Sound Decoder
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D I Y or Pay an expert to fit Decoder
Hi All This week I treated myself to an early Christmas Present(as nobody else will):sad:. I purchased a new class 57xx in London Transport livery. The decoder recommended is a "E S U Micro Loksound V4", If it is a straight forward job?? would one of you kind modellers please tell me where can I get my hands on one?? and how much would one cost?? Conversely, if anyone knows someone who can do a proper job without bodging it, and who has got time to spare at this busy time of year, would you let me know Kevin
Staying on the thread Kevin.
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Digitrains also have a sound : http://www.digitrains.co.uk/ecommerce/search/ds020-gw-pannier-tank-soundfile.aspx
I would get in contact with one of the suppliers and ask them if they can do the install. If they can't, there would be a retailer of their products who will.
Cheers, Gary.
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Staying on the thread Kevin.
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Regards
Alan
Born beside the mighty GWR.
Alan
Born beside the mighty GWR.
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Staying on the thread Kevin.
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Plenty of information on the web about how to do this. Shouldn't take more than 30 minutes. Is it DCC ready? I seem to remember some issues about this model. Decoder in the body, small speaker in the bunker. Thread the speaker wires around the backhead. The holes should already be in the floor.
Nigel
©Nigel C. Phillips
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But it is supposed to be straight forward to do. But just in case it isn't, I thought that I would look for help . All the best Kevin
Staying on the thread Kevin.
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I'm always busy. Lol
I'll give a more detailed reply to your PM later.
Fitting a speaker in the bunker requires the removal of a large balancing weight. Not really advisable, in my view, and it puts the speaker partially on display. The small speaker suggested in that thread can be improved upon, too.
Non of that is necessary if you choose a ZIMO decoder as there is one small enough to allow everything to fit inside the boiler/pannier tank space.
Loksound Micros are a bit too bulky for this one, so if you prefer them you will need to utilise either cab or bunker space for your speaker.
Kind regards,
Paul
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All the best Kevin
Staying on the thread Kevin.
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Plug and play for a quick fix, bit more work for a decent installation.
Not sure about the weight issue, they're normally rear heavy unless some weight is added at the front, and getting rid of any bunker weights normally improves traction as there is uniform weight over each driver. Getting rid of the bottom half of the bunker back plate and the boiler DCC circuit and plug allows some interesting options - decoder in the boiler, speaker in the bottom half of the cab/bunker; decoder in the cab/bunker and speaker in the boiler (which means sound comes out where the cylinders are, not in the bunker); speaker and decoder in the cab/bunker with the speaker facing down, decoder on top, and another speaker in the boiler (if the decoder amplifier is up to it). Putting the speaker in the bunker means it has to be small. Even a sugar cube has a battle even after judicious holes are drilled in the coal (which should be replaced with the real stuff as it normally looks like reindeer droppings) or the floor.
More than one way to skin this cat.
Nigel
©Nigel C. Phillips
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Staying on the thread Kevin.
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The Adams 02 has only access in the smoke box for the decoder. Dave Jones had designed the model so that a speaker can be placed in the coal bunker, including a chanel for running the associated wires from the decoder.
Now there is a sound profile waiting for Paul Chetter to get stuck into ! ;-);-)
Cheers, Gary.
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Staying on the thread Kevin.
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On some of the smaller stock there is often no other choice than to get the surgical instruments out and start doing what the manufacturer should have done. The issue for me is that the sound decoder is often equal in value to the locomotive if not more. If I've paid good money for the decoder and speakers I want it to sound good. I look upon the necessay butchery as demolition and improvement. As i said, not for the faint hearted.
If you're worried about keeping the value of the locomotive, check secondhand prices of models just a few years old. Adding DCC sound probably did more to keep the value, even if it involves selective modification of the bodywork and the chassis. I model in EM, so every locomotive gets modified in one way or as another anyway, irrespective of the DCC conversions.
Nigel
©Nigel C. Phillips
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All the best Kevin
Staying on the thread Kevin.
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It's wise to be a bit wary of 'Experts'; it's not a label I would attach to myself voluntarilly. I've found that they often disagree. Lol.
This is not a 'Father knows best' situation.
Nigel makes a fair point that there are other ways of doing this conversion. I did not say, nor did I mean to imply, that ZIMO was best. I did outline why, in my view, the smaller format available from ZIMO would be more suitable in this model.
You will know that my preference is always to use ZIMO decoders. They are what I use for all my own installations and the type I know best. This means I am able to offer advice and support so I feel confident in recommending them. You should make an allowance for this in any suggestions I make, though I will never knowingly give any inaccurate advice.
There are others available, though as I pointed out, they might not fit as easilly and therefore the installation might present more challenges for you, particularly in view of your initial question/title.
It makes no difference to me whatever choice you make.
I'll PM you as promised shortly.
Kind regards,
Paul
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Staying on the thread Kevin.
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Thank you. Personal recommendation is often a good indicator - especially if you recommend to yourself. Lol.
Kind regards,
Paul
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Staying on the thread Kevin.
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