wow, that speaker makes a huge difference. i've always kind of felt like sound equipped trains just sound so tinny like a cell phone speaker but i thought it might just be because i'm hearing a recording. even on video, that scale sound speaker actually makes it sound more like a real miniature train!
I Just discovered your site and already saw several videos. Excellent productions. new subscriber. I bought a Scale Train C44-9W DCC ready and found that the decoder that I want (Soudtraxx) can't be used because Scale Train has a deal with ESU, and they installed a proprietary crap that block you from get anything but a ESU decoder, either preinstalled or as an option. Now I have to replace the board that I paid for in the first place. I will never buy from Sound Train (at least locomotives) again.
Thanks for subscribing and welcome. I have heard of that proprietary component in scale trains. It is for the lighting not? At first I didn't get why Scale trains would allow proprietary parts on their engine. They are basically defending their subcontractor. I now think that ESU put some development into the features that scale trains insisted on having. And ESU wants to protect that IP. Anyways scale trains don't make any engines in my time frame. If they did I can't wait to try one. But like you and as stated in this video i will replace the electronics. @ScaleTrains feel free to chime in. EDIT: this might help. I don't know if this video covers all the 'proprietary' components, but it does a good job explaining why some features in a specific model don't work: ruclips.net/video/ni_dvcMHLAY/видео.htmlsi=rJuuLE86uu-AKs8y
Thanks for the feedback. Yea, they lost me. period. If you offer the possibility to you customer the option to use somebody else to use a different decoder, then let them do so but by do not advertise that you can when in fact you can't. Same with Broadway who now offer a "stealth" version (funny name.) At least you can do so with Broadway. By the way it isn't that under NMRA you can buy and use any component in DCC from anybody? Hmm, maybe they didn't get the memo.
Hi again, that RS3 engine is simply awesome. Not my era but I really like those first generation diesel engines. At least you had an easy task in installing a keep alive unit and putting an up grade decoder. I bought a DCC ready MP15ac from Athearn Genesis. Like you, I installed a keep alive unit and sound decoder in it. It's a Tsunami 2 decoder. We'll then, problems came up real quick. First of all, decoder has 12 volts lightning output. I had to remove the original 1.5 volt bulbs that were in by LED's. I installed only one at each end and put clear plastic lenses in the remaining holes. As I'm not the best technician on earth, I had a real hard time doing it. Second, there was not enough room to put the decoder, the keep alive unit and the speaker in the body space I had. There is some at the front but my speaker was a bit too big. At first, I should put a smaller speaker. I was lucky enough to fit everything in the same area. Too snug fit for me. It was finally a bad experience. But I wanted the MP15ac soo bad... I forgot how hard it's always to deal with Athearn engines. I also bought a DCC ready MP15dc from Atlas. Installing sound in it was like a walk in the park. It's a TCS Wow decoder with keep alive. Course the dynamic was different because of decoder "type". Next time, it will take more than loving an engine (Athearn) to buy it and put sound in it. Athearn are bad runners. They all need keep alive units. All of them ! Pain in the ... are the words that easily come thru my mind !
What an experience! 3v leds is definitively something to avoid! I noticed that with some rectifiers on the SSS website, they mention the capacitor that fits within the install. I checked for your engine and it didn't mention anything so there is probably not enough space as you have also concluded.
@@DubaiTrains Now that sucks ! I wrote a long mail to talk about issues with Athearn engines but I choose the wrong "spot" to answer and was not able to send it. I was mainly telling you that most of Athearn engines are bad runners and need to be upgraded. They're so easy to break when you start working on them too much. I bought the MP15ac just because Athearn is the only one who makes it. Otherwise, I started thinning my fleet and buying engines that are very reliable. Like Atlas. Most of the time, beautiful doesn't mean reliable. Keep on your good work.
Ha I know the feeling of losing long texts. Thanks for the info. I think Atlas and back in the day MTH made them as well. But i could be mistaken. I would suggest to keep an eye on ebay.
I've always wondered if you could simply wire the sound card into the layout itself, say the control panel, then run the output to a large speaker located under the table? The sound should be thunderously realistic, and you only need a couple sound cards that can be alternately switched on and off depending on the sound desired, rather than installing a card for every locomotive, a big savings! As long as the sound card is wired to the track voltage, it should work just fine this way.
Additionally, to amplify the sound I'm sure the speaker wires can be fed through an old fashioned stereo system which will magnify and tailor the sound, you could even use an equalizer if needed.
Yes one could do that. I think soundtraxx have a system like that with multiple zones, and BLI have rolling thunder. I don't know how much I would use it though. It is cool, but not very practical to have loud sounds filling the room.
I personally have had no other decoders fail except 5 Esu decoders failed. On our club layout almost every member has had 1-2 esu decoders failed. They are great sounding but quality is an issue with esu loksound that no one seems to be mentioning
Thank you so much, once again very interesting advices. A big thank you from France!
Your welcome.
wow, that speaker makes a huge difference. i've always kind of felt like sound equipped trains just sound so tinny like a cell phone speaker but i thought it might just be because i'm hearing a recording. even on video, that scale sound speaker actually makes it sound more like a real miniature train!
Yes it is a world of difference. As good as it is going to get from a tiny speaker. The only issue now is to replace all of the older speakers 😂.
I Just discovered your site and already saw several videos. Excellent productions. new subscriber. I bought a Scale Train C44-9W DCC ready and found that the decoder that I want (Soudtraxx) can't be used because Scale Train has a deal with ESU, and they installed a proprietary crap that block you from get anything but a ESU decoder, either preinstalled or as an option. Now I have to replace the board that I paid for in the first place. I will never buy from Sound Train (at least locomotives) again.
Thanks for subscribing and welcome. I have heard of that proprietary component in scale trains. It is for the lighting not?
At first I didn't get why Scale trains would allow proprietary parts on their engine. They are basically defending their subcontractor. I now think that ESU put some development into the features that scale trains insisted on having. And ESU wants to protect that IP. Anyways scale trains don't make any engines in my time frame. If they did I can't wait to try one. But like you and as stated in this video i will replace the electronics.
@ScaleTrains feel free to chime in.
EDIT: this might help. I don't know if this video covers all the 'proprietary' components, but it does a good job explaining why some features in a specific model don't work:
ruclips.net/video/ni_dvcMHLAY/видео.htmlsi=rJuuLE86uu-AKs8y
Thanks for the feedback. Yea, they lost me. period. If you offer the possibility to you customer the option to use somebody else to use a different decoder, then let them do so but by do not advertise that you can when in fact you can't. Same with Broadway who now offer a "stealth" version (funny name.) At least you can do so with Broadway.
By the way it isn't that under NMRA you can buy and use any component in DCC from anybody? Hmm, maybe they didn't get the memo.
@@Christiane069 yeah i get it.
And yes what is up with that stealth name? Stealth cos it makes no sound maybe.
Hi again, that RS3 engine is simply awesome. Not my era but I really like those first generation diesel engines. At least you had an easy task in installing a keep alive unit and putting an up grade decoder. I bought a DCC ready MP15ac from Athearn Genesis. Like you, I installed a keep alive unit and sound decoder in it. It's a Tsunami 2 decoder. We'll then, problems came up real quick. First of all, decoder has 12 volts lightning output. I had to remove the original 1.5 volt bulbs that were in by LED's. I installed only one at each end and put clear plastic lenses in the remaining holes. As I'm not the best technician on earth, I had a real hard time doing it. Second, there was not enough room to put the decoder, the keep alive unit and the speaker in the body space I had. There is some at the front but my speaker was a bit too big. At first, I should put a smaller speaker. I was lucky enough to fit everything in the same area. Too snug fit for me. It was finally a bad experience. But I wanted the MP15ac soo bad... I forgot how hard it's always to deal with Athearn engines. I also bought a DCC ready MP15dc from Atlas. Installing sound in it was like a walk in the park. It's a TCS Wow decoder with keep alive. Course the dynamic was different because of decoder "type". Next time, it will take more than loving an engine (Athearn) to buy it and put sound in it. Athearn are bad runners. They all need keep alive units. All of them ! Pain in the ... are the words that easily come thru my mind !
What an experience! 3v leds is definitively something to avoid! I noticed that with some rectifiers on the SSS website, they mention the capacitor that fits within the install. I checked for your engine and it didn't mention anything so there is probably not enough space as you have also concluded.
@@DubaiTrains Now that sucks ! I wrote a long mail to talk about issues with Athearn engines but I choose the wrong "spot" to answer and was not able to send it. I was mainly telling you that most of Athearn engines are bad runners and need to be upgraded. They're so easy to break when you start working on them too much. I bought the MP15ac just because Athearn is the only one who makes it. Otherwise, I started thinning my fleet and buying engines that are very reliable. Like Atlas. Most of the time, beautiful doesn't mean reliable. Keep on your good work.
Ha I know the feeling of losing long texts. Thanks for the info. I think Atlas and back in the day MTH made them as well. But i could be mistaken. I would suggest to keep an eye on ebay.
@@DubaiTrains Until next time, keep on your good work. Need to go back to previous videos on witch you've done very nice brick weathering.
I've always wondered if you could simply wire the sound card into the layout itself, say the control panel, then run the output to a large speaker located under the table? The sound should be thunderously realistic, and you only need a couple sound cards that can be alternately switched on and off depending on the sound desired, rather than installing a card for every locomotive, a big savings! As long as the sound card is wired to the track voltage, it should work just fine this way.
Additionally, to amplify the sound I'm sure the speaker wires can be fed through an old fashioned stereo system which will magnify and tailor the sound, you could even use an equalizer if needed.
Yes one could do that. I think soundtraxx have a system like that with multiple zones, and BLI have rolling thunder.
I don't know how much I would use it though. It is cool, but not very practical to have loud sounds filling the room.
That should work. The decoders already have an equalizer built in.
THANK YOU AS GIVE OUT GREAT SUPPORT LOOK OUT WHEN BUY LOCO
Thanks Robert.
I personally have had no other decoders fail except 5 Esu decoders failed. On our club layout almost every member has had 1-2 esu decoders failed. They are great sounding but quality is an issue with esu loksound that no one seems to be mentioning
So I am not the only one. Maybe folks feel that they did something wrong to break the decoder whilst it is the decoder.
The only time I destroyed a Loksound when I had exposed speaker wires on a recent run BLI Stealth SD40, it was a 58429 on the factory 21MTC board
I think that would break about any decoder.