Steve Brammer

On 24/01/2021 at 10:50, blueeighties said:

Hi Steve. That all sounds very interesting. Have you tried any speaker options in 0 gauge?

Hello Lee,

It's been a long time since I have touched anything in O gauge, however please be aware that be aware that there is a bigger brother to EM2.....The EM3 !!! This gem has all the same characteristics of the EM2, just more. Combining this speaker with a large Bass Reflex type speaker really works in O gauge.

Cheers,

Steve.

Thank you Richard

Just dipping me toes back in so to speak...

Steve.

Hello everyone,

I am so sorry it has been a long time since I have ventured onto these pages or indeed anywhere else. Personal health and other circumstances that I shall not dwell on here lead to my attentions needed elsewhere.

A deep debt of gratitude however must be paid to Bif for supporting me through this period of time.

My time away from things has not been completely wasted however......

My EM2 sound fitting has evolved and after a lot of experimentation with multi speaker installations I can reveal some interesting combinations. I  would at some point like to share the results at a few exhibitions in the future, though I will not be doing sound fitting commercially due to my increased commitments with my "real" job working for LNER.

Anyway enough of the serious stuff and now for something completely different :0

I now have as follows;

A Bachmann Deltic fitted with two EM2's and a Bass Reflex in the tanks with porting.

A Bachmann Class 37 with two EM2's and a Bass Reflex.

2x Bachmann 25's both with two EM2's. (running as a pair!)

A Heljan Class 33 with one EM2, one Slab speaker and an Alan Butcher in the tanks.

The results from these locos surprise me every time I go into my shed!

I intend to give my Dapol 68 the full beans treatment next. This loco has an EM2 speaker fitted, however compared to the loco's above now sounds somewhat muted....

The loco's have been run and run, working perfectly with no failing of the chips....

I am now hearing sounds in Bif's files I haven't heard before and the bass is unbelievable. Unfortunately due to Covid restrictions Bif hasn't had chance to hear them, however the Class 25 with two EM2's is the first project he has been able to hear clearly down a phone!!!

Once Bif and Charlie have heard them I do wish to share the results at a few exhibitions if and when they restart and if Bif and Charlie will have me. By then I should have a fleet of loco's enhanced to beyond standard EM2.

Take care,

Cheers,

Steve.

Hi Steve

 

         you quoted  "As far as the work affecting models is concerned, the Bachmann models benefit from superior running due to the cardan shafts being now parallel instead of cranked at angles. The absolute smooth silence of the mechanisms is noticed by people as much as the improvement to the sounds."

 

On a Bachmann 37 chassis, assume removing the chassis motor mounting to get an EM2 fitted,  will result in the motor then being mounted directly on the tank weights ?  is this correct.........

 

AFAIK the EM2 is rated at 1watt/4ohms ?  - is it recommended or necessary to fit a second speaker wired in series, as is required with the EM1 it being only (1/2Watt/4ohm) 

 

Keep up the good work..........

 

Regards

Ken

 

Edit: Charlie's on the ball............... my EM2's arrived this morning.........................

Hello Ken,

You are perfectly correct. The EM2 sits directly on top of the ballast weight in the tanks. I sand the bottom of the motor and the top of the weight to give a good keying surface then bond the motor directly with 3M VHB tape (Very High Bond). The motor is then both cushioned and held secure, result!!

The EM2 requires no additional speakers to accomodate it believe me, it does a great job on it's own!

Note to self, must stop using so many exclamation marks!! oops!

Cheers,

Steve.

Sorry gents my phone appears to be having a hissy fit! Please accept my apologise.

As far as connectors are concerned for EM1 and EM2 speakers. The EM1 needs a JST1.25 female connector and the EM2 requires a JST1.25 male connector. You can get these from eBay and come in bundles of 20 of each. How convenient!

Cheers,

Steve.

Hi Bif

Noticed the EM2 has a 2pin socket, shame they didn't come with a plug/leads ? - however the plug of the EM1 leads appears to fit - sorted - although I'd rather use soldered connections, but looks a bit tricky to do that on the EM2.

 

Some serious metal gonna need to be removed on the 37 chassis to fit this EM2 .......... ! with not a lot of space left to mount a decoder/connection board etc..............

 

However - I do like a challenge............

 

Regards

Ken

 

Hi Bif

Noticed the EM2 has a 2pin socket, shame they didn't come with a plug/leads ? - however the plug of the EM1 leads appears to fit - sorted - although I'd rather use soldered connections, but looks a bit tricky to do that on the EM2.

 

Some serious metal gonna need to be removed on the 37 chassis to fit this EM2 .......... ! with not a lot of space left to mount a decoder/connection board etc..............

 

However - I do like a challenge............

 

Regards

Ken

 

Hi Bif

Noticed the EM2 has a 2pin socket, shame they didn't come with a plug/leads ? - however the plug of the EM1 leads appears to fit - sorted - although I'd rather use soldered connections, but looks a bit tricky to do that on the EM2.

 

Some serious metal gonna need to be removed on the 37 chassis to fit this EM2 .......... ! with not a lot of space left to mount a decoder/connection board etc..............

 

However - I do like a challenge............

 

Regards

Ken

 

Hi Bif

Noticed the EM2 has a 2pin socket, shame they didn't come with a plug/leads ? - however the plug of the EM1 leads appears to fit - sorted - although I'd rather use soldered connections, but looks a bit tricky to do that on the EM2.

 

Some serious metal gonna need to be removed on the 37 chassis to fit this EM2 .......... ! with not a lot of space left to mount a decoder/connection board etc..............

 

However - I do like a challenge............

 

Regards

Ken

Hi Steve

 

         you quoted  "As far as the work affecting models is concerned, the Bachmann models benefit from superior running due to the cardan shafts being now parallel instead of cranked at angles. The absolute smooth silence of the mechanisms is noticed by people as much as the improvement to the sounds."

 

On a Bachmann 37 chassis, assume removing the chassis motor mounting to get an EM2 fitted,  will result in the motor then being mounted directly on the tank weights ?  is this correct.........

 

AFAIK the EM2 is rated at 1watt/4ohms ?  - is it recommended or necessary to fit a second speaker wired in series, as is required with the EM1 it being only (1/2Watt/4ohm) 

 

Keep up the good work..........

 

Regards

Ken

 

Edit: Charlie's on the ball............... my EM2's arrived this morning.........................

Hello Ken,

Yes place the motor directly on top of the weight in the fuel tank. I use 3M VHB tape (very high bond) and sand a rough surface on both the weight and motor for a good keying surface. On some Bachmann models you have to cut out sections of the plastic moulded underframe to accomodate the bottom of the flywheels (Peaks and 25's particularly. You don't need a second speaker to work with the EM2, it behaves itself well enough on it's own. Unless of course you are attampting the Atomic Option Deltic with two EM2's and two chips. We aren't crackers really honest!!

Also, now knowing what I know now! A little more than you can fit on a postage stamp, even if I wasn't fitting EM2 speakers on my own models I would still make the alterations to the cardan shafts. It makes even my 15 year old Deltic whiuch has been to the moon and back, many exhibitions and has received 12 sound installations run like a £400 continental model with not an element of noise from it's mechanisms.

Cheers,

Steve.

Steve

 

My question is more would a custom made EM2 speaker designed to fit within a modern diesel be an option? I have no idea as to the origins of the EM range and guess that they are designed for a different purpose than fitting into models. My point is that with a custom design (and even if it cost more), the overall cost might fall because it would mean less work required by the likes of yourself to fit them. It would also be a better solution for the model because and notwithstanding your skills, it must be better to minimise modification of factory built models.

 

Perhaps a follow up question is anyone aware of dialogue taking place with model manufacturers about them changing the loco design so that larger speakers can be used? Given that model designs already exist, I guess manufacturers will struggle to see any economic benefit of changing designs. However if they are not asked then they are unlikely to do anything. 

 

regards Rob[/quote Hello Rob,

 

I am aware of dialogue taking place with manufacturers, however response has been either can't be bothered, the provision is perfectly adequate or simply ignored. However I'm not complaining too loudly as part of my income, putting food on the table is getting more out of sounds!

 

As far as the work affecting models is concerned, the Bachmann models benefit from superior running due to the cardan shafts being now parallel instead of cranked at angles. The absolute smooth silence of the mechanisms is noticed by people as much as the improvement to the sounds.

 

In the end it comes down to choices. Some people want one thing and some people want another. I can't please everyone and to be honest there aren't enough hours in the day. However if a certain few are happy to join us on our little trip into sound then they are more than welcome.

 

If I stopped enjoying this jobby I would hang up my coat tomorrow.

 

Many thanks for your continued interest in our little projects,

 

Kind Regards,

 

Steve,

 

A member of the misfits and reprabatic (may not be a word!) sound team,

 

Charlie, Bif and Steve.

We think "adequate is a rather crappy word.

Steve

 

My question is more would a custom made EM2 speaker designed to fit within a modern diesel be an option? I have no idea as to the origins of the EM range and guess that they are designed for a different purpose than fitting into models. My point is that with a custom design (and even if it cost more), the overall cost might fall because it would mean less work required by the likes of yourself to fit them. It would also be a better solution for the model because and notwithstanding your skills, it must be better to minimise modification of factory built models.

 

Perhaps a follow up question is anyone aware of dialogue taking place with model manufacturers about them changing the loco design so that larger speakers can be used? Given that model designs already exist, I guess manufacturers will struggle to see any economic benefit of changing designs. However if they are not asked then they are unlikely to do anything. 

 

regards Rob[/quote Hello Rob,

 

I am aware of dialogue taking place with manufacturers, however response has been either can't be bothered, the provision is perfectly adequate or simply ignored. However I'm not complaining too loudly as part of my income, putting food on the table is getting more out of sounds!

 

As far as the work affecting models is concerned, the Bachmann models benefit from superior running due to the cardan shafts being now parallel instead of cranked at angles. The absolute smooth silence of the mechanisms is noticed by people as much as the improvement to the sounds.

 

