Hello, I aquired this circuit board in a garage sale lot, and I would like to know what brand is this board or decoder and if it's a sound or non-sound decoder.
All infos are greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Serge
The "motherboard" looks like a Bowser Executive line product for the Alco C430 and C636.
Can't say for sure but the attached decoder looks like an ESU decoder. That date code sticker looks familiar.
http://www.bowser-trains.com/history/dccdetails.html
Top-right photo in the above link.
[edit] added photo
I'm away from my stock of decoders at the moment so I can't be sure, but it looks like one of the new Bowser retrofit sound boards.
http://www.bowser-trains.com/docs/instructions/Retro%2021%20pin%20sound%20instructions.pdf
Good Luck, Ed
Hi Serge.
I can't comment on the mother board but the decoder is definitely an ESU Loksound Select sound decoder. Its relatively new with the 21 pin connector. It is an excellent decoder.
It may or may not have a sound file installed in it. The nice thing about the Loksound decoders is that anyone with a Lokprogrammer can load any available sound file onto the decoder, so you will be able to use it for pretty much whatever you want. Action Hobbies in Kingsville, Ontario can do it. They charge $5.00 Cdn:
http://store.actionhobbieskingsville.com/
You can see the available sound files here:
http://www.esu.eu/en/downloads/sounds/loksound-select/
In fact most hobby stores that sell ESU decoders will have the programmer. If you are a member of a club, ask around to see if anyone has one.
The Loksound Select by itself sells for around $80.00 USD.
Nice find!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Hello Ed and Dave,
What you are saying is that I have a mother board with a ESU Loksound decoder installed on it; so the only thing I have to do is to have it checked by a LHS to see if it has integrated sound files.
Wow, that was a lucky find...
Thanks so much you guys for all the infos, they are greatly appreciated.
Or simply figure out which pins on the board go to track power and the speaker, and hook it up and see if you have sounds. Already installed on a specific manufacturer's motherboard, it would be VERY unlikely that it has no sound file installed.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
scribbeltI'll certainly try that.
In the photo I included in my post you can see the speaker connection just to the left of the 21 pin plug. In your photo, is taller than the other white plugs, too.
The track connections are the two plugs at the left. Left pin rail A—right pin rail B.
Of course you would only have to use one of those paired connectors.
Hello Ed, Dave and Randy,
I was curious to find out if my ESU decoder had sound, so I connected it to a speaker and on a isolated programming track.
Unfortunatly, it has no sound; so I'm going to have to plug a sound decoder to this mother board.
Which one would you recommend, for a GP 7 EMD 567 non-turbo prime mover?
Thank you.
Interesting, It must be a Lokpilot motor only decoder then. It's almost certainly an ESU decodr, going by the pictures. A Loksound without a sound set loaded still makes noise, there is a default limited sound set loaded in them.
For a Proto Geep, the Loksound Select would work, I would hard wire it instead of using that weird little connector in the Proto unit. Repalce the bulbs with LEDs and a 1K resistor on each one. You would want sound file 93423 loaded in it, EMD 567 16 cylinder non-turbo. It's a newer recording, done for Intermountain's FTs, than the other 567 non turbo they have.
It really looks like a Loksound in your picture though, the Lokpilot doesn't have that big chip in the middle under the sticker.
Did you press F8 to turn on the prime mover ?
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Hello Randy, once again thank you for the additional information, it's greatly appreciated.
Hello Mark, yes I did and thank you for bringing it up because I've could of forgotten to press the F8 button.
But just to be sure I'll redo the test tomorrow; maybe the wires were not properly connected.
Serge and Randy:
I'm pretty sure its a Loksound Select. The LokPilot decoders are quite a bit shorter. Here is a picture of a LokPilot with the 21 pin plug. Scroll down to the bottom to #54614:
http://www.esu.eu/en/products/lokpilot/lokpilot-v40/
I would suggest sending it to someone who can properly test it (no offense Serge).
Serge,
Did you test the motor output as well? Matbe someone plugged the track power into one of the speaker or output sockets and cooked the amp or output transistors?
Maybe that's how it wound up at a garage sale...
Perhaps?
Guys, thank you once again for all of your feedback on this subject.
Update:
Yesterday I tested again the decoder by pluging in a speaker and wiring it to the track: No go...
I wanted to have additional infos on the decoder,so I went to pay a visit to the house where I purchased the decoder (garage sale) i'ts in my neighborhood.
The gentleman was nice enough to give me infos on the decoder:
It came from an Intermountain FP-7 (Non-Sound) B unit.
Now I have all the infos required to find a sound chip to attach to the motherboard.
Which one would you recommend; I'm not familiar with Loksound decoders, I went on their website but I find it complicated and I'm having a hard time findind the right infos.
Well that's still strange. The bottom bigger board, the motherboard, would have been in the non-sound unit, and there have been some Intermountain releases where the non-sound version does have DCC, using Lokpilot motor-only decoders, but in your picture of the assembly it sure does look like a Loksound Select decoder. Your picture IS of the actual board you have, right? There are two pieces there, the bottom board with the connectors with the white shrouds, and then the board with the sticker on it. The back strip runnign across the board is a connector, and the two will come apart.
The part number I mentioned above is the same sound decoder as the one that apepars to already be on the board, and the sound file should be the right one as well.
Hello Randy,
I owe you some excuses, I'm not too familiar with DCC decoders so the picture I posted looks exactly like the one I have but the detachable top part stops right after the round sticker, maybe that's why I don't have any sound.
Sorry about that
OK, then that is almost certainly the Lokpilot motor only decoder, no sound. If it's shorter than what's in the picture. The Loksound part number I posted will directly replace that board - pop off the one that's on there and plug in the sound one.
Hang on to the Lokpilot - if you don;t intend to put sound in EVERY loco, they are great motor decoders. Same drive as the Loksounds, so otherwise like locomotives will run together without a lot of fiddling.
Hello Randy, I'm sorry once again for the novice mistake I made
The part number you are refering to in your post is: 93423 which is I think a sound file.
What would be the decoder part number that I would need to replace the non-sound circuit board to have the EMD 567 non-turbo.
Oops, I looked it up on the web page but didn't copy it. The decoder itself is the 73900. The sound part number is the right file. Any decent dealer will preload your choice of sound in the decoder when you buy it.
I looked up the 73900 decoder on the web and it's exactly what I need.
Thank you so much once again for the infos; they are greatly appreciated.