Sound for Bachmann SP Daylight

[emdtrainman]

Hi to All,

I am a G Scale person myself but my nephew likes HO Scale. He recieved a Bachmann DCC-Equipped GS4 4-8-4 & Tender with Operating Headlight last year for Christmas and then got the Bachmann DCC Command System. All is working well but now wants to add sound.

Is there a "Plug and Play" sound system available for this particular locomotive? Since he has the Bachmann DCC Command System and the loco is already DCC equuipped I wondered if Bachmann offers a sound decoder that will simply plug into the system without any major wiring.

Please remember, this is for my nephew who is only 13 so the more simple we can keep the sound options the better off we are plus I need the sound decoder to work with the Bachmann DCC command system.

Thanx in Advance

[MilwaukeeRoadfan261]

I would recommend the Soundtraxx Tsunami Heavy Steam decoder. It may be $119 but they are good quality decoders, I have 2 engines with Soundtraxx sound and have no complaints about them except the exhaust chuff could be set to be more in sync with the drive wheels. You can make it plug and play by adding the 8 pin plug wiring harness made by Soundtraxx and as far as the sound functions, it has 14 of them so the Bachmann Command system can handle only the first 9 functions and headlight on/off, basically the main functions most people use (F0 [F10 on the Bachmann EZ-Command system] headlight on/off, F1 bell on/off, F2 whistle, F3 short whistle blast, F4 cylinder drain, F5 dynamo [the steam powered electric generators on top of the boiler that power the lights],F6 tender water fill, F7 headlight dim, F8 mute, and F9 [don't know what that one is off the top of my head]) will be available on his controller. If he wants to access the other functions (F11-F14) he will need a controller that can handle more functions like the Dynamis DCC system. But otherwise the Soundtraxx heavy steam decoder would be a good choice.

[Doneldon]

emd-

I'm guessing that you mean that your grandson has an EZ Command DCC system but I hope he has the Dynamis. The latter system is significantly more powerful and offers full DCC programming capability as well as access to more sound and light features.

Your loco isn't plug-n-play. I have to say that I love Milw261's statement that your loco will be plug-n-play if you install the plug-n-play. That's kind of like saying an apple and an orange are just alike except the orange. (Milw261 -- no offense but I did enjoy the way you cast a positive light on this.)

Don't be discourages about having to install the wiring harness. It's not a big deal.

                                                                                                                               -- D

[MilwaukeeRoadfan261]

emd-

I'm guessing that you mean that your grandson has an EZ Command DCC system but I hope he has the Dynamis. The latter system is significantly more powerful and offers full DCC programming capability as well as access to more sound and light features.

Your loco isn't plug-n-play. I have to say that I love Milw261's statement that your loco will be plug-n-play if you install the plug-n-play. That's kind of like saying an apple and an orange are just alike except the orange. (Milw261 -- no offense but I did enjoy the way you cast a positive light on this.)

Don't be discourages about having to install the wiring harness. It's not a big deal.

                                                                                                                               -- D

No offence taken Don. What I consider a plug and play decoder is a decoder that you can just plug into a DCC socket within a locomotive, program it and go; again like a Soundtraxx decoder could be with the 8 pin plug wiring harness made by Soundtraxx for their decoders.

[richg]

For plug and play, SoundTraxx still misses it a little. You have to solder the two speaker wires. Some people have no soldering experience.
There is a way to cut back the shrink a little to install a 9 pin to 8 pin adapter so you do not have to solder the wires to the 8 pin plug. SoundTraxx allows that. I have posted the link before on how to do this.

There is at least one company who offers a true plug and play with speaker attached to the decoder.

Rich

[Doneldon]

Milw261-

I agree completely with your definition of plug-n-play, as does the
NMRA. There do seem to be a few manufacturerrs who stretch the
definition a bit.

                              -- D

[richg]

The decoder comes with a chuff cam wire. SoundTraxx sells a cam option. There are different factors that affect the chuff rate.
It is up to the user to simonize the chuff. This is model railroading.

Rich

[richg]

For plug and play, SoundTraxx still misses it a little. You have to solder the two speaker wires. Some people have no soldering experience.
There is a way to cut back the shrink a little to install a 9 pin to 8 pin adapter so you do not have to solder the wires to the 8 pin plug. SoundTraxx allows that. I have posted the link before on how to do this.

There is at least one company who offers a true plug and play with speaker attached to the decoder.

Rich

It just occurred to me, SoundTraxx does not mention, Plug and Play to my knowledge. Some users use the term liberally. My mistake.
Even Bachmann is not plug and play with some of the locos, the caps are an issue.

Rich

[richg]

Here is a link about using the 9 pin to 8 pin adapter and a lot of info about the tsunami.

EVERYONE, store the link in Favorites to give to users who are new with the Tsunami decoders.

Bruce has been teamed with SoundTraxx for some years. His site is loaded with a lot of DCC info.

http://www.mrdccu.com/curriculum/soundtraxx/tsunami.htm

Rich

[emdtrainman]

Thanx for the DCC link and help. I'm not DCC savy at all and I can learn the basics and even apply them to G Gauge.

I thought HO scale would be more advanced in DCC and Plug N Play technology. G Gauge is a mess and will always be a mess since nothing is standardized. Aristocraft currently is the only G Scale manufacturer who sells locomotives with true plug and play operations but you have to buy a proprietary control system much like MTH Gauge 1 which isn't true DCC but DCS instead. USA Trains G scale teamed up with AireWire and they offer "Repolacement Boards" with plugs for remote throtte control, sound and battery power. But again all plugs are proprietary to certain name brand systems. I will be happy the day comes when G finally has standardized plugs.

[emdtrainman]

Actually my nephew, but he has the EZ Command DCC system. I was hoping for a plug and play system since I thought that HO scale would be alot more advanced in electronics Technology than G Gauge.

I am a mechanic by trade so soldering and installing a wire harness is no big deal, I was worried about the horros of chopping the wiring up completely to do a install which is what you have to do in G Scale sometimes along with adding and wiring diodes or resistors.

emd-

I'm guessing that you mean that your grandson has an EZ Command DCC system but I hope he has the Dynamis. The latter system is significantly more powerful and offers full DCC programming capability as well as access to more sound and light features.

Your loco isn't plug-n-play. I have to say that I love Milw261's statement that your loco will be plug-n-play if you install the plug-n-play. That's kind of like saying an apple and an orange are just alike except the orange. (Milw261 -- no offense but I did enjoy the way you cast a positive light on this.)

Don't be discourages about having to install the wiring harness. It's not a big deal.

                                                                                                                               -- D

[Doneldon]

I thought that HO scale would be alot more advanced in electronics Technology than G Gauge.
I was worried about the horros of chopping the wiring up completely to do a install which is what you have to do in G Scale sometimes

emd-

That's true about G equipment but at least there's plenty of room for the decoder, speaker and wires. I put DCC into a Bachmann
Porter 0-4-0T and it felt like working in Mammoth Cave. I kind of like that compared to doing the same job inside a little HO
locomotive. I have no idea how the N- and Z-gauge people do it.

                                                                                                      -- D