My experience

I bought two Rapido FA2's from their first production run and they were delivered in Dec 2017.  They had Loksound 4 decoders, but the rest of the chassis and tooling is probably the same as what you have from the current run.

Both were in perfect cosmetic condition when I unpacked them.  One ran just fine.  The other made a definite grinding noise whenever it was running above speed step 15.  I called Rapido, they were apologetic, and they said to return it for repair after we discussed the symptoms.  The only gotcha is that you have to pay the shipping cost to Canada.  They returned the locomotive pretty quickly (they paid the shipping for the return trip), and they said that they had replaced the chassis.  The repaired loco runs fine.  As a "sorry about that" gesture regarding the shipping cost they included a couple of free little goodies- some Rapido freight trucks and some passenger car boarding step platforms.

I would suggest going back to your local hobby shop (you are lucky to have one!) and seeing if they have inventory to swap out your unit, and let them deal with the Rapido repair.  In my case,  I tried that before I went to Rapido.  The online store that I bought it from, which was US based, said they would have gladly exchanged my unit and paid all the shipping except they had no inventory of the road name I purchased.

Given all the nice little fragile detail items that Rapido puts on its locos, I would be reluctant to take the shell off of a brand new unit and try to troubleshoot it, and maybe clean the mechanism.  Not at the price you pay for these things.

Dennis

. . .

" they had no inventory of the road name I purchased. "

And the online store  never thought they could transfer your  body over to the replacement drive ?

Marc 

@Marc- such replacement was considered

Marc- Actually, I discussed exactly that with the online store--  I keep my shell, return the chassis to them and they send a replacement chassis from their inventory.  Or I send it all to them and they replace the chassis.  They said a quick and loud "no, we won't do that- we've tried it in the past and it ended up badly."  This is a good online store that sells in pretty high volume.  I think I understand-- too easy to break little details or scratch the paint when removing shells on some locos.

I think the real answer is better quality control at the factories.  I wonder if they do thorough enough testing of every loco on rollers before shipping?

Dennis

Dirty wheels

Have you tried giving the wheels a cleaning?  I've found that some of the Rapido locomotives have dirty wheels from the factory and a cleaning sometimes fixes the issue.  If that doesn't fix the issue then you may have to return for servicing.  Rapido does need to do better QAQC at the factory as well.

Marc Simpson

An update

Rapido got back to me this morning promptly.   They suggested cleaning the wheels and checking connectivity using a volt-ohm meeting for continuity with the truck pickup leads.

Popped the shell, the 21 pin decoder was not seated firmly in the header.  Re-seated it, check continuity (all good), solder joints good.

Shell back on.   One horn fell off and one of the grab irons above the windshield came off in the process.  Parts glued back on with a very tiny dab of Arlene's clear tacky glue and all is good.

Things happen, given the difficultly I had getting the shell off and back on I can see why the online hobby shop wouldn't touch it.

Models looks great, runs like a watch, and sounds like an Alco (btw, they used an iPhone 4 speaker in it).  I'm a big fan of the iPhone speaker that I use in my installs.

The model is worth the money but unless you have the skills and confidence to pop open a $300 model, I can see some folks not being real happy if it happened to them.  Me, I like fixing things and have done decoder installs and repaints on brass locos twice as expensive for others, so this little repair didn't register on my radar screen.

JMRI

A "Loksound 5 Select" decoder definition has not been created yet.

With shipping from China...

Some things are bound to jiggle loose. And that includes socketed deocoders. Nice that in the end it was a relatively simple (no solder) fix. 

And you had the added bonus of discovering loose parts before they fell of in some dark corner of you layout.

Lost parts

Someday, hopefully a long time off, when the layout comes down someone is going to find enough parts scattered across the layout to have a nice white elephant table at a train show.

LokSound 5 DCC is correct

If you check the ESU LokSound page you will see that they produce LokSound 5 and LokSound Select series decoders but no LokSound 5 Select. So LokSound 5 "Select" is probably a typepo. You probably have a LokSound 5 DCC decoder.

