Atlas User Manual: Diesels with QSI Sound 5/52 13 January 2015
Decoders (Quantum, Quantum Titan, or
Quantum Titan with ET)
Read through this section and be up and running in fewer than five minutes with your new locomotive on a layout that
uses a DCC system that is fully compatible with the NMRA DCC specifications.
• Running the Locomotive on DCC
− Select locomotive number 3 on your DCC system.
− Set your DCC system to use either 128 (preferable) or 28 (acceptable) speed steps.
− Make sure that all DCC track power is turned off. Then put your locomotive on the track and turn the
DCC power back on. When the locomotive is first powered up, the directional Front Headlight and
Rear Headlight may not be turned on. If this is the case, press the F0 (or Headlight) key on your
DCC system one or two times to turn on the directional lighting. Both the Front and Rear Headlights
will come on in their Dim states unless the locomotive is moving. You will also hear the Prime
Mover
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sounds.
− When you turn up the DCC throttle, the locomotive will start to move forward or backward, depending
on which direction (Forward or Reverse) was selected on the DCC throttle. The directional Headlight
(Front or Rear) that points in the direction in which the locomotive is moving will turn from Dim to
Bright (The Rear Headlight will change from Off to Bright if your loco has Ver.7 firmware and Q1a
hardware.), and the locomotive sounds will continue.
− If your Atlas sound-equipped locomotive has Ditch Lights
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, these lights will come on in the steady
(non-flashing) state when the locomotive starts to move forward. When you blow the Horn and the
locomotive is moving forward, the Ditch Lights will flash alternately.
− Alternatively, if your Atlas sound-equipped locomotive has a Mars Light
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, this light will start pulsing
when the locomotive starts to move forward.
− When Regulated Throttle Control (RTC) is On (the default setting), there will be noticeable
momentum in both acceleration and deceleration.
− As you slow the locomotive down by gradually reducing the throttle, Squealing Brake sounds will
occur shortly before the locomotive comes to a halt.
− When you reduce the DCC throttle setting to zero, the locomotive will automatically enter the Neutral
State after the locomotive stops moving. You will hear a Short Air Release when the locomotive
stops moving and a longer air release about one second later, followed by Air Pumps and other
background sounds
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.
o If the locomotive was moving forward, the Front Headlight will switch from Bright to Dim when
the locomotive stops.
o If the locomotive was moving backwards, the Rear Headlight will switch from Bright to a state
that depends on the versions of firmware and hardware installed in your locomotive
If your locomotive has Version 7 firmware and Q1a hardware, the Rear Headlight will
turn Off when the locomotive stops.
In all other cases (Version 7 firmware and Q2 hardware, Version 8 firmware, or
Version 9 firmware), the Rear Headlight will switch from Bright to Dim when the
locomotive stops.
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Two major parts of the operating mechanism of a prototype diesel-electric locomotive are (1) the diesel engine and (2) the DC generator (or the
AC alternator in some modern locomotives). The generator (or alternator) is powered (mechanically) by the diesel engine and supplies (electric)
power to the truck-mounted traction motors that drive the locomotive. The diesel engine and generator (or alternator) are mounted inside the
locomotive’s body, which is often called the carbody. Although the terminology Diesel Engine is perfectly correct technically for the (major)
component of a diesel-electric locomotive that drives the generator (or alternator), some people are in the habit of calling a diesel locomotive a
diesel engine. The term Prime Mover in this document refers to the entire Power Unit consisting of the Diesel Engine, the Generator or Alternator,
and the Turbo (if present). Prime Mover sounds include Exhaust, Labored Exhaust, and Rod Knock. To avoid confusion between these two
entirely different meanings of Diesel Engine, the device that powers the generator (or alternator) is called the Diesel Motor in the Quantum
Programmer software. The terminology Diesel Motor is not used in this document.
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Not all Atlas Gold Series locomotives have Ditch Lights or Mars Lights.
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Neutral sounds include Cooling Fans with vents opening and closing that turn on and off randomly, Air Pumps that come on randomly in response
to air consumed, random Spitter and Air Dryer sounds (firmware versions 8 and 9 only), and timed-out Low Idle sounds.
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