IronBeltKen
Lazy Daydreamer
I've been dragged kickin' and screamin' into the Dark Side, but I'm slowly adapting. I finally installed a Soundtraxx LC decoder and speaker in my Atlas GP38, they had been sitting on my shelf for over two years. Even though I started the project on Friday, honey-dues kept springing up like mushrooms and I could barely find time to work on it.
Originally I thought I'd have to grind away the top part of the rear weight to fit the speaker enclosure. But when I got the weights off, and saw the the Soundtraxx decoder was slimmer than the light-control PCB I was replacing, I realized I could fit the speaker directly on top of the decoder if I arranged the wires correctly.
First, here's a shot of the components I needed to install:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/soundtraxx_LC_and_oval_spkr.jpg
I spent over 30 minutes trying to get the shell off, the explosion diagram wasn't much help - but finally I prodded in the right place and it was all downhill from there. Here's a pic of the shell with the tabs so you don't have to go thru what I did:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/soundtraxx_in_GP38_001.jpg
With the walkway still attached, and me not having experience dissembling the newer Atlas locos, I didn't realize the wieghts could be separated from the frame - but a friend on the Atlas forum set me straight on that:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/soundtraxx_in_GP38_004.jpg
This was the first time I had to deal with an install that involved soldering, so I was a tad nervous. Nothing like a pair of helping hands to keep things steady:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/helping_hands_and_spkr.jpg
Before I could go any further, I needed to make an enclosure. The following 3 images show the box taking shape:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_and_enclosure_001.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_and_enclosure_002.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_and_enclosure_003.jpg
A final clearance check:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_and_encl_clearance.jpg
No pics of the soldering, I was too stressed out to do that. After I did the initial test, one of the speaker wires broke off on the decoder end as I tried to get the shell back on...sweet! I ended up shortening both wires, resoldering them wasn't as difficult as I'd feared. Here's how everything looked before the shell went back on:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_in_GP38_001.jpg
The next image shows where the speaker sits: almost, but not quite directly, under the dynamic brake fan. It's see-thru, so the sound has a way of getting out.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_in_GP38_002.jpg
I'm not sure if the Trainman geeps have see-thru d/b fans or not - if they don't, then it may be a good idea to get a Cannon fan to put over that spot. Otherwise the sound may be muffled.
Here's a final shot of my GP-38 reassembled, after successful testing, just so you know everything did fit inside there.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_in_GP38_004.jpg
That Soundtrax LC decoder seems awfully quiet compared with QSI and Digitrax sound decoders, at full volume it's just loud enough to sound good. But I've got to admit, it's the best at reproducing the 'bark' of a normal-aspirated EMD prime mover, of any brand decoder I've heard so far. The diesel Tsunami just can't get here soon enough!
Originally I thought I'd have to grind away the top part of the rear weight to fit the speaker enclosure. But when I got the weights off, and saw the the Soundtraxx decoder was slimmer than the light-control PCB I was replacing, I realized I could fit the speaker directly on top of the decoder if I arranged the wires correctly.
First, here's a shot of the components I needed to install:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/soundtraxx_LC_and_oval_spkr.jpg
I spent over 30 minutes trying to get the shell off, the explosion diagram wasn't much help - but finally I prodded in the right place and it was all downhill from there. Here's a pic of the shell with the tabs so you don't have to go thru what I did:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/soundtraxx_in_GP38_001.jpg
With the walkway still attached, and me not having experience dissembling the newer Atlas locos, I didn't realize the wieghts could be separated from the frame - but a friend on the Atlas forum set me straight on that:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/soundtraxx_in_GP38_004.jpg
This was the first time I had to deal with an install that involved soldering, so I was a tad nervous. Nothing like a pair of helping hands to keep things steady:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/helping_hands_and_spkr.jpg
Before I could go any further, I needed to make an enclosure. The following 3 images show the box taking shape:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_and_enclosure_001.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_and_enclosure_002.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_and_enclosure_003.jpg
A final clearance check:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_and_encl_clearance.jpg
No pics of the soldering, I was too stressed out to do that. After I did the initial test, one of the speaker wires broke off on the decoder end as I tried to get the shell back on...sweet! I ended up shortening both wires, resoldering them wasn't as difficult as I'd feared. Here's how everything looked before the shell went back on:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_in_GP38_001.jpg
The next image shows where the speaker sits: almost, but not quite directly, under the dynamic brake fan. It's see-thru, so the sound has a way of getting out.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_in_GP38_002.jpg
I'm not sure if the Trainman geeps have see-thru d/b fans or not - if they don't, then it may be a good idea to get a Cannon fan to put over that spot. Otherwise the sound may be muffled.
Here's a final shot of my GP-38 reassembled, after successful testing, just so you know everything did fit inside there.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/electronics/speaker_in_GP38_004.jpg
That Soundtrax LC decoder seems awfully quiet compared with QSI and Digitrax sound decoders, at full volume it's just loud enough to sound good. But I've got to admit, it's the best at reproducing the 'bark' of a normal-aspirated EMD prime mover, of any brand decoder I've heard so far. The diesel Tsunami just can't get here soon enough!