Sound, small size, no DCC, anything out there?

[Southwest Chief]

I have an interesting question that someone here might be able to help me with.

I have a G scale speeder that looks like this:

 

It was never a good runner via the flimsy track power pickups.  So I use a 9 volt battery for power (see that black rectangular thing under the roof).  Now it runs very nicely and at 9 volts moves at just about the right speed.  There is an on/off switch mounted in between the two seats (you might see it in the photo above).

What I'm looking into is the possibility of adding a simple sound system to it.  The back is hollow for weights so there is minimal room to add some kind of sound device in there.

I'd like to find something that allows one to record their own sound (loop it) and play it back.  I don't need DCC for this.  Power will either be on or off and run at 9 volts all the time.  And it has to be relatively small to fit in the back. 

I have multiple sound clips of a real speeder (putt putt) and can easily make a short sound clip that can loop over and over.  I just need to find something small that I can record/upload to and hook a speaker to it.

Does anyone have any idea on what might be available out there that might work for me?

[MichaelC]

 I don't know how well it would work but it's what came to mind.  How about getting one of those "talking greeting cards" that allow you to record your own message?  The physical size of the chip would be small.  Probably the biggest question is if the sound volume would be sufficient.

 

[cacole]

All Electronics (http://www.allelectronics.com) has a thing called the "SAW 3 Digital Voice Recorder" in their catalog, CAT # SAW-3, priced at $2.00 each.

According to their description, it contains a 30 second voice recorder in the base.  The actual recorder may be removable and small enough for your purpose.

 

[Hamltnblue]

 You could also use a sound decoder and program the sound files in it. Place it in the center of he layout or behind the shed with a speaker.  On a small layout you wouldn't know where the sound was coming from.

[Southwest Chief]

Some really good ideas, thanks.

Never thought about those recordable greeting cards.  Might work nicely.  I'm just not sure if they loop over and over.

That Saw recording thingy is also very intriguing.  The figure is ugly as sin but the electronics can't be beat for $2.00.  That price is almost worth it just to experiment.

Using a sound decoder as a stationary sound point probably won't work so well given the layout is around 250 feet end to end (and outdoors).  But I did use a similar technique for our mine train sound which is a less then 8 foot line that heads into the mine and out to a dump track.  Here's a picture of that mine train line:

 

 

One other idea I've been thinking about is to scratch build a small trailer for the speeder to pull to house the sound system.

[Hamltnblue]

 LOL funny stuff.  When I saw the pic my mind thought Z scale and not G scale. 

[MisterBeasley]

Somebody else started a thread this morning, also looking for a self-contained sound system.  I looked up this company, and they have these on sale:

 How about exactly what you're asking for for 8 dollars?

http://www.bakatronics.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=690

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The dimensions of the original image are 384x384 with a file size of 25k.

 

I've bought stuff from these guys, and they're legit.

The write-up says you can remove the contents from the enclosure if you need to re-configure it.  It runs off 3 volts, so you'll need a resistor to step down that 9-volt unit, but for 8 dollars how can you lose?

[cacole]

Mr. Beasley,

That thing from Bakatronics is the base from the Saw 3 that All Electronics sells for $2, so Bakatronics' price is a rip.

 

[CSX Robert]

Two problems with the "press a button and record a sample" devices:

One is they usually do not loop. Some might if you removed the play button and wired it like the button was always pressed(the one from AllElectronics is certainly cheap enough to get one just to try).

The other problem is you won't likely get a clean loop and you'll be able to hear when it loops. You may or may not find that distracting.

A cheap little MP3 player may work if you can mount it where you can get to the buttons to start it playing.

While using a sound decoder as a stationary sound source wouldn't work, you could mount one in the speeder. As an example, a Digitrax Sound Bug will work fine off of a nine volt battery and you can download sounds to it. The biggest problem with using a downloadable sound decoder is you would also have to purchase the hardware to download the sound, unless you already know someone who has it.

[MisterBeasley]

cacole

That thing from Bakatronics is the base from the Saw 3 that All Electronics sells for $2, so Bakatronics' price is a rip.

Wow, thanks.  I was going to order at least 3 of them.  This will save me some money.

[rrinker]

 Baktronics says it comes with a figure attached to the base, they don't say what that figure is. Also the $2 one from All includes the batteries (although they may not be very good..). Think I'll order a few to play with.

                                       --Randy

 

[Southwest Chief]

I didn't know Digitrax had a deocder you can upload sounds to.  I thought only Loksound had this capability.

Wow, this really opens up the options.  I'll look into the SoundBug and their programing equipment since I also have an HO layout and use a few Digitrax decoders, and their Zephyr for control.  Might be a good investment to look into their sound decoders as well.