45 ton

[kamerad47]

Will we see the day when somebody make a sound card for the 45 ton loco ( with out mods) Cllearly when they made this loco they left a spot for a speaker , now someone needs to poduce a sound card for it!!!

[lewi]

I just recently purchased the 45 ton switcher (haven't received it yet), but also want to put sound in it along with some additional lighting effects.  I've been searching the internet.  So far, I've found that Soundtraxx has a part no. 827014 - New Micro-sunami for a G. E. Cummins Diesel Engine that might work.  However, it is a 0.75amp digital sound decoder, and since most HO sound decoders are rated at 1amp, I don't know if it would be suitable for this HO engine.  Maybe someone with more knowledge of DCC sound decoders could shed some light on this.  Does anyone know if Soundtraxx makes a speaker that will just drop into the switcher.  It appears that the counter-weight will come out, and maybe the speaker would just drop in.
Any help would be much appreciated.

[richg]

The Micro Tsunami or LokSound Micro will work. Some people have done this. Cut the wires shorter as this is a very tight fit. If you email Litchfield Station, they can give you some options. I did this for the 44 ton and they answered.
There is a hole in the oil tank for a small speaker or put a slightly larger speaker in the cab roof. Look at the 45 ton diagram.
This is not plug and play. You better have some mechanical and electrical experience for this install.
I have put the LokSound Micro in a couple Spectrum 44 ton. Same sound option as the 45 ton. Two prime movers.

Rich

[richg]

If you join the Yahoo SoundTraxx group, there are photos of the Micro Tsunami install. In the Photos section.
You have to do some grinding away of the weight for the decoder. No place for the Stay Alive capacitor.
The speaker is inside the roof. The spot in the oil tank is another spot for a small round speaker.
Like I said, it is not plug and play.
Don't expect Bachmann to ever have factory sound in this loco. Little locos like this are hardly ever popular ones.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soundtraxx/

Rich

[richg]

No doubt some will not go to the SoundTraxx Group so here a couple photos of someones install.
Again, don't ask me for details. This is NOT my install.

This view shows the inside of the body shell and the  surface mount tLED's with the resistor attached.



This image gives a fair view of the amount of material that needed to be removed for the decoder to be installed below the window line.
The finished installation allows for a clear view through the cab from the side.
The speaker shown is not the final one used for this install. The final choice is a 16mm X 25mm rectangular 1 watt unit mounted crosswise to the inside of the cab roof. The center pair of windows on both sides were also removed to allow for air circulation & sound escape. The electrical pickups were also modified for better reliability as the stay alive cap was not used for lack of room.



The few detais I show are from his photos in the Yahoo SoundTraxx photos section.

Rich

[richg]

45 ton video from a search. I use the same LokSound decoder in a couple 44 tonners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeTX_uz0OEY

The nice thing about the Micro Tsunami is that you can play with the sound a lot more than the LokSound decoder.

I put a Micro Tsunami in an old MDC/Roundhouse Climax and I was able to get some decent sound using the equalizer options in the Tsunami CV's.
The SoundTraxx documents spell this out very clearly.

Rich

[lewi]

Thanks richg for the good information.  I joined the Yahoo Soundtraxx forum.  BTW, are you the famed RichG that is on the Digital Scalextric slot car forum?

[richg]

Thanks richg for the good information.  I joined the Yahoo Soundtraxx forum.  BTW, are you the famed RichG that is on the Digital Scalextric slot car forum?

No, that is not me

Rich

[kamerad47]

 It  sucks that you can buy a wireless phone for next to nothing but a a sound card for this loco is 140 bucks!!!!

[richg]

It  sucks that you can buy a wireless phone for next to nothing but a a sound card for this loco is 140 bucks!!!!

Dude, it s the market. No where the need for the decoders as opposed to cell phones. Big market for cell phones means low cost manufacturing.
DCC is a VERY small market.
As you get older and wiser you will understand marketing and manufacturing cost. Some people never learn this.
Micro Tsunami, $111.96
LokSound Micro $130.89

There are cheaper sound decoders with less features.

Rich

[kamerad47]

The parts for these decoders is  no more then  20 bucks ! A curved turnout dosen't cost 20.00 more to make but they charge it!!! These things they no they can really mark up if you want them!!!

[ebtnut]

Ok, a little bit more about market forces.  There is a large investment needed to make specialty items like train parts.  And it is labor cost, which goes up and up, even in China.  That investment in time and labor has to be recovered, along with a reasonable profit.  Once you are at the manufacturing stage, there is more labor costs and well as materials, packaging and shipping.  If you make 50,000 items you can sell them at a small profit per item and make money.  If you only are going to sell 5,000 items, then the per unit cost has to go up. 

And BTW, those cell phones aren't as cheap as they appear.  Yeah, you might get a Droid for $75 but you have to sign up for a multi-year service plan with Verizon, AT&T or whomever.  It's a "loss leader" to get you into that contract.  If you try to buy one of those phones without the contract, they cost a couple hundred dollars.

[richg]

The parts for these decoders is  no more then  20 bucks ! A curved turnout dosen't cost 20.00 more to make but they charge it!!! These things they no they can really mark up if you want them!!!

It sounds like you should start a decoder company.

Any idea of development cost, cost of programmer people, software, cost of the machine that assembles and test the decoders. I have seen the machine and it is not cheap.
Web site cost.  There are many other factors. Cost to go out and record some sounds which I know they have done.
I have seen the same argument in model railroading over the years before DCC ever came around.
I have seen what is involved from Bruce who use to run Litchfield Station, an on line DCC company.

Try to repair a defective decoder like SoundTraxx does.

Rich

[richg]

Below link is about SoundTraxx and some of us use these sound decoders. The decoders are also in the Bachmann sound equipped locos but they cannot be bought separately.

http://soundtraxx-soundbytes.blogspot.com/

Rich

[kamerad47]

But I just bought a Broadway limtd sw for $125  with sound !! New!