experience too. However, if you tell them you're fine with that and don't fight them on it (really, there doesn't seem to be anything they can do about it), you can often get some good information from them. It's possible that Kato may not have had specific sound files for this loco. They may have used some fairly generic diesel sound files. 

 

 

[toc36]

Bill,

 

You might want to contact Narichi/Nartak from ModelTrainPlus.com .  I believe he attends a monthly vendor's meeting with Kato.  He might be able to help.

 

Mark

[cteno4]

Kato USA goes hot and cold doing any support or spare part sales on Japanese trains. Always worth a try to see the current temperature. They have gotten heavy flack in the past all the way to kato japan when kato USA would distribute some kato japan trains in the us then not support them so they got better for a while but at times seem to get punky on it. May also be who you talk to.

 

ive gotten kato japan spare parts ordered thru kato USA in the past but took over 2 months and they charged $8 shipping for a small padded envelope.

 

worth a shot!

 

jeff

[William Sparks]

Thank you all for your feedback and advice. Just got off the phone with both ESU and Kato USA and it's a no-go from each of them; Kato USA doesn't support non-USA models (as expected) and ESU doesn't have the files to provide. Toc36, I shall try Narichi at ModelTrainPlus to see if he'd be willing to help. Thanks again for your kind assistance. If anything transpires, I shall of course let you know. Cheers!

[inobu]

William,

 

Capture the sound bites from you tube. The horn is the most critical one. The others are somewhat generic. Use the V12 Benz engine sound from the V90.

Might as well try while you search for a solution.

 

This engine was from the 60's and the Japanese got much of their motor and vehicle manufacturing from the Germans. Fuji Mfg which is Subaru worked with VW/Porsch hence the boxer "flat 4 engine". I sure technology sharing was taking place. 

 

Inobu

 

 

[kvp]

38 minutes ago, inobu said:

Use the V12 Benz engine sound from the V90. Might as well try while you search for a solution.

Similar, but the DD51 is a double engine locomotive while V90-s are single engine ones. Also the DMF31 and the DML61 motors seem to be based on a prewar japanese inline predecessor. Two V90s slightly out of phase might be nearer to a single DD51.

 

Imho it might be possible to get a new preprogrammed decoder with the right sounds without shipping the loco back to Japan and just swap them out. This depends on if Kato still supports this locomotive with spare decoders.

[inobu]

2 hours ago, kvp said:

Similar, but the DD51 is a double engine locomotive while V90-s are single engine ones. Also the DMF31 and the DML61 motors seem to be based on a prewar japanese inline predecessor. Two V90s slightly out of phase might be nearer to a single DD51.

 

Imho it might be possible to get a new preprogrammed decoder with the right sounds without shipping the loco back to Japan and just swap them out. This depends on if Kato still supports this locomotive with spare decoders.

Yes I too googled the specifications of the DD51 and V90. That's how I knew it was a Benz 12v engine.

 

Here the point. The 12v verses 2 6's becomes irrelevant if the file cannot be obtained. At that point finding the next best thing becomes the best choice.

 

Being that it is a Kobe Custom product most of which is pre order or made to order it might not be that easy. Also it being HO scale makes it even harder.

 

Having the Lok programmer myself I found it to be easier to make changed to the sound file then using Digitrax's tool hence the suggestion.

Capturing the sound images and creating your own file may be worth the endeavor.

 

A lot of people are blowing out these OEM files and reverting to a basic decoder. 

 

It is easy to say buy a new decoder or send it back when its not your money or engine to risk.

 

Easiest solution is to drop the V90 file in and change the horn. Then wait for the original file or try to get it from someone else. 

 

Inobu

[William Sparks]

Hello all- I took Inobu's advice and downloaded the V90 file, swapped the link-coupler sound to a US Janney-style coupler sound, swapped the V90's horn for the Swiss steam whistle (while not being identical to the Japanese prototype, is somewhat close) and made a few minor tweaks such as deleting the German radio communication sound files. Until somebody releases the proper DD51 sounds for the ESU Loksound, that will likely be the closest one can get, and it's a huge improvement over a silent decoder. Thank you all once again for your assistance, it is very much appreciated.  :-)

[inobu]

William,

 

Go to You tube and pull up one of DD51 videos.

Play the video and capture the horn via the record/player.

 

I was going to write it up but this is quicker because I already had things set up.

 

Inobu

 

 

 

DD51.wav

[inobu]

25 minutes ago, William Sparks said:

Hello all- I took Inobu's advice and downloaded the V90 file, swapped the link-coupler sound to a US Janney-style coupler sound, swapped the V90's horn for the Swiss steam whistle (while not being identical to the Japanese prototype, is somewhat close) and made a few minor tweaks such as deleting the German radio communication sound files. Until somebody releases the proper DD51 sounds for the ESU Loksound, that will likely be the closest one can get, and it's a huge improvement over a silent decoder. Thank you all once again for your assistance, it is very much appreciated.  :-)

Check the post above.

Inobu

[William Sparks]

A HUGE thanks, Inobu, for the DD51 whistle sound file. I uploaded it to the locomotive via LokProgrammer and it works beautifully. Absolutely wonderful.  :-)  Can't thank you enough!

[VJM]

Good that you found a work-around for this problem.

 

This seems to be a common issue for a couple of the batches of DCC sound Kato locos. It's not the first time I have heard of the problem with the sound files disappearing off both the EF510s and the DD51s; no one seems to have had any support from Kato on this.

 

I have seen a couple of retailers in Japan produce their own sound files for the ESU Loksound, but these are very expensive (although to be honest, sound technically better produced than the Kato one).

 

So far my own EF510 and DD51s seem OK as they were from the first release, but even then there are some occasional odd problems.

[kvp]

1 hour ago, VJM said:

This seems to be a common issue for a couple of the batches of DCC sound Kato locos. It's not the first time I have heard of the problem with the sound files disappearing off both the EF510s and the DD51s; no one seems to have had any support from Kato on this.

Imho resetting the decoders or using the sound programmer on them should be avoided. It's very easy to reset them. Also any corruption in the sound storage flash could also result in a self reset. Practically this means don't change anything on them except the locomotive address.

 

ps: Normal factory installed decoders reset back to the factory installed sound files, but these decoders seems to be custom installed using blank decoders. Also backing up the sound samples for later reinstall/nonlicensed duplication seems to not work and could also cause a decoder reset.

[William Sparks]

Thanks VJM and kvp for your input- very interesting indeed. I can't help but think that there must be someone in the sizable Japanese railfan community who has produced a DD51 Loksound sound project for sale. Of course there may well be and my inability to speak Japanese has hindered my online search, but so far I've come up with nothing at all. Oh well, no worries, I'm happy with what I have until I can obtain something better. Thanks again.

[VJM]

Spoke to my shop today in Hong Kong about it.  He says that Kato will reflash the sounds for you if you take it to the Kato shop in Tokyo.

Edited March 1, 2018 by VJM
spelling

[William Sparks]

Fantastic, great to hear that Kato will take care of it. Any chance your contact in HK knows an email address for the Kato shop? Not a big deal if not, I'm still plugging away at it but with little success thus far. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I tried the phone number but couldn't make myself understood to the nice young lady who answered. Perhaps with Google translate or something similar I can make a semi-coherent email so I can hash-out plans to have it reflashed. Cheers!