Dungrange Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 Okay, this will be my first DCC project, so I'm looking for some advice on choice of speaker, which I know nothing about. I've ordered an ESU Loksound V4 decoder with Legomanbiffo's MPV sound project from DC Kits, which comes with a 40mm x 20mm speaker. Fitting the decoder will be a straightforward removal of the existing blanking plate and adding the 21 pin decoder. The MPV has a ready made speaker enclosure beside the motor under the deck, so again fitting a speaker, should, I hope, be straightforward, soldering one wire to the SP+ and the other wire to SP- on the 'motherboard'. What I'm not clear on is whether the 40mm x 20 mm speaker will fit depth-wise and also what is the best quality speaker that will fit in this space? DC kits sell a 'Supersound Slim Bass Speaker', which at 30mm x 25mm x 6.3mm would fit the space, but this is an 8 ohm 1.5W speaker and I think the V4 decoders need a 4 ohm speaker. If my understanding is correct, this means that I would need two 8 ohm speakers, which clearly wouldn't fit. Obviously an 'Earthmover' is too big, but are there other options worth looking for? DC Kits also sell a 'Supersound 2Watt (3 Watt Maximum) 4ohm Bass Reflex Speaker' which I think has the correct resistance, but I'm not sure of the dimensions. Is there any way of ascertaining what will sound best from specifications - ie is a higher wattage speaker better (because it is more powerful)? Does anyone have any recommendations as to what I should seek to purchase that will fit a Bachmann Windhoff MPV? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perfect Paul Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Hi. Good luck with your 1st DCC project. It is well worth giving Charlie @ DC Kits a call, as I'm sure that he will be able to advise you as to the correct choice & size of speaker. He stocks a vast range,and from my own experience, he will only sell you what you really need, and is a pleasure to deal with. Best regards, Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 From memory, there was only space for a 23mm round speaker in the enclosure provided by Bachmann. It may be possible to fit a larger/better speaker in one of the 'containers', with some discrete holes to let the sound out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete the Elaner Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 An 8 ohm speaker should be fine with a chip designed to drive an 4 ohm load. Trying to drive a 4 ohm load with a chip designed for 8 ohms would potentially be more of a problem. The impedance is lower, so the current draw is higher. A speaker which can handle more power (watts) will not make a difference in this situation. You will only get more volume from it if you can drive it with a more powerful amplifier. (An XL chip designed for O Gauge for instance). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
charliepetty Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 (edited) Okay, this will be my first DCC project, so I'm looking for some advice on choice of speaker, which I know nothing about. I've ordered an ESU Loksound V4 decoder with Legomanbiffo's MPV sound project from DC Kits, which comes with a 40mm x 20mm speaker. Fitting the decoder will be a straightforward removal of the existing blanking plate and adding the 21 pin decoder. The MPV has a ready made speaker enclosure beside the motor under the deck, so again fitting a speaker, should, I hope, be straightforward, soldering one wire to the SP+ and the other wire to SP- on the 'motherboard'. What I'm not clear on is whether the 40mm x 20 mm speaker will fit depth-wise and also what is the best quality speaker that will fit in this space? DC kits sell a 'Supersound Slim Bass Speaker', which at 30mm x 25mm x 6.3mm would fit the space, but this is an 8 ohm 1.5W speaker and I think the V4 decoders need a 4 ohm speaker. If my understanding is correct, this means that I would need two 8 ohm speakers, which clearly wouldn't fit. Obviously an 'Earthmover' is too big, but are there other options worth looking for? DC Kits also sell a 'Supersound 2Watt (3 Watt Maximum) 4ohm Bass Reflex Speaker' which I think has the correct resistance, but I'm not sure of the dimensions. Is there any way of ascertaining what will sound best from specifications - ie is a higher wattage speaker better (because it is more powerful)? Does anyone have any recommendations as to what I should seek to purchase that will fit a Bachmann Windhoff MPV? Put 2 X Sugarcube speakers in one of the modules (In Parallel), then its loud. Charlie Edited February 17, 2018 by charliepetty Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dungrange Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 Put 2 X Sugarcube speakers in one of the modules (In Parallel), then its loud. Charlie Is 'loud' best? I wasn't sure that a 'cube' would fit (hence ordering the 20 mm x 40 mm speaker, which might), but some further research suggests that these sugar cubes vary in size, are not actually cubes, and some would probably be flat enough - I found a 7 mm depth version somewhere. What is the 'bass' like on these and could I use two different types of 8 ohm speaker in parallel (eg a slim bass speaker and a low profile sugar cube) to get a fuller range of sounds? I'll catch up with Charlie at DC Kits at Model Rail Scotland this weekend, so hope to have something that fits next week. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady_Ava_Hay Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 Is 'loud' best? I wasn't sure that a 'cube' would fit (hence ordering the 20 mm x 40 mm speaker, which might), but some further research suggests that these sugar cubes vary in size, are not actually cubes, and some would probably be flat enough - I found a 7 mm depth version somewhere. What is the 'bass' like on these and could I use two different types of 8 ohm speaker in parallel (eg a slim bass speaker and a low profile sugar cube) to get a fuller range of sounds? I'll catch up with Charlie at DC Kits at Model Rail Scotland this weekend, so hope to have something that fits next week. The bass performance of any small speaker depends on two parameters; size and size of the rear enclosure. Since the first parameter is controlled by the available space, a lot of the bass performance can be usefully heard by careful sealing of the enclosure and perhaps directing the sound from the front of the speaker towards another ventilated box or metal plate. Sugar cube speakers are a marvel and give very adequate bass performance that belies their size......as long as they are correctly placed and the enclosure is air tight. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted February 19, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 19, 2018 When I did mine years back I noticed that there were a couple of solder tabs under the chassis had the possibility of shorting out the chip if you fitted a 20x40 speaker without any housing It was that long ago it was before the introduction of the likes of sugercube speakers and small ‘decent’ bass enhanced speakers Found the thread, 7 years old!! http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/48368-howes-sound-chipped-bachmannmpv-lok-sound-v35-version/?fromsearch=1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now