So I bought a pair of F3s to use with the UP F7 shells I bought. I'm going to repaint the frames.
To muy pleasant surprise, both came with DCC installed, and the B unit with sound! However, I cannot identify the board. It's a Soundtraxx 312027 with a hokey looking push wire plug for the speaker, and no baffle. Someone just scotch taped the speaker in place.
What is this? I can't find anything on Athearn's or Tsunami's site about this board. It's also (C) 2000 so it's got to be really old.
Julian
Modeling Pre-WP merger UP (1974-81)
That's not even the part number for one of the old LC series sound decoders. I think that first 3 has to be an 8, all Sountraxx decoders part numbers start with an 8. And you probably won;t find that one on their web site, it's the custom version they make for Athearn Genesis locos. Athearn abd Bachmann soun locos don;t come with a full featured off the shelf Tsunami. Haven't seen a Walthers/Proto one to see if they use full or custom limited versions. Bowser when they did use Tsunamis, you actually got a full Tsunami.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
It looks like it's a board rev of one of the LC decoders. I found another one on ebay with the same markings. It's a DSD-AT100LC for EMD 567. So how good are these?
No high frequency silent drive so you get motor AND speaker buzzing.
Prime mover sound was enhanced in the Tsunami but the horns are about the same.
If it's really a DSD-100LC - those are even prior to the DSD-101LC series. 8 bit sound files. But everything I can find showss them with 8200xx series part numbers.
The old LC ("Low Cost") decoders were OK as far as they went. Lighting is limited, on or off and a few Mars type lights; you can't dim the headlights. Sounds were limited too, I think three horns, maybe three bells. Dynamic brakes but no brake squeal, no start up sequence. But if you just want decent engine rumble/revving, a horn and a bell, they're OK - If you have a good sized speaker (like a 1" round one with a good enclosure) the sound quality isn't bad. You can adjust the hum sound a bit so it's masked by the engine sounds better, although it seems to me it's less a problem with a larger speaker with good bass sound.
Oh yes, they came with a capacitor which goes in the SPEAKER line, it's not a keep alive, it's used for a bandpass filter to keep the low frequency hum out of the speaker. Which works except that in loosely constructed motors like Athearn BB, the motor itself is where the buzz comes from. I do have one in a dummy Stewart F7 B unit with a BIG speaker, no real hum or buzz since there's no motor to drive anyway. Horns, like Tsunami's, are weak. Prime mover is an OK EMD 567.