I'm pretty sure this description was written by engineers, because it took me a while to decipher.
The exclusive "Sounder" is a sound-only decoder and speaker that's easily added to any HO locomotive equipped with a standard, non-sound decoder or even any piece of rolling stock being pulled by the locomotive equipped with wheel pickups.The railroader simply "hooks-up" two wires to the track power pickup points in the loco and suddenly can enjoy MRC's rich, Brilliance sound and the world's most extensive feature set.The Steam Sounder reproduces eight, genuine articulated and eight, non-articulated steam locomotive sounds and you can select 33 whisles as well.Features:
So I get that there are 16 engine sounds and they are called forth on the programming track, but I have no idea if there is anything close to a 1900's 2-6-0 in the programming--although it might be cool to have an 0-6-0 that shounds like a Russsian.
And the size of the speaker looks like it's better suited to the door panel in my wife's van than the tender of a 2-6-0, although the last one I got has a depression with pre-drilled holes that has to come pretty close.
So, I guess my questions are has anyone tried one of these and what kinds of sounds does it make?
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
There no reason you cant replace that speaker with a smaller one. That said, I would seriously boost that power supply cap.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
DigitalGriffin There no reason you cant replace that speaker with a smaller one. That said, I would seriously boost that power supply cap.
MRC makes a sound decoder for light steam that comes without a speaker. If I forgo the speaker, I might as well get that. Hmmm.
On a different note, where would one go to get elecronic components if they live withing an hour and a half of a Radio Shack--and not have to pay more than it's worth for shipping?
Chip, Lionel placed large speakers inside of the tender on my Challenger. They did it by cutting the plastic tube-like housing on an angle instead of at right angles the way you'd cut a PVC pipe normally. The effect is that it canted the speaker's cone and body at an angle inside the tender when it was glued to the open face of the tube.
RR_MelOne thing to make note of is they are 4Ω.
I'm not sure of the signifcance. I know my car speakers are 8 ohm.
The question I have is can you fit one of those suckers in your 0-6-0 tender?
Crandell, that is a good idea. I'm filing that one away in my brain.
SpaceMouse DigitalGriffin There no reason you cant replace that speaker with a smaller one. That said, I would seriously boost that power supply cap. MRC makes a sound decoder for light steam that comes without a speaker. If I forgo the speaker, I might as well get that. Hmmm. On a different note, where would one go to get elecronic components if they live withing an hour and a half of a Radio Shack--and not have to pay more than it's worth for shipping?
Chip,
I wouldn't use a 4 ohm as it doubles the power through the speaker which is hard on an amp. I would at the very least cut the CV volume in half or run 2 of them in series.
DigitalGriffinI guess you don't have amazon prime?
No, but my live-in son does. I guess he'll be getting random ads for transistors and blank circuit boards on Facebook and Tumblr for a while.
DigitalGriffin Chip, I wouldn't use a 4 ohm as it doubles the power through the speaker which is hard on an amp. I would at the very least cut the CV volume in half or run 2 of them in series.
So what would be a good resistance for a decoder speaker?
MRC's are usually 8 ohm, which is different than other manufacturers. I blew an MRC decoder when I tried connecting to another 8 ohm speaker that was not an MRC... You can get an MRC speaker only pretty cheap anyway (they are sold separately). And will they fit in a small tender? I installed one in a small MDC tender, but it required a little bit of grinding to remove some of the metal that serves as weight. I doubt it would fit in a sloped-tender. Personally, I would buy a new sound integrated decoder to save space. The MRC's are pretty inexpensive (although you get what you pay for).
Simon
SpaceMouse RR_Mel One thing to make note of is they are 4Ω. I'm not sure of the signifcance. I know my car speakers are 8 ohm. The question I have is can you fit one of those suckers in your 0-6-0 tender?
RR_Mel One thing to make note of is they are 4Ω.
snjroyPersonally, I would buy a new sound integrated decoder to save space.
On the plus side, I'll have 5 more soundless decoders to add to the 11 I already have.
RR_Mel I use a 3.3Ω resistor in series when using one speaker.
That was the question I really had.
SpaceMouse RR_Mel I use a 3.3Ω resistor in series when using one speaker. That was the question I really had.
I have one, but I'm away from home right now. I can check it when I get home at the end of the week.
I put it in the tender of my daughter's Hogwarts Express, and she likes it. I have no idea what a 1900 2-6-0 sounds like, though.
Gary
If it's like the MRC decoder I got, all MRC will be able to tell you is that there are 16 choices. They won;t be able to sya which engine you get for each of those 16 values in the CV that controls it. There's supposedly 32 horns on the one I have. There are 32 different sounds as I change the CV, so that part is true, but I asked them what horn each one was - P5, M3, A2, etc. Answer from MRC tech support: "We don't keep track of that"
I'm no audiophile, but the difference between the MRC and some of the others is night and day. I'd rather half my locos have good sound then all of them have mediocre sound, so it may take a long time to get my whole fleet sound-equipped.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrinker I'm no audiophile, but the difference between the MRC and some of the others is night and day. I'd rather half my locos have good sound then all of them have mediocre sound, so it may take a long time to get my whole fleet sound-equipped.
I tried to play the Tsunami but I think the mp3 file was corrupt. I tried to play it on the website and I downloaded it and still couldn't get it to play. I couldn't find an audio file for the MRC, so I'm going deaf and relying on the ears of others.
There are 32 different sounds as I change the CV, so that part is true, but I asked them what horn each one was - P5, M3, A2, etc. Answer from MRC tech support: "We don't keep track of that"
This seems more like sloppiness than anything. Sheesh.
I'm no huge fan of Tsunamis, either. At least their diesel ones - the horns are incredibly weak sounding.
I am now strictly Loksound, I have one Atlas Trainmaster with a QSI but that's the only sound loco I have that's not Loksound.
SpaceMouse rrinker I'm no audiophile, but the difference between the MRC and some of the others is night and day. I'd rather half my locos have good sound then all of them have mediocre sound, so it may take a long time to get my whole fleet sound-equipped. I tried to play the Tsunami but I think the mp3 file was corrupt. I tried to play it on the website and I downloaded it and still couldn't get it to play. I couldn't find an audio file for the MRC, so I'm going deaf and relying on the ears of others.
Here are the sounds:
http://www.modelrectifier.com/Articles.asp?ID=264
Here too for steam: (You tube to the rescue)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmAsVtD8qzw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehEdKUvFcqk
rrinkerI am now strictly Loksound, I have one Atlas Trainmaster with a QSI but that's the only sound loco I have that's not Loksound.
I'm afraid that Loksound is way out of my price range. Their programmer alone is unfathomable.
So, what about the Sound Bug? With speakers it works out about the same as MRC and is programable with a PR3 or PR4.
Will the interface you sent me work for this? I know the PRs will connect the computer for use with JMRI.
Back when I was here before there was a link to the sounds avaible. Do you still have that link?
You don't need the programmer to use Loksound decoders., you can get them already loaded with whatever sound you want.
You need a PR3 or PR4 to load sounds in the Digitrax sound decoders. The original 8 bit ones are not so good, but the 16 bit ones are decent (the ones with the X in the model number). You have to use the right sound files - the 8 bit ones will load into the 16 bit decoders but sound extra horrible.
Some people say they aren't very loud, but I don't know what they've done to their speakers - I tested an original Sound Bug just laying on the table, no enclosure on the included speaker, and it was easily audible in the next room.
DigitalGriffinHere too for steam: (You tube to the rescue)
I found a similar video for chuff. Thanks. It seems like it will work. I just don't know how accurate it will be.
I found the Digitrax Sound Project page and unfortunately, they have very few steam locomotives. It's possible that some of the British sounds might work, but the MRC seems to have workable sounds.
SpaceMouse DigitalGriffin Here too for steam: (You tube to the rescue) I found a similar video for chuff. Thanks. It seems like it will work. I just don't know how accurate it will be.
DigitalGriffin Here too for steam: (You tube to the rescue)
Given the expense, conditions, and complexity, most chips are likely just remixes of similar engines that have been tweeked though an EQ. More bass and elongated chuffs & louder exhaust valves for super power.I'm not saying they are all 1 engine. But I'm willing to bet you are dealing with 2, maybe 3 engines at best remixed. You aren't going to get dead on with operating steam being so somewhat rare.
"Louder exhaust valves"?
Overmod "Louder exhaust valves"?
I'm SURE you are dealing with a limited set of engines - there just aren't running examples of every loco listed on some decoder maker's sound lists. You can do a lot to clean up old recordings, but recordings made in the 50's on a "last chance" fan trip and sold as vinyl recordings weren't done the way they do now on still running locos, with multiple microphones to pull the exhaust from the accessories from the whistle from the turbine from the air pump. If you are lucky, it was a recording crew set up in a baggage car coupled behind the locow ith a shotgun mic. Yeah, modern signal proessing can do a lot with that but outside of distinct whistles, it's going to sound a lot the same for any remotely similar loco. And whistles are no big deal - plenty of collectors and those samples can be made seperately even if the loco it came from has long been turned into razor blades.
So what you are saying is that I can't be picky.