LokSound decoder and the poor electrical pickup returned

I was mistaken, the manual says LokSound Select, not LokSound 5 Select.   The confusion is coming from what DecoderPro tells me:  LokSound 5 DCC.    So the natural confusion (for me at least) was to assume a LokSound 5 Select.

I have an email into Rapido for clarification on what decoder is actually installed.  No response yet.

Regarding the poor electrical pickup, back on the workbench, removed the wheelsets and cleaned them.   Things are better but the number boards and headlight still flicker.   No other loco I have is doing this.  Next step is to install phosphor bronze pick up wires on the inside of the truck sideframes.

Probably my first and last Rapido, I have burned 2-3 hours in my first 24 hours of ownership just trying to get basic performance.   Not worth the hassle for the money spent.

I'm quite sure

I saw a post from Rapido that the manual incorrectly states it is a LokSound Select - it is a LokSound 5 I believe.  I wouldn't write off Rapido just yet if they produce something else you desire.  I've got 9 Rapido locos and only had issues with one out of the box which they provided a fix for.  Two of them are probably the best running locos I've ever owned.

Expecting loose bits

Judging from the loud thump my package from Rapido made when it hit the porch yesterday, I'm fully expecting to have to perform some repair work when the box emerges from quarantine in my shed in a couple of days.

Hopefully it will just be minor.

LokSound 5 Select

Peter:

On the ESU LokSound product page:   http://www.esu.eu/en/products/loksound/  There is no mention of a LokSound 5 Select, the key point being the "5" is missing in their product descriptions.   Are "Selects" only  known as LokSound Selects or is there a v4 and v5 variant?

If JMRI cannot find the "exact" decoder definition via the various CVs, does the algorithm in use pick the "closest"?   The reason I ask is that the Rapido technician I have been working with says he is seeing the same discrepancy with other locos on his workbench.  The manuals says LokSound Selects are installed but DecoderPro is reporting back LokSound 5 DCC.   Is it possible that it really is a LokSound Select being misreported by JMRI as a LokSound 5 DCC?   Or is the manual wrong?

Here is the info from the Info Tab of Decoder Pro:

I don't have a LokProgrammer, that probably would be the definitive source for what is installed.

Bob M.

Ask on JMRI users group

Ask on JMRI users group.

You should get a reply from Dave H who does the ESU definitions. I would guess that JMRI is correct in this case.

Loksound 5

. . .

The product ID being read off the decoder is (dec) 33554588. and the boot code and firmware define what is read on program track to be a Loksound V5 decoder. There is no mistaking this for a Loksound Select decoder. 

There is no such thing as a Loksound Select V5.  ESU dropped the Select moniker from the current offerings. Even the current  LokProgrammer software does not list a Loksound V5 Select.

Marc

LS decoder models

The new LS range is called just Loksound 5, not V5. All have full access to the soundfile like the old V4. The old versions were LS V4 and LS Select. V4 gave full access to sound file programming, Select only the CV settings. There was also a simplified LS Essentials version in some OEM locos. 

There's a range of LS 5 decoders with features preferred by North American and Australian modellers called "Loksound 5 DCC". These only support DCC and not the other protocols used in Europe and other markets. The differences include NMRA compliant CV3 and CV4 settings and adding the 3-step speed table CV2, 6 and 5.

There's a similar range of LS5 decoders for the EU market and others which support multiple protocols such as Motorola, M4 and Selectrix. These are called just "Loksound 5". 

Here's an example of the LS5 21-pin showing the two versions:

http://www.esu.eu/en/products/loksound/loksound-5-loksound-5-dcc/ 

HTH

Pete

Thanks to all, looks like it is the LS 5 DCC

Pete:

I do have CV2, 6 and 5 available and they do work, I do believe it is an LS 5 DCC, regardless of what the manual that came with the locomotive says.

The LS model lineup is a bit confusing and wonky, but thanks to all for straighten me out.

Bob

. . .

" I do believe it is an LS 5 DCC  "

- - - -

You can rest assured this is a LokSound 5  decoder simply based on what your table shows

The firmware version is  5-2-103. Current LS 5 firmware is 5-3-113 (available in LokProgrammer software  5.0.12)

If the decoder was a LS V4 or Select the firmware would start with a "4 "  and the last version was  4.17.9249.

ESU makes a complex decoder, so the model naming convention is also complex. confusing and wonky

ESU even confuses matters as shown in the software versions release notes :

- Bugfixes:
  * LokSound 5 family - when converting to an LokSound V5 project,
                        under Output mode (effect) "Coupler" / "Coupler force" uses the wrong CV.
                      - CV8 = 0.
                      - Autorecovery does not use the LokSound V5 project after converting.

So a Loksound V5 project goes into a Loksound 5 family decoder : - )

Marc

Despite a hard landing, A-OK

I'm glad to report that despite my FA2s' hard landing on my porch, everything was well in place and functioning properly through a series of test runs on the quickly-assembled Uni-Track on the living room floor.

A grateful tip-of-the-hat goes to Roslyn and the shipping folk at Rapido who got the delivery address for my order changed at the very last minute when my wife's office (where we usually have packages sent) shut down for the duration as everyone switched to working from home.

These are great locomotives

Sorry about the late post, but I wanted to get the decoders, install them, and give the units a good test before posting.

I bought an A-B-B-A set without DCC installed, and when I initially unboxed the A units I did find one small detail part loose in each box.  However, I followed Rapido’s instructions (GREAT Instruction book, by the way) and re-attached them using white glue.  The shells were a little bit of a challenge to get off but again, following Rapido’s instructions, they did come off.  Close tolerances and lots of detail made it a challenge because it was tricky to avoid breaking any of the detail while extracting the chassis from the shell.

The non-DCC units come with iPhone 4 speakers installed!  All I had to do was plug in the decoder, program the address, and go!  

On the first-out-of-box test run (on DC) the FBs exhibited a bit of gear noise, so I was planning— again following Rapido’s excellent instructions— to run the locos in for a while on a test circle of track.  However, once I installed the Soundtraxx MC decoders, they ran quite quietly.  Both FAs and FBs have 21-pin plugs, and decoder installation is, as I said, totally plug-and-play.

I haven’t programmed the locos (beyond address and prime mover type) to tweak motor performance yet and the locomotives still run beautifully.

In my opinion, these are very high quality, smooth-running locomotives and I’m very pleased to own them.  Looking forward to starting operating sessions again so I can get them on a few trains.

The loco now runs reliably

Besides the truck sideframe modification to the pickup points for the axles, I also installed a small 2200uF home built StayAlive circuit.

Runs like a swiss watch with no hesitation and sounds great.   

BTW:  The manual is wrong, it says the loco has a LokSound Select installed but mine has a LokSound 5 DCC.  

The manual

Rapido has posted many places that the manual was wrong.  All of them had LokSound 5 in them.

E-L and B&O

I had previously bought an A-A pair of B&O FAs so when the B units came along I have now added it to the mix.

One minor downside to the decoder change is that the Drive-Hold feature is now mapped to F3 instead of the previous F9 spot. A little remapping is in order. F9 is now assigned to the two-color class lights. Personally, I would have preferred white/red as the choices for the class/marker lights.

The B&O B unit does not have a backup light. I'm pretty sure these were installed by the B&O if not from Alco. Mine will probably be run 95% of the time in A-B-A configuraton so no big deal.

I bought an A-B set of Erie Lackawanna FA-FBs also.

The supplied Rapido couplers are OK but they don't match Kadee quality (look at the parting line on that front knuckle) and another odd thing is that the B unit has two headlights (backup) but only one operates and it is the front one. I reversed the direction (NDOT) on my B unit so the backup light faces the rear.

Another minor error in the manual is the part about F3 Drive Hold. The heading says F3 but the text refers to F4.

All three of the new arrivals spit and sputtered for the first half-hour of running. Wheel cleaning is definitely in order and I placed tiny drops of DeOx-it at the axle ends where they meet the bronze pickup. That made a 98% improvement. I think this will get better as the engines are "run-in"

The only piece shaken loose in transport was a tiny hand grab. It took me a while to figure out that it came from the inside passageway of the rear door. I believe those wind deflector/mirrors will get replaced soon, too (as was necessary on the RS-11s, too)

Overall these recent Rapido models are quite excellent and a great model to have.

Regards, Ed