legomanbiffo

Fear not Chamby, the benefits of the EM speakers will be obvious regardless of what volume setting you use. Only when you are trying to achieve the highest volume (eg for noisy exhibition use) do you have to take precautions to prevent things rattling from the large amounts of sound energy being developed in an enclosed space. Said precautions are very straightforward to carry out, and typically involve; Adding weight (always a good thing anyway) to stop the wheels rattling on the track if the model is very light Adding damping such as blue tac or thin lead flashing glued on to large, unsupported panels and bodysides. You can also use thin sheets of foam in-between metal chassis and plastic body to achieve the same thing. Securing any loose parts such as bulkheads, roof fan parts etc with PVA glue to stop them rattling (PVA has the advantage of being removable if you ever need to do so). Bif

Not true Russ. Charlie Petty and I popped down to Princes Risborough after the Aylesbury show last year to see the bubble car amongst other things. We were right at the end of the platform and the bubble car was in the bay. It must have been forty or fifty yards away, but the buzzer was clearly audible at departure time, so much so that we both looked up at one another and smiled, as this often-quoted myth (ie you can't hear it outside the train) was firmly put to bed. It was summer time and the driver's window was probably open, but that's the level that I set the volume of my buzzer, and I'm sure Paul will do something similar. Bif

Oops, yes I see what I've done. I'll direct my question to the 'real' Graham. Bif

Graham, Have you run the Deltic around your track at high volume without any problem? The reason I ask is that the EM2 speakers have a much greater cone excursion than other types of speaker and if you're not careful the round cone can hit off the sleepers, track pins etc. I did a 92 in the way you describe and that is ok but a bassy loco like the Deltic might be a different kettle of fish. You could (potentially) avoid this by recessing the speaker a mil or two further into the body, if there's room?

Getting power to the chip is straightforward, various types of pick-ups are available commercially and cheaply including ones by ESU, but just as effective is some bared wire spiral-wrapped around each axle. I've done this to power a working tail-light in 4mm so I know it works. The axles have to be metal of course, with one fitted 'back to front' to pick up from the opposite rail. The main difference between sound in a wagon and sound in a loco is that there's no motor in a wagon, so the chip doesn't 'know' how fast the wagon is moving. ESU and I believe Zimo chips as well have a trigger input which could be connected to a cam or hall-effect switch on an axle to detect this. That would then enable very realistic effects like the variable-speed flange squeal I program in my locos if a v4 chip were used. I've never tried this but there's no reason why it couldn't be made to work. I have suitable recordings which could be deployed. If no cam is fitted you'd be limited to having several buttons, each triggering a recording made at different speeds which would be less thsn ideal. You'd also need to consider what address to put the chip on vs the loco's address (same one or different), whether to consist them, what F keys are already in use on the loco and so on. It's not as straightforward as it might first appear. I once saw a simple mp3 record / replay device used with a static trigger input (probably a reed switch but an IRDOT or something similar would be just as effective) to produce flange squeal at a set of points whenever anything passed over them. The sound was the same every time but it would be easy to randomise it if you used an ESU v4 chip. A little extravagant yes but it would be highly effective and again I have suitable recordings. Sadly time prevents me from pursuing all these interesting avenues! :-)

I've done it by F-key selectable 'modes' rather than consists. Both chips are set to the same address. To use the 33 (or 4TC) on its own, select F0 as normal. Lights and directional sounds then behave as normal (ie horns etc work in both directions). When used together, press F19 or F20 instead of F0, depending upon which end of the train the loco is marshalled. Horns etc then come from the 33 when it is leading or the 4TC if the 33 is propelling. Everything swaps round automatically when you change ends. The guard's whistle is the opposite way round and always comes from the rear of the train. Common sounds such as brake applications and flange squeal come from both chips. There are several different ways this could have been done but I felt this method would be easy to use and still allow the loco to be used on other trains without having to be reconfigured (or indeed reblown). Bif

Before anyone says 4TC's don't make any sound, here's some of the ones they do; SR horns SR whistle SR compressor Buffering up Buckeye coupling Motor Alternator set Playable brake application and dump Randomised Mk1 door slams Authentic Mk1 toilet flush(!) Flange squeal Despatch whistle Randomised right-away bell and optional buzzer reply Detonators My latest version of the 33 is already set up to operate with the 4TC without the need for a reblow. All 'directional' sounds such as horns, despatch whistle, right-away bell etc only come fron the appropriate end of the train and reverse automatically when the set reverses. Non-directional sounds such as brake applications and flange squeal come from loco and unit simultaneously. The unit's function key layout matches the 33 and my standard. The 33 can of course still operate independently with horns etc in both directions. Bif

If the chip is set up correctly it will be possible to sit with the loco at idle indefinitely without the motor running. However, I have found that analogue controllers from different manufacturers all output different voltage ranges, and setting the chip up to suit one does not guarantee it will idle satisfactorily with another. Fortunately the settings are user-adjustable via CV, and a little experimentation should yield the correct values. Bif

Alan, If you have a lokprogrammer we offer a huge range of UK diesel and electric loco and multiple unit sounds, any if which we can send to you by email for a very reasonable price. Send me a PM for a list and details, or take a look at the DC Kits website. Bif

I'm pleased to hear that you like it. I can't believe I didn't think of it before really. Our recording session at the Wensleydale railway was on a very damp day and when we tried to record the 'full thrash' take-offs on wet rail it took quite a few attempts to get one without slipping. I ended up with a lot of wheelslip recordings and thought hmmm.... It's worth pointing out that you can still thrash away from stationary without slipping if you want to. All I've done is to add a fifth way to depart on top if the four that were already there. If you want to slip, open the throttle wide open and leave it there. Open it almost wide open and you'll get full thrash without slipping. It's also very easy to control how many slip cycles you get (by backing off the throttle slightly when you've had enough). If you leave it fully open you'll get about 5 slip cycles until the loco finds its feet. Bif

Steve, The EM2 can be used in any application where a 4 ohm speaker is called for, including chips from manufacturers other than ESU. In the vast majority of cases the EM2, by virtue of its extended bass response, will greatly improve the sound from any sound chip. However, we've found that the results from the Hymek and 66 are not pleasing so in those cases we recommend other alternatives. We have used EM2's to great effect in 24, 25, 26, 27, 33, 37, 40, 45, 47, 55, HST, & 91 so far. Hope this helps, Bif

Bob, Dimensions are in one of these threads somewhere. Their two notable merits are very high clarity and a bass response that exceeds any speaker of a comparable size by some margin. Mike, Relieved to hear you're using a standard chip, that will be fine with an EM2 even on full volume. Bif

What chip is in your 26? EM1's are only 1W and could only be used on an XL at very low volume settings.

Rob / Mike, pleased to hear that you like the Class 14 sound, it's one of my favourites. I've yet to hear it in 7mm but if our 4mm demo model with two sugar cubes is anything to go by it should be good. Charlie has EM1's and 2's in stock and I have 3's here. If you'd like any 3's send me a PM or email. EM3's are only 2W so you need to be very careful with XL's. Bif

I test speakers with a PP3 battery all the time. Just dab it on briefly, if the speaker clicks then chances are it's fine. if you leave the battery conected it will probably blow the speaker fairly quickly so just be very brief. That's all you need anyway.

I had an enjoyable browse through your You Tube videos last night Anthony, very good. You can't beat a full length Eurostar or Pendolino and your layout captures the feel of a busy, modern main line to a tee. I must get round to finishing my Eurostar rake, and I do like the look of your GNER one... Bif

I'd never actually looked these up before, having just used my ears instead, but the specs confirm my suspicions. The 3db points are as follows; EM1 200Hz - 20kHz EM2 150Hz - 20kHz EM3 105Hz - 20kHz This compares to around 300Hz at the lower end for the Dumbo speakers. QED

Richard h, Having heard the dumbo speakers in various guises, whilst they are loud and compact and definitely have their uses they have nowhere near the bass extension necessary for most diesels and especially a Deltic. Even the EM1 goes deeper. Bif

To add this feature to the front and rear lights on one of my projects, change the following CV's, in order; CV 31 to 16 and CV32 to 0 to set the index pointer CV 259 to 2 (to change the front lights to slow fade) CV 267 to 2 (to change the rear lights to slow fade) Substituting 2 for 0 in CV's 259 and 267 in the above sequence resets them back to instant on / off Bif

Tankdave, you can buy v4 chips loaded with any of my sounds from DC Kits in Leeds. I keep all of the blank chips here and reblow them to order. I also keep a large selection of different speakers which again you can order from DC Kits. We're always happy to advise on which speakers to use for best results. We also offer a range of different sound fitting options on most locos. Hope this helps, Bif

Yes we are. You won't like it though :-)

Hang onto your hats, two brand new Class 37 sound sets will be available to purchase and listen to at York, based on my recordings of 37674 at the Wensleydale Railway as featured here: There will be one suitable for 37/0's and a refurbished one suitable for 37/4, 37/5, 37/6 or 37/7. Unlike the previous 37's I've recorded, this one has a really nice rolling idle. As before there are four different ways of pulling away, from gentle to full thrash. However, there is a thrash-tastic twist in the tail this time! If you open the throttle wide from stationary the loco tries to do a full thrash take off but slips repeatedly and spools down each time. Eventually it finds its feet and continues at full thrash. Whilst the engine is spooling down each time the speed does not increase, so you see a surging effect just like the real thing. You can stop the slipping at any time by backing off the throttle just slightly from maximum (if you only wanted it to slip once for example). You can still pull away on full thrash without slipping at all by opening the throttle to around 90% rather than all the way. Many of the auxiliary sounds are completely new (horns, sanders and exhausters etc). And if that's not enough to entice you I have also implemented the ESU manual brake function on F5 so you can brake using a button should you wish. Also available will be my sounds for the Heljan Class 14 Teddy Bear and as Charlie stated above, a demonstration of the new Realtrack 156 with a host of great sound and light features. Looking forward to catching up with you all again at York. Bif

This is a feature I've rolled out across the range over the last six months or so, to all locos and units that had the old-fashioned tungsten light bulbs. The LED style lights on modern locos come on instantly so these haven't been altered. It is possible to add this feature yourself. I'll make a note of the required CV changes and post here shortly. Bif

We do a separate chip for the Hastings Unit, recorded on the main line and I can confirm that it does sound very different to a Thumper. Much more like a Class 20, and has a rolling idle. Bif

Not if you fit smoked acetate behind all windows. It hides everything a treat but the train still looks normal from the outside. Freestone Model Accessories sell it, and Hobbycraft probably do too. You have to do both vehicles on the Thumper though, otherwise it looks daft.