I have seen posting about the Digitrax Sound Bug but not sure how to install it? From I think I know there is no motor control, just sound, right?
I am guessing the sound bug plugs into the engines board and then the motor decoder plugs into the Sound Bug, am I right?
I have 4 Proto F-3's that I would like to add sound to. I have a article about using a ESU decoder but I did not find the decoder part number that was listed. I was thinking of only adding sound to the two B units.I mainly them as a 4 engine consist.
Are the Sound Bug speakers pretty good, I want a deep rumble. I know I will have to hack and whack out some of the weight in the F-3's to fit a speaker.
I am using Digitrax DH 123 decoders in the F-3's.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
cudaken I have seen posting about the Digitrax Sound Bug but not sure how to install it? From I think I know there is no motor control, just sound, right? I am guessing the sound bug plugs into the engines board and then the motor decoder plugs into the Sound Bug, am I right? I have 4 Proto F-3's that I would like to add sound to. I have a article about using a ESU decoder but I did not find the decoder part number that was listed. I was thinking of only adding sound to the two B units.I mainly them as a 4 engine consist. Are the Sound Bug speakers pretty good, I want a deep rumble. I know I will have to hack and whack out some of the weight in the F-3's to fit a speaker. I am using Digitrax DH 123 decoders in the F-3's. Cuda Ken
Ken,
There are two ways to install a Soundbug. The best way is to use a 165 series decoder, which allows you to plug the Soundbug into the decoder. It also has the logic to allow both decoders to exist without interfering with each other. The other way (I generally don't recommend this) is to hardwire the Soundbug to the pickup leads of the locomotive. You could do this with the DH123 decoder but you will run into some challenges around reading back CVs when both decoders are installed because the 123 series is not SFX aware. It can still be done, it is just a bit more work (i.e. you program on the mains in Ops mode or possibly program on the programming track each decoders separately).
Here's a picture of a Soundbug (blue chip) plugged into a DH165L0 decoder in a Proto2K diesel. I had to remove some weight. You can see the cut lines in the first picture.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
The Sound Bug package comes with a 1-inch round speaker. I find these are the wrong shape and size for most HO engines. Jeff has installed an oval speaker in his photo, not the one that came with the Sound Bug. Depending on the model, though, you might have room for a round speaker in your F3.
Jeff's speaker is mounted in a small black plastic box referred to as an "enclosure." To get good sound, you need to do this. The idea is to block the sound from one side of the speaker cone and let it come out the other only. The box should be airtight, so I glue my speaker into it after routing the speaker wires through a small hole. You can buy these enclosures wherever fine sound decoders and speakers are sold. I've done just that for some of my sound engines, but I've fabricated a couple of them out of styrene when I needed an odd shape to shoehorn the speaker into a tight spot in the engine.
I've got a trolley with a Bachmann motor decoder and a Digitrax SFX sound unit. When I installed the sound decoder, I did NOT solder the two power leads, instead leaving them twisted to their mates on the trolley. To program either of these decoders, I have to disconnect the wires and do the programming with clip leads rather than through the track. On this one, I also need to add a light bulb to one of the function outputs to get the resistance right for the program track to recognize a decoders. As you might imagine, I don't program this setup very often.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
For standalone operation of the SoundBug, the two holes where the screws go if attaching it to a 165 series decoder are the track power inputs. I have one I've been fooling around with and just attached it to the track with a couple of clip leads. Only programming I've done so far was adjusting the volumes and switching between the steam and diesel sounds, all done as Ops Mode.
I got a nice deep sound using, of all things, the palstic tube that the FastTracks sign comes in (they give you a really nice wood billboard with an order of a turnout kit) as an enclosure, sealed just by my hand. This is WAY too big to fit in any HO loco though. Any enclosure it better than none, however too small a one will limit the low frequencies.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Using the Soundbug with a Digitrax 165 series decoder is the best way to go as you never have to open up the loco and disconnect the Soundbug to do any reprogramming. Otherwise I find it best to use something like the Soundtraxx 2-Pin Microconnector (Part No, 810012) so you can simply unplug the the two leads to the Soundbug and then program either the motor/light decoder and Soundbug separately. You can have another Microconnector wired to the programming track for a quick plug-in of the Soundbug.
The Soundbug is an economical way to add pretty good sound but it would be even better if it came without a speaker because, as Mr. Beasley pointed out, the 1" round speaker doesn't fit many HO locos.
Also, don't try to download any new sound files to the Soundbug while it's installed with a non-sound motor decoder. I've messed up the sound decoder doing this so alway disconnect them first. Maybe I just did something wrong so if anyone else has done this successfully I would like to hear about it.
Jerry
Rio Grande vs. Santa Fe.....the battle is over but the glory remains!
Ah, step 1 - read the instructions that came with the decoder.
Step 2 - follow the instructions step-by-step
Ken, one other thing that you should consider doing is upgrading your decoders. Splurge a little,and buy something other than a basic DH123 decoder. These a cut rate, basic decoders. The consensus among the earlier replies are that you should use a DH165 and that using the DH123 will only lead to future issues.
Thanks for the part number jwils, I will look it up later.
Randy, the power leads holes on the sound bug, could I tap them to the power pick ups that go to the decoder in the F 3 PK 1000's? That does not sound to hard. Could you post a picture of your sound bug so I have a little better idea what would be involved to install it?
Far as buying the DH165 and then sound bugs, if I where to spend that much I rather buy a Loksound decoder. I really like the ones in my Y-6b and Big Boy.
Sliver Pilot, one of the reason I used DH 123's in the F-3's with running 4 of them together with a DH 163 I would have to turn off the EMF. DH 123's don't have EMF so there is nothing to turn off. Plus the only lights the F-3's have is head lights so I don't need the extra light functions.
Looking forward to some pictures.
Ken
Here's the link to the Soundbug manual. There's a picture of it on page 2. Page 10 describes what they call stand-alone mode (which means it isn't plugged into a DH165 decoder). The two screw holes are used to connect to the locomotive pickup leads. There is one error in the manual. They come with 8 ohm, not 32 ohm speakers now. The included speakers can snap into the newer Kato diesels, which have a built-in speaker enclosure.
Follwo Jeff's link to Digitrax - a picture of mine would be exactly the same thing sicne it's just sitting here in the static baggie it comes in. Wires from the holes would go to your track pickups, but I wiuld use some sort of connector here, some of those 2 pin Miniatronics connectors or else check out the RC plane section of K10 (do they have planes there?) for 2 pin Deans connectors. Don't forget to get 2 sets - one side connects to the soundbug, the opposite side connects to your track pickups in the loco. You want another one like the loco side to just end in wires which you can clip to the PR3 program output so that you can plug it in to the Soundbug to program it independently of the DH123 motor decoder - pull the plug, disconnecting the Soundbug from the loco pickups, and plug it in to the one connected to your PR3 and program away. That's my trick for the day.