dcc sound in older p2k sd9


guitarherowanab

guitarherowanab

HO Scale
i have an older p2k sd9, i think from 2001, that i want to put sound into. i have the decoder picked out...the qsi revolution-u, and the speaker, or speakers, qsi hb106r high bass.. ive noticed that on my newer sound equipped p2k, a soo line rs27, that this loco uses 2 speakers. i was wondering if this is reccomended/possible on retro fits? also, i noticed on a website that shows the sound installation of a speaker into a n sd9 shell, that they installed the speaker in the long hood under the radiator fans. in my rs27, the exploded parts diagram has the 2 speakers in an a frame over the drive shaft. anyone with any experience with this particular installation? if i have to modify the frame, how do i go about that? can i use a dremel tool, or are we talking about some advanced machining?



thanks


rob
 
I have not put sound in my old protos yet but I asked this same question a few weeks back. What I have been told and from the looks of it you will have to cut some of the weight out to have room for the install.
 
I put a crappy MRC sound decoder in my P2K SD-9. The speaker sound the best if it's top firing through the fan. I had to mill off about half an inch of the weight just behind the motor to get the speaker magnet to fit. I don't know how big you speaker is compared to mine but there's not a lot of left over space for speakers. Two smaller speakers would probably do a better job than one larger one if you can find a place for them.
 
so i should just mount it in the shell under the fans? the speaker i was lookin at is a 1.06 inch job....i havent measured the shell yet. it also has an enclosure you can order. this is at tonys tarain exchange. ok measured the shell and it looks like there is only about 3/4 of an inch width inside the shell. hmm gonna have to think on this one...if id go with 2 speakers, how small could i go? i would guess more speakers = lower volume setting = less distortion? i dunno how all that works.

and if i have to mill the weight, is it an exact science, or just whatever works? do i have to worry about balance and stuff like that?


thanks


rob
 
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the weight in the SD9 takes up just about the whole shell. Take a measuerment of the decoder thickness and then add a little for wires. cut the weight out with a hacksaw or cut off wheel and then test fit the decoder. It would be smart to cut the weight when its removed from the loco so that the metal shavings dont find the motor brush magnets. with a diesel its very hard to off balance the weight the axels are at the far end of the loco so there is no way to really upset it. Im still wondering my self if it would be smarter to have 2 small speakers in a GP or SD unit? I only have sound in my steam engines and larger FA diesels that I could use large speakers in???
 
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Milling the weight is pretty much a trial and error procedure. You're better off having a little too much space than not enough, so I took off about 1/8" more than it looked like the speaker required. A Tony's .63 inch Dream Speaker and enclosure should just about fit. Mounting it right under fans will give you the best sounds. Although it's a small speaker, it pretty high efficiency and the sounds are more than acceptable. There's no question that a larger speaker will produce a deeper bass and less distortion at higher volumes but that just isn't an option with the SD-9. You get more information at http://www.tonystrains.com/products/pop-speakers.htm.
 
i talked to the guys at tonys today, and i think im set. he told me to take out the board entirely and hard wire the decoder....that creates a little extra space. still gonna have to mill the frame a little, but im gonna give it a go. goin with a qsi quantum revolution u and the tds mini oval speaker mounted under the fans. he said they have done this before and had great results.....so we will see
 
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If the guys at Tony's say it will work, it will. They know what they are talking about. I was wondering if that mini oval speaker would work. It should give you much better sound than the round one.
 
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I just installed a Loksound 3.5 in my SD7 tonight. I had to remove the weight in the nose of the loco to allow the speaker and baffel to fit in the cab roof aera. I removed the weight by sawing the thin parts of metal near the frame and then removed the whole nose block. doing this allowed the round speaker and baffel to fit in the top of the cab shell and not get near the drive shaft when the shell was on the loco. I used a dab of silicone to secure the speaker to the roof of the cab. The decoder fit neatly along the top of the stock P2K board and it plugged directly into the P2K 8 pin socket. the shell went back on with no trouble or fitment issues. the only thing that I need to address is the directional lighting as the F and R lights stay on all the time. Sound is very loud and I will have to lower some and raise others.

hope this helps
 
that sounds not too terrible and doable. i have a plan now, anyways. i think i have it all figured out, just hafta wait to get the speaker to measure. thanks all for the advice, and ill keep posted.
 
not a problem...if you have messed with the CV settings did you happen to adjust the volumes? if so could you tell me how to adjust the engine sound level so I can lower it. I saw that I can adjust the master vol,bell vol, and horn vol but i cant seam to fingthe engine vol??? Right now the prime mover sound is so loud at normal running speeds that I cant clearly hear the horn over it.

Thanks
Trent
 
i just looked at the stuff that came with my pcm sd7, and it has a loksound v3.5 decoder in it. it appears as if the only sounds that are adjustable are the overall and the horn. actually, i just ran into a problem with this decoder tonite that i made another post about. it runs fine, but when i turn on the headlight, both are either on or off, no matter the direction. and when i turn them on or off, im getting what i think is the short air letoff sound bleeding in. never had a problem with it before, for almost two years now, so idk.
 
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ok. i have the decoder and speaker wired up. i ended up cutting a gap in the rear weight so the speaker projects up through the fan grills. it sounds pretty good with the loco body on, but im considering adding a second speaker so i can lower the overall volume, as it breaks up just a little. anyways, installation was pretty straightforward and the thing absolutely CRAWLS! the only issue i have is that when i put the motor back in it was vibrating a lot and being very noisy. a little foam under it seemed to solve this. the other issue is that my front gearbox is rather noisy. i have lubed both front and back, and they seemed a little better after, but still not quiet. this loco used to be absolutely silent. any suggestions? is there a way to take the gearboxes apart?


and ill have some pictures to put up soon, as well



thanks



rob
 
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