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Hattons/Heljan O gauge with Zimo sound


John YouChoos
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Many have been eagerly awaiting the new Hattons/Heljan O gauge LNER A3 and A4 models to arrive, and finally the A3 has reached us!

 

OHattonsA3-035.jpg

 

Very interested to see what improvements they've made compared to the Prairie and Mogul models, and there are certainly some.  Overall build and approach is similar, though the model is much more modular, meaning it comes to pieces much more easily than the GWR models.

 

It does however come with the same ESU 'L' adapter board in the tender for DCC provision, which is fine if you like LokSound, but if you prefer ZImo, then you have a little more work to do.

 

The easy Zimo option is to put kit in the tender, which includes a OO sound decoder on a booster board (we used the MX645PluX22 decoder with ADAPLU board).  This gives 1.8A continuous output to the motor and stall current up to 2A or thereabouts - and when we measured the current draw of the new A3 model, it does get up that way!  Normal running seems to be around 0.75A though.

 

Installation is simple - un-solder the 'L' adapter and solder in the ADAPLU (RED and BLACK for track, ORANGE and GREY for motor, BROWNS/PURPLES to the speaker pads).  We also added a 17000uF SuperCap for stay-alive.  This all fits easily down in a gap in the tender's metal weight, so effectively takes no space whatsoever!

 

We used a YouChoos YLR603010 which sits where the 'L' adapter was, all secured with Kapton tape and BlackTack.  That's it.

OHattonsA3-064.jpg

 

Runs well, sounds loud enough, though the sound does come from the tender.

 

We then took the same model and decided to improve on it by putting the same speaker in the boiler instead.  The loco comes apart fairly easily, and there is plenty of space under the chimney.  They've even provided a pair of wires specifically for a speaker in there.  The problem is that there is nowhere for the sound to escape.  Even with the chimney drilled out, it is quite muffled in comparison to the same speaker in the tender.

 

Next stage then was to build a better custom box for an even larger speaker... this sits under the chimney, and still works with the MX645PluX22+ADAPLU.  However, to get even more sound (more than 3W), we had to switch the decoder for a proper large-scale decoder - the MX696S.  This is the same size as the ESU 'L', but we wanted the YLR603010 in the tender too, so modified the coal slope in order to accommodate both the YLR603010 and the MX696S in there.

 

The custom box is a bit of a bodge-job just to see if it worked - it is fully sealed though, with glue and BlackTack!

OHattonsA3-005.jpg

 

MX696S in tender with YLR603010:

OHattonsA3-015.jpg

 

This combination works really well - super loud, and the apparent 'origin' of the sound moves forward a bit, though emphasis is still toward the rear.

OHattonsA3-024.jpg

 

We had various problems with our model, but nothing insurmountable.  Overall, really pleased, and very promising for Hattons/Heljan going forward.

 

See the complete installation guide and notes here:

https://youchoos.co.uk/Index-Resource.php?L1=Guides&Item=OHattonsA3

 

Enjoy!

John

 

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We have just received our A3 Pacific and currently fitting it with the ESU L decoder, which this model is designed for so unless you live 'messing about' the ESU LokSound L Decoder is a direct plug & Play unit.

 

Should be on the Website shortly.     Charlie (Legomanbiffo/wheeltappers Team)

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