Does a decoder With Sound exist for my SD-45's? from Kato (Kato N SD45 GN Hustle Muscle #400 DCC Ready 176-3127) I know the TCS DCC drop ins exist but what about something with sound??
SoundTraxx does make a N scale TSU-750 decoder(Tsunami) with the correct prime mover. A EMD645 turbocharged. Going to be very hard to put a TSU-750 decoder into this locomotive if not impossible. There just is not enough room, and you would have to machine the frame to install a speaker in the fuel tank. I have not seen one with the shell removed but I would guess that there very little room for a decoder.
One clever solution I have seen was to install the Tsunami in a 50 foot box car or larger and have that be the first car behind the locomotive. In a 89 foot auto parts car, you can fit a dual Tsunami with woofers to really pound out the sound and tie them to two different locomotive in the consist. Shoreline Back Shops has a kit for doing this.
The Tsunami is .5" wide which is wider then the space in a narrow cab locomotive. The ESU Loksound is only .4" wide which should fit. I've put one in an SD40-2. The problem with the Loksound is the only place I could fit the speakers was in the fuel tank, which required some work with a Dremel. If you're not willing to mill out the fuel tank, the boxcar suggestion is probably the way to go.
Would that be the MRC 1806 sound decoder? A good friend recommended this as well. He said he had done the same. Did you have to modify the engine much?? (speaker?) MRC - DCC Series - N DROP-IN: KATO SD40-2, Item: 0001806, TRAIN CONTROLS/DCC TCS's decoder is the same for both engines so I would presume that would be true for other manufacturers TCS digital decoder Installation for N-Scale model trains
Yes that's the one, there is no modification required. However, The sound isn't extremely loud, I usually modify my MRC installs by putting a BLMA or other detail company's fan in and mounting the speaker under that so the sound can get out of the shell, this helps a lot with the volume of the MRC. I've also used a two speaker system in the MRC as well, this also helps a lot with the volume. All of these modifications I've only done on SD70ACe's I haven't tried that on an SD40 yet.
If you want louder sound with the MRC 1806, replace the 32 ohm OEM speaker with a Soundtraxx 3/8" 8 ohm speaker (same size). Just pull the MRC speaker off and reuse the foam gasket if possible as a bit of a sound baffle. You will have to desolder the original speaker and solder the Soundtraxx to the same solder points. Not difficult. The lower impedance speaker will be much louder and you will have to turn down the volume.
I think the general consensus is they sound horrible. I love the Tsunami sound, I'd like to get my hands on an ESU Loksound and test it out, but they are pricey. I've heard they are good though, plus they are smaller than the micro tsunami.
Good to know info I would have hated to gotten it and then waited for that penultimate moment only to cock my head and wonder WTHeck. This may be the answer, I found them on the web for about $8. May even install 2 if I can get them in there. Now is there a decoder of choice for the Steam engines? I have several I will be modifying......
if you got the room it's hard to beat the Tsunami for the Steamers. I've got them in 4 of mine and LOVE them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8I8_ha26sk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l5TeGleYbY
The best decoder for the kato SD45 is a loksound micro, You should order it from either top hobby trains or streamlined backshop services and they will preload which ever prime move sound file your want. You can get the file number for them off of ESU's website. If you order the decoder from an ordinary dealer they probrably wont be able to preload it for you and you will have to get your own equipment to program the decoder. The loksound micro can fit in most N scale locomotives. the thing is finding room for a speaker, usually in the fuel tank. The only diesels that you can fit a tsunami in is the F45 and FP45 by athearn and Ive done two tsunami installations on a pair of Kato E-8s but that is another story.
I'm *very* interested in this topic. I am just getting back into model railroading and have been picking up a number of diesel locomotives, decoders, speakers, etc. and trying to decide what I like and don't like. Right now I have an Atlas Master Line SD50 locomotive with a Digitrax drop in sound decoder, 2 Kato SD70ACE's with drop in digitrax decoders (no sound), and two Kato SD70ACE's (KCS Southern Belle) that I am in the process of installing Loksound Select Micro decoders in. The general plan is to use two of the 10mm oval 8ohm speakers in parallel for a 4ohm load on the Loksound Select decoder. I'm still in the process of working out to install the encoders in the locomotives, but my general observations thus far have been that the Kato locomotives are far superior to my little Atlas Master line. They have a lot more power, and run a LOT smoother. I'm still waiting on TrainTek LLC to send me the Digitrax speakers (backorder), so hopefully I will be able to get them going soon.
my general observations thus far have been that the Kato locomotives are far superior to my little Atlas Master line. They have a lot more power, and run a LOT smoother. Well, I wouldn't agree about power, but they do tend to run much more quietly. You don't want mechanism noise being louder than your sound decoder's prime mover, and some Atlas engines are louder than I would like. Two speakers are not necessarily better than one. There are significant implications if you wire them in series or in parallel. You could blow your amp if you parallel them. If you google "wiringfordcc", there is a whole chapter on speakers, and how multiple speakers compare with singles regarding volume, frequency response, power consumption, distortion, etc. The few times I've put in two speakers, I haven't been particularly impressed that it's been worth the effort. An enclosure is by far the most important factor in getting the best sound.
The LocSound version 4 decoders use a 4 ohm speaker. Some of the smaller speaker setups they sell are two 8 ohm speakers in parallel.
Two speakers are certainly better than one. All things being equal it will be a +3db in terms of sound level, or double the volume. You are right though, it depends on the specifications of the speaker and that of the amplifier driving it. For example, if you have a Loksound Select Micro, they are rated for a 4ohm load. Two 8ohm speakers wired in parallel will produce a 4ohm load. If you have a different decoder that is rated for an 8ohm load, the 4ohm load can/will damage it. It's important to match the amplifier to the speakers in terms of resistance, otherwise you can overdrive the amplifier and bad things happen. I had a bit of a disaster with my SD70ACE today, one of the frames broke in half! I'm still mourning it's death.
Yes, the 8 ohm speaker will be louder, but if you don't turn down the sound, it will be distorted because the amplifier is now driving a lower impedance load.
That's almost a surefire way to blow the amp, if not immediately, then over time. The amp is used to seeing a certain speaker impedance value. The stock MRC speaker impedance is 32ohms. If you put an 8 ohm load in there, yes you'll get louder sound, but the amp is also going to get hotter.
