Jon Grant 4472 Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 My latest project changes era again, back to the 1990s, after spending the last couple of months in 1930s Chicago and 1940s Pennsylvania. I hope to fit a Quantum Revolution soundchip into an Atlas SD35 and then detail the loco to show three different owners at once - Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Coast Line and CSX, with lots of patchwork evident. The first job is to make room for the speaker and soundboard, including the capacitor by cutting away parts of the loco weight. I also removed the dual-mode DCC decoder that came with the loco. The next job is to make a seat for the speaker above the rear truck and fit the rear light. Ps. Those of you who have followed the progress of Sweethome Alabama may have noticed that the hill in the background has been somewhat de-forested - the trees went to Sweethome Chicago last month Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcoRS1 Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I have 2 Atlas SD35, one has a QSI sound which is factory installed, the other is a Soundtraxx 645 Turbo, because the SD35 567 turbo sound more like a 645 T. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
squeaky Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I have fitted sound to an Atlas SD35, mine was a later chassis which has a space to put the speaker which made it a bit easier. I also fitted the QSI 567 turbo sound which is correct for the SD35. It cost more than the Soundtraxx version and to be honest I prefer the Soundtraxx boards. I relocated the capacitor onto the end light board as you can see on the left hand end. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Grant 4472 Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 Nice install Squeaky. I went for the QSI 567T sound for the SD35 and the GP30 (next one up). Not having ever heard one 'in the flesh' I thought I'd better go for the 'correct' decoder, not being experienced enough to know of a suitable alternative. Lesson learned if it sounds just like an SD40-2. Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigZ Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Nice install Squeaky. I went for the QSI 567T sound for the SD35 and the GP30 (next one up). Not having ever heard one 'in the flesh' I thought I'd better go for the 'correct' decoder, not being experienced enough to know of a suitable alternative. Lesson learned if it sounds just like an SD40-2. Jon It ought not to sound just like an SD40-2. Frankly the turbcharged 567 had a lot more turbo whine to it...when I first heard a Class 66 it reminded me a bit of the Southern GP30s I used to hear idling here. Here's a GP30 idling on the Carolina Southern, presumably in Chadbourn, NC. The SD35s sounded identical for all intents and purposes. Under load the 567s sounded not as deep as the SD40s... Personally, for my money I prefer the Soundtraxx EMD sound chips. They have the non turbo 567 nailed solid. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 ...the turbcharged 567 had a lot more turbo whine to it...when I first heard a Class 66 it reminded me a bit of the Southern GP30s I used to hear idling here. That's one to compete for whistle at a Show with those awful Bachmann Class 20s ... Am I right in thinking that 'Soundtraxx' and 'Tsunami' are the same thing..? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcoRS1 Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 The reason on the soundtraxx I went with the 645T, because the 567 turbo does not sound close to a GP35 or SD35 more like an earlier 567 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigZ Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 That's one to compete for whistle at a Show with those awful Bachmann Class 20s ... Am I right in thinking that 'Soundtraxx' and 'Tsunami' are the same thing..? Well, sorta....Soundtraxx makes a decoder called Tsunami...they made other products in the past not called Tsunami. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted November 24, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 24, 2010 Am I right in thinking that 'Soundtraxx' and 'Tsunami' are the same thing..? As Craig says, they used to offer other products, and these made sound affordable in the first place as far as I was concerned. Installing sound in a Bachmann 2-8-0 nearly 10 years ago was scary but successful! Their DSD-LC (Low Cost) range was simpler in its functionality, but enabled a 3- or 4-set of F-Units to have a sound system in each unit without horrendous cost. I compared them with MRC, Loksound and even QSI and found that their 567 was as good as any, even though the MRC and QSI products were factory installations, while the DSD & Loksound were my DIY. Soundtraxx have now dumped these cheaper models and it's Tsunami all the way, reflecting the principal competition (QSI) having only one price-level. Somewhere in the mess that is my workbench/computer desk I have a new Digitrax SDH164D decoder - just £35 from Bromsgrove Models made it too good to resist. This offers "generic" sounds for steam and diesel. Buying a PR3 interface means you can then download other Digitrax soundfiles into it - some of which are UK prototype. With luck I'll find a suitable silent loco in the barn before Xmas! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Grant 4472 Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 Excellent video clip Craig. I hope mine sounds as good. I still really like the Soundtraxx LC 567 decoder with the distinctive 'gearing up' sound, something the QSI decoder didn't capture. My favourite though was the DSD 567 (sound only) decoder although it could be a sod to try and find space in a loco for 2 decoders. I haven't got a Soundtraxx Tsunami 1st gen decoder yet, so I can't comment - I have a couple of Kalso Shops GP10 kits, so I will 'get a round tuit' eventually. Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
squeaky Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Have a look at this if you want to hear the QSI SD35 It's the same one as above in my previous post. You can really here the turbo whistle! Yes I did go a bit mad with the horn ,but I just wanted to show what it sounded like and the horn on QSI is very good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Grant 4472 Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 Have a look at this if you want to hear the QSI SD35 Nice whistling sound and I like the 'throaty' horn sound too. I hope I can achieve something similar with the speaker I'm using. Slightly off topic. I swapped a loco for one of those MRL SD35s, although it's more for a long term project than anything coming up soon. I might even keep it MRL. Jon PS. Bring it along to Cardiff show next year and I'll let you run it on Sweethome Chicago Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcoRS1 Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 I post awhile back a link with the QSI SD35 and the soundtraxx Tsunami 645T so you can here them, they sound very similar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_wbxnbQ97o Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Grant 4472 Posted November 28, 2010 Author Share Posted November 28, 2010 I finally finished the install tonight after a few busy days at work. I added some lead to the top of the motor to compensate for what had been cut away. More will be fitted beneath the long hood, when I start on the body. I modified the 8ohm high-bass speaker to include the LED for the rear light. This was the only way I could get the LED at the correct height. I also had to cut away some of the clear plastic from the lens/numberboard casting so the speaker would fit. The capacitor wires were shortened to suit and the capacitor sits loosely on a cradle made using the pickup wires and those for the front nose-mounted LED. Here are the photos Even without the body-shell in place, I am pretty pleased with the sound quality from the speaker. Now to start on the detailling and weathering on the loco. Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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