DCC Ready vs DCC and Sound Ready

[Ringo58]

Was looking at my Athearn RTR SD40-2 and the box says DCC and Sound ready. Whats the difference over just DCC ready?

[Doughless]

There is no standard for how producers label nondcc/sound equipped locos.

With recent vintage locos in the past couple of years, it tends to mean that the loco comes with a 21 pin dcc ready lightboard so that you can simply plug in the decoder of choice.  It also may have a portion of the weight that can be removed for a speaker, or a space carved into the weight to install a speaker. 

Lately, I hear that producers may be simply installing speakers into their dcc ready locos, wired to the light board, and all you have to do is plug in a sound decoder. 

All of those versions could be argued they mean dcc and sound ready.

[snjroy]

Doughless

There is no standard for how producers label nondcc/sound equipped locos.

With recent vintage locos in the past couple of years, it tends to mean that the loco comes with a 21 pin dcc ready lightboard so that you can simply plug in the decoder of choice.  It also may have a portion of the weight that can be removed for a speaker, or a space carved into the weight to install a speaker. 

Lately, I hear that producers may be simply installing speakers into their dcc ready locos, wired to the light board, and all you have to do is plug in a sound decoder. 

All of those versions could be argued they mean dcc and sound ready.

 

The Athearn Website:

http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH11399

suggests that the frame has a place "ready" to receive the sugar cube speakers, that are sold separately.

Simon

[BigDaddy]

In olden days, they might have not been very DCC ready and there was no place to put a speaker. 

This is a Life Like board for a GP 9. 

Below the GP9 you can see a "Cut here for DCC"   That's far different than today's circuit boards which have a plug in connector available.

Current production will have a DCC with sound model so there is a place to put a speaker without milling the frame.

SD40's are too late for my time period but I assume Athearn has produced various versions for quite some time.  I'm guessing there could be a transition SD40's that have been produced over time.

[Ringo58]

Thanks for all the info. I had never seen it before and was a little puzzled. I thought maybe it had a speaker already installed 

[wjstix]

Ringo58

Thanks for all the info. I had never seen it before and was a little puzzled. I thought maybe it had a speaker already installed 

 

Like Douglas says, I believe there is a manufacturer who has "DCC Ready" engines that come with a speaker already installed, but I can't recall who right now. I know Bachmann On30 steam engines come with a non-sound DCC decoder and an installed speaker; you need to buy their "Plug-and-Play Sound Module" separately and install it for sound.