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HELP! What is this thing??

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  • Member since
    August 2006
  • 1,519 posts
Posted by trainnut1250 on Saturday, June 22, 2019 11:15 PM

Charles,

Save the ported speaker. They sound great with Tsunamis or other modern sound decoders.

Guy

see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site

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  • From: Pennsylvania
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Posted by Trainman440 on Saturday, June 22, 2019 9:43 PM

Ah, I stand corrected. I heard some clips online on the PFM sound, and I gotta say it sounds pretty nice! A real shame I dont have a PFM soundboard. 

Thanks for the replies!

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO

Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@trainman440

Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440

  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: From Golden, CO living in Puyallup (Seattle), WA
  • 751 posts
Posted by Renegade1c on Saturday, June 22, 2019 7:56 PM

Definitely a PFM sound board and speaker. I have both Components (both speaker and board) in their original packaging in my sound supplies ( i just have never got rid of them). the speakers are top notch. The board is useless unless you have a PFM sound base station which are pretty much gone nowadays. 


Colorado Front Range Railroad: 
http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/

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  • Member since
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  • From: Western, MA
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Posted by richg1998 on Saturday, June 22, 2019 4:30 PM

Yes, I remember a friend back in the late eighties had a PFM system that was quite nice but like DCC, it needed clean track with clean wheels or the sound was intermittent.

Rich

If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.

  • Member since
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  • From: Reading, PA
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Posted by rrinker on Thursday, June 20, 2019 7:38 AM

 That is definitely a PFM or similar board. Note there are no active components on the board, just some diodes, capacitors, and a coil or two. This is all to keep the DC out of the speaker and the audio signals and high frequency lighting out of the motor. It will not make sound on its own, it needs the PFM sound console to feed the sounds into the rails.

                                    --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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  • From: Maryland
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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Thursday, June 20, 2019 5:43 AM

I was around this hobby for both of those systems and I agree, it looks like a PFM sound board.

Charles, if it is a PFM system, it requires a base station that sends the sound thru the rails to loco.

Sheldon

    

  • Member since
    May 2014
  • From: Pennsylvania
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Posted by Trainman440 on Thursday, June 20, 2019 12:27 AM

Woah, I've never heard of Modeltronics sound systems, till now. Found a Diesel sound video on Youtube and boy, does it sound vintage!

Nonetheless, I'm gonna try to get this piece to work...just for the fun of it!

Thanks all for the replies!

Charles

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO

Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@trainman440

Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440

  • Member since
    December 2009
  • 54 posts
Posted by Carolina Northern on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 10:23 PM

That's a Modeltronics speaker, but that sure looks like PFM sound board and wiper.

 

Don

  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
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Posted by BRAKIE on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 7:12 PM

That is a model tronics sound system.Modeltronics existed in the latter 1970's to early 1980's..IIRC the sound wasn't to bad for its time but,sound did not catch on like today's computerized sound.

 

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: Bakersfield, CA 93308
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Posted by RR_Mel on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 6:46 PM

I picked up a locomotive and tender that had a similar board in the tender and it was some sort of sound board.  It didn’t work and as best as I can remember there was a manufacturer name on the printed circuit board, maybe Model Tronics.  I did a bit of research but never found anything, it went by way of the county dump about 12 to 15 years ago.
 
 
Mel
 
 
My Model Railroad   
 
Bakersfield, California
 
I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
 
  • Member since
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  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 2:00 PM

That is an old sound system I believe.

.

The wipers on the locomotive driver are there for chuff synchronization.

.

Hopefully I did not just make a terrible fail, but I believe that is correct.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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Posted by Wolf359 on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 1:53 PM

Those look like capacitors in there. Maybe it's some kind of "keep alive" system.

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  • From: Pennsylvania
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HELP! What is this thing??
Posted by Trainman440 on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 1:28 PM

Hi all, (this is like my 7th post regarding brass engines...I bought quite a few recently)

I found this thing inside the tender of a Sunset brass Santa fe 2-8-2 class 4000 engine. Its clearly user installed. Anyone know what it is?

NOTE: There are 3 wires going from the engine to the tender, a rail pickup, and 2 motor leads. 

Is it some PFM sound system? maybe some vintage DCC sound system?

Thanks!

Charles

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO

Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@trainman440

Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440

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