Can I install sound into a locomotive from Life-Like products I have a train from life-like and I want sound to go into it if you can install it.
Well, maybe. But there are a few things you need to find out. What kind of loco is it, steam or diesel? This would help determine the degree of difficulty. How old is the loco? Depending on the age and performance, would it be worth investing money into an older loco when you could just purchase one with DCC/sound already installed. Does the loco run and perform well on DC? A poor performing loco on DC will only be a worse performer on DCC. Space-the final frontier, there has to be room for not only a decoder, but since you want sound, a speaker too! Is there room under the shell for all that?? Will you be doing the surgery or will someone else?? If someone else, add more $$$$
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There are too many different Proto 2000 models for us to be able to answer such a vague question.
I have worked on some that barely had room for a dime-sized decoder, and some that had ample room for sound and a fairly large speaker.
The only way you can know for sure is to remove the shell and see how much spare room is in your particular model.
Given the OPs profile name, I'm gonna guess that it's a diesel.
Tom
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You left one or two details out. Exact model of loco for one.
Measure the inside of the loco.
Check current at 12 VDC.
Check specs of different sound decoders. All manufacturers include the size of the decoder.
Speaker size is very apparent. Usually a 28 mm round or 16 mm x 35 mm oval, at least for diesels.
Do all the drivers pickup power from the rails
Make sure motor contacts are isolated from the motor frame. Very important.
Does the loco have light bulbs or LED's?
Having a multimeter would be a great help. Knowing how to solder is a useful help.
Other than that, piece of cake. lol
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
The Short answer is probably yes but as Rich noted we need more info. For sound you may have to do quite a bit of work esp in Life Like to get the speaker to fit and then get the shell back on. (assuming Diesel)
If you have a LHS nearby they can be a great assistance.
If you are not close to a LHS, I have found that M.B Klein can be of great assistance over the phone.
Of course at the shop or over the phone you still need all the details as Rich asked them
Check the Train Control Systems web site installation pictures and see if they have done one.
http://www.tcsdcc.com
Their photos are NOT sound installs, but you'll be able to see if there might be room for a speaker in your particular model.
UP 7642 Can I install sound into a locomotive from Life-Like products I have a train from life-like and I want sound to go into it if you can install it.
I can truly say that a putting sound into a straight Life-Like (toy grade) model is a questionable proposition. First is the running quality of the locomotive. Power pickup is questionable and sound requires really a good connection of the locomotive to the track. Second is the motor noise. The straight Life-Like locos are noisy which will mask or even drowned out the sound from the sound system. Third is the cost of the sound vs the cost of the locomotive. A good sound decoder will run $80-$120. Matching that with a $30 locomotive seems strange to me.
If on the other hand you have a Proto-1000 or a Proto-2000 locomotive it is well worth the investment of installing sound.
You can put a sound decoder and speaker in any HO engine. The questions really are 1. How easy will it be to install it? and 2. Is it worth the effort? Some newer Proto engines have built-in speaker enclosures and are quite easy to add sound to. An engine with a lighboard may have a DCC-receptacle, or could use a "drop-in" decoder where the decoder is the same shape as the lightboard it's replacing. On an older engine it may require a "hardwire" installation, meaning you'll need to solder some wires but otherwise isn't difficult.
It's a Life Like GP38-2 and I estimate it between 1-2 years old. Here is a picture:
http://www.internettrains.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=IT&Product_Code=LIF-8294&Category_Code=
It is a GP38-2 Locomotive.
Oh good. I will buy a sound decoder for it. I checked underneath the engine and it has a slot for a sound decoder. Now are they easy to install? Hopefully no wiring and it will do.
It came with track, cars, bridge and a crossing so bought it for a set.
UP,
I'm afraid this is one of the Life-Like bottom-rung locomotives mentioned earlier and wouldn't be worth you or anyone else's time, effort, and money putting sound into it. Any sound decoder will cost more than the locomotive is worth. And, most likely, it won't even be DCC-ready.
I'm afraid that is one of the "toy" trainset locos. It has only 4-wheel pickup, it needs 8 wheels pickup for good DCC operation, let alone sound. I you can figur out how to add the extra pickups. it might be worth a try with an NCE $14 motor decoder which you would have solder in. The decoder must go inside not out side on the bottom. It's not worth spending 80-120 bucks on a sound decoder.
Jay
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To the OP. let's back up a minute. You seem to be a beginner which isn't a bad thing. We all started somewhere.
I just want to be sure you have a clear understanding of sound. Just because you install a Sound Decoder in an engine doesn't mean that you will actually get sound.
You need a DCC controller after you install a Sound decoder like one of these
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/DCC-Starter-Systems-s/3252.htm
or you can get Sound in DC but you need something like this.
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/MRC-1200-Tech-6-Sound-Controller-2-0-p/mrc-1200.htm
As already stated, its probably not worth it to install a sound decoder or any DCC decoder in the engine you provided a link to.
It might be a good idea only as a practice project. A learning exercise on an inexpensive engine is better that a bad learning experience on an expensive engine.
The project itself may not be easy depending on your skill set. You need some basic soldering skills and an iron. You'll need to mill and or grind off parts of the interior to get the decoder to fit. The fuel tank on the bottom looks like a good candidate to put the speaker for the decoder inside. You are going to have to wire the decoder to the motor and then wire the speaker wherever you put it to the decoder.
Tell us more about yourself and what your objectives are. The more info all of have the better we can advise you.
Following as an add on to that last post by UPinCT, An HO scale GP-38 that I think almost anyone here could recommend that would be worthy of sound are:
Athearn RTR, Atlas Trainman, Atlas Master, and maybe even an old Athearn blue box. Of which all have at least one example currently on eBay, even in UP colors....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atlas-Trainman-Union-Pacific-UP-GP38-2-598-DCC-Ready-Exc-Condition-/330838921977?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item4d078952f9
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Athearn-HO-Scale-Locomotive-Union-Pacific-GP38-2-2125-ATH78932-L262-/280964787947?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item416ace6eeb
Unfortunately the only sound equipped ones I see currently listed are Boston & Maine blue units.
I know this seems like we might just be saying to spend more money, but when talking about sound that is what you are preparing to do anyway. 50 years in the hobby makes me want to help others make their hobby dollars go as far as possible while still getting good results.