Digital Noises

[Simon]

I'm finally working on fitting DCC and sound to my Fred Phipps 1/32 D6319.

I have nearly finished making a sealed "box" in the centre of the body under which will be fixed two 40mm speakers mounted on a stout piece of plastikard, which effectively forms a downward facing "lid" on the box.

I may cut out the chassis frame beneath these speakers to allow the sound to "escape" but have been informed this may not be neccessary.

I have the big loksound 3.5A chip blown with the relevant DB MAN engined loco plus English noises, horn etc, and have a pair of the ESU 40mm speakers.

Question, I presume I cut a pair ofholes in my "lid" to correspond with the actual speakers diameter and fix the whole speaker in its housing as supplied to the lid?

This doesn't seem right to me as you then have a small chamber behind the speaker "cone" (which is very flat) which is itself inside my "boom box", but if I take the speakers out of their housings they'll be impossible to fix and the small black housings dont look as if they are designed to be carved to provide a mounting but with their backs "cut out".

I will also have to run wires along to connect (they are going in series) which will slip through small slots let into the black speaker housings. Should I then seal the remaining slots?

Hopefully this question makes sense to someone (Steph!) - apologies for rambling on incomprehensively to everyone else. A picture would be worth several words but I can't find the camera.

I'm off to finish off sealing the "boom box", one small grille and the windows in a pair of engine room doors and I 'm done.

Next job after that is to mount the chip on the chassis and route the wiring, then its contemplating "showtime" .

Simon

 

[TheSnapper]

Hi Simon

I read your post with interest. I have been experimenting with sound enclosures for my JLTRT Class37 for a long time, which is my excuse for not finishing it……(jeers from the Heyside crew).

I have attached some (poor) pictures taken some time ago, of the Plastkard enclosure & cut-out resin chassis. From experimenting with sound in 00 days, I always found the speaker firing down onto the track gave the best results.
I think cutting through the chassis & fuel tanks provide a kind of horn loading on the speaker, which certainly gives plenty of volume, and I think, "depth of sound".

I have since painted the box, re-configured the wiring etc and replaced the Loksound XL with a Zimo chip, as the Zimo has a dedicated output for a smoke unit. (PLUG: The Loksound is For Sale in Small ads!) However, the basic configuration is the same except that – and this will be a bit controversial – I have drilled holes near the top of the enclosure, so it is not airtight. I found that fully enclosed, the sound was too muffled; the holes seem to let the speaker” breathe” a bit, to my ears. I think this would only work with this type of configuration though – if the enclosure is small and doesn’t have a “horn”, you would lose lower frquencies, and an airtight enclosure is better.

When I get time, I will take some new shots to show the new config, if you are interested. You never know, there might also be a video sometime……….

Regards

Tim

 

[Simon]

Tim

That is very interesting, thank you very much. Perhaps I will leave the small bodyside grille unsealed for the moment and then conduct some experiments with it open and sealed with tape based upon your findings.

Based upon your installation and what I heard of the SW digital 7mm models I will hopefully get some seriously bass output from my set up

I shall continue the installation (and find the camera), in the meantime I'd be very interested to see and hear more of your experiences.

Simon

 

[Simon]

I have finished sealing the void in the body that will form the "soundbox" into which I will mount the two speakers. I didn't leave any "gaps" as discussed above - I can always add them back in with a drill!



I used the clear plastic from one of the boys "oxford diecast" cars to seal behind the engine room door windows and the single grille, the other "boxes" are made out of black plastikard and sit behind the main grilles with the suggestions of internal platework as suggested by Fred in his instructions fitted inside. The bottom (ie top) one encloses the cooling fan which is visible from the main roof grille. I have used epoxy to ensure a complete seal and also in the hope that it will deaden and damp any rattly or reverberating tendencies in the structures.

Next job is to mount the speakers on the "lid".

Simon

 

[Simon]

I have just cut out and mounted the two supplied speaker housings into the "lid" for my speaker box.



When the polystyrene cement has dried I will run a fillet of epoxy resin around the joint to ensure a good solid job and then slightly file back the black "cylinders" to make a neat and uniform job.

The parcels tape is just holding everything flat on to the bench.

I'll get there, one day.....

Simon

 

[Simon]

Well, I epoxied around as per above, sanded back the edges, gave it a wash, dried it and fitted the speakers.

Actually I fitted one and then had to spend quite a while "adjusting" the other housing with a knife edge as it had slightly distorted when I fitted it into the ever so slightly not perfect hole

Anyway, both in now:



Next job was to solder on wires (in series) and then route and fix the wires to stop (hopefully) any vibrating tendencies:



Which leaves me quite close to making noises, hopefully. Next jobs are to devise a way of fixing the speaker plate to the sound box, possibly adding a connector to the speaker wires so the body will be completely removeable from the chassis and attaching the chip to the chassis, finally routing the various wires.

Current favourite method for fixing the speaker plate is silicone sealant.

Off to watch telly with the boys now so probably no more progress tonight.

Simon

 

[28ten]

Looking forward to the noises

 

[Simon]

Here's the speaker plate in position over the soundbox.



I next cobbled together some angle brackets out of Oxford Diecast box with holes drilled into it and managed to fix the chip to the loco chassis in a more or less credible way. I have also re-routed the wires along the underside of the chassis and marked out where I am going to cut out further sections of chassis to give the speakers a "clear route".



I thought I might have got near to noises tonight, but I have an intermittent short circuit between the chassis and the "insulated pick up". I think it's related to the backs of the "insulated pick up" wheels touching the bogie chassis, I have plastic washers in place and it's almost as if the lubricant or something on the axle is bridging the insulation (which is between the axle and wheel)

Its too late to try and work it out now.....

 

[Simon]

Well I've wired it up, and after a bit of a "false start" whereby I'd wired the board in upside down (what a muppet) it is now working.

I've only tried it on DC as I can't get the continental plug adapter in order to fire up the Multimaus, it's in Harry's room and he's fast asleep - oh well, tomorrow morning should hopefully yield a bee barp or two

At least I know it works

Simon

 

[Simon]

I had to buy an adapter, ours went the wrong way

The sound is awesome, I love it

I siliconed on the speaker panel this morning and the result with the body put on to the chassis is very good without cutting out any more holes in the chassis. It will be interesting to hear it outside in the open air rather than in an enclosed room.

So far so good, no glitches or funnies, I've just got to work out how to make the loco go in the same direction as the knob, if you see what I mean.

The flange squeal is very effective and the bee and the bee barp are just brilliant .

I may just have to run a train tomorrow morning, a yard of Peco is definitely not enough!

Now where can I find a cheap little chip for the 48DS?

Simon

 

[28ten]

We need a movie.......

 

[Dog Star]

I hope that you mean "a talkie"....

 

[Simon]

I'm trying at the moment, it isn't very good but gives some idea of the excellent play value, if it makes it.....

Simon B DeMille

 

[Simon]

Well, its called D6319.mov and my youtube user name is Marshcastle.

It won't win any prizes but gives a bit of an idea. I like the way you get a brake squeal if you give it a bit of "reverse thrust" (I think) The (ahem) driver hit the shelf at one end of the second to last run and the battery ran out at the end of the video, at which point I was trying to hit your ears with everything available

What japes, I must try it out in the garden tomorrow.....

Simon Speilberg

 

[28ten]

Nice. I like the handy stand in the background

 

[Dikitriki]

Difficult to set acceleration and deceleration in 1/32 on a yard of track

 

[Simon]

D6319 had a quick run on the garden line - brilliant!

Apart that is from my usual electrical bonding failure on the crossing and the sound of traffic on the A4 - I guess it was sort of "rush hour" so usually not so noisy.

No vids as the camera battery gave up and I had to put it all away and get over here to the shop, but I'll be out there later

Simon

 

[JimG]

Nice. I like the handy stand in the background

Product placement creeping in.

Jim.

 

[Phill Dyson]

(I think) The (ahem) driver hit the shelf at one end of the second to last run and the battery ran out at the end of the video, at which point I was trying to hit your ears with everything available

What japes, I must try it out in the garden tomorrow.....

Simon Speilberg

 

[Simon]

A bit more running tonight, it was darker than I wanted it to be but still great fun running up and down. I haven't worked out exactly how/when you get the brake squeal but it turned up at several relevant points in my playing.

I took a video, but be warned I have taken the whole filming trains in the garden to a new level of "avant garde", I think I am going to call it my "black cat in a coal celler" period I think it demonstrated the sound chip quite well though, apart from the "clucking chicken" auto focus on my trusty Coolpix.

Rest assured that the cameraman was not wearing a hi viz vest and clearance was not obtained from Network Rail

Best viewed in a darkened room!

Simon