Model Railroading > K-M Komparison

Friend, and fellow TO member, Jim (FiveChime) stopped by with his shinny new PIKO K-M the other day.  I've been coveting the new model, but I'm showing restraint and holding out for the SP painted DRGW version due, um, someday.   In the meantime I've been working on my older brass version of the later hood K-M, hoping to bring it up to a more modern standard: DCC/Sound.  I've added a 22 pin adapter that, with any luck, will accept the PIKO sound decoder which PIKO promises will be available shortly.  I'm told the extensive list of Functions might be a fuss to get working properly, but sound, headlight, and a gyro light effect is all I ask...
We shall see.
SR

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We have 2 Piko KM sound decoders sitting in the display case here at Reeds Hobby Shop.

Charles
Reeds Hobby Shop
reeds@abac.com
619-464-1672

Did piko say they'll make the other version?

Posted from Android

I talked to PIKO in San Diego. He said they had identified many variations due to the tinkering but SP and DRGW done and PIKO’s intention is to do as many as they found practical but, of course, these runs would be spread over several years. He seemed pretty sure the DRGW version would be next- but I figure it will be the “As Delivered” version.
SR

[ as posted in another thread ]

For those looking for the PIKO KM 4000 sound decoders, here's how to purchase their sound decoder with Plux22 interface and speaker direct from the PIKO America website.   From my emails with PIKO America customer support, the sound decoders are currently in stock in limited numbers, and the speakers are due in soon.  Of course these decoders are intended for the PIKO KM4000s, so some exploration and experimentation may have to be done to decipher the lighting functions.. no guarantees there as to what may or may not work in your application.

FWIW, here are the links:

PIKO DCC/Sound decoder for KM4000 - with KM4000 sound effects and light programming (intended for the PIKO KM) preloaded. - Now in stock.
https://www.piko-america.com/products/et97442-118-psd-xp-5-1-us-km-ml4000-sound-decoder-plux22?_pos=1&_sid=ff9cb86ff&_ss=r

PIKO Speaker for KM4000:(coming soon)
https://www.piko-america.com/products/56334-psd-xp-5-1-speaker-km4000-plux22?_pos=2&_sid=ff9cb86ff&_ss=r

Cheers,
Harry
 

Charles Wrote:
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> We have 2 Piko KM sound decoders sitting in the
> display case here at Reeds Hobby Shop.
>
> Charles
> Reeds Hobby Shop
> reeds@abac.com
> 619-464-1672


Okay, fair enough- so I called your shop today (Sunday) and they said (I’m paraphrasing here:) Huh?


I’ll try again tomorrow?
SR

Are the speakers "special"? 
i.e. not 8 ohm?

KA7008 Wrote:
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> Are the speakers "special"? 
> i.e. not 8 ohm?

When I spoke to the guy at PIKO I asked about speakers and he said I could use somebody else’s speakers (within spec I imagine). But this issue keeps coming up, and PIKO’s own ads imply their speakers are needed so….
SR

The KM decoders use a 4 ohm speaker.  I know there is a way to wire two 8 ohm speakers so that it 4 ohm.  Just don't know if it is "parallel" or "series".

Charles

I just got my Piko K-M  4000 in the mail two days ago, and I started researching the SP units in my various SP locomotive books  There seem to be quite a few changes
over the years in appearance of these units  The model has a very small diameter headlight at the top of the nose.  Where as on photographs, the early units were they show a larger diameter headlight  But later editions of the prototype with a small diameter light in that position, but there it shows a Red warning light.in  that top position on the nose.

Does anyone know, when  SP added the pilot plows and large air tanks on the roof?.  I would like to add these details later on.

 There seem to be
> quite a few changes
> over the years in appearance of these units 

This is quite true!

> model has a very small diameter headlight at the
> top of the nose.  Where as on photographs, the
> early units were they show a larger diameter
> headlight  But later editions of the prototype
> with a small diameter light in that position, but
> there it shows a Red warning light.in  that top
> position on the nose.

Not sure about the model you have in your hand, but that is a red Gyralite warning light (oscillating signal light). Those were built as new in 1961 on the three Prototypes for Southern Pacific. 

The three 1961 Prototypes built for Rio Grande got a twin sealed beam oscillator in a large bezel, and that's how the Rio Grande units (delivered same day as the SP units to Houston) can be identified, whether they're in Rio Grande colors 1961-1964, or SP colors 1965-1967.
>
> Does anyone know, when  SP added the pilot plows
> and large air tanks on the roof?.  I would like
> to add these details later on.

The air tanks -- an EMD part -- were added to Rio Grande units in Jan-Feb 1962 and mounted to the #1 radiator group. The SP units received their rooftop tanks by 1963, and those were mounted to the #2 radiator group. (SP did things their way!)

One unit, SP 9021, was involved in a fire shortly after being sold by DRGW to SP, and was rebuilt with air tanks to the rear. This rebuild happened towards the end of 1964 at the earliest. The tanks are slim, and the dimensions are 15.25" diameter by 144" long. I don't know how that compares to GP35 or other similarly-shaped tanks available in aftermarket parts.

Plow pilots that are almost (or actually) identical to EMD F-unit plows were installed on all six units owned after February 1964 by SP, likely mid-1965 at the earliest. SP 9001 may have been the first, receiving its plow in Summer 1965 after suffering a collision that saw its nose swapped with SP 9000.

All these modified variants are possible to be offered by PIKO in the future, having been fully researched and engineered at the same time as current production models. But there are no announced plans or confirmation as yet for the variants, and no timetable.

~ BZ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/24 15:02 by Notch16.

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Is there a link to a full dcc/sound manual?
The abbreviated 4 page fold-up paper includes this quote
"a comprehensive description of all options related to the function outputs can be found in the detailed operating instructions"

I'm looking to swap around some function buttons and changing CVs 34-48 are having zero effect.

Please don't refer me to this webpage:
https://www.piko-shop.de/de/artikel/ersatzteil/xref_suchtext-97445.html

The 3 items you can download there came in paper form with the model and that's where I got the quote above.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/24 10:01 by KA7008.

PIKO America is working to provide more DCC info than was provided in the models as shipped to them.

...and they did!

Scroll down to DCC instructions

Charles Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The KM decoders use a 4 ohm speaker.  I know
> there is a way to wire two 8 ohm speakers so that
> it 4 ohm.  Just don't know if it is "parallel" or
> "series".
>
> Charles

Two equal value resistors in parallel cut the resitance in half.  Two equal value resistors in series double the resistance.  So you want Parallel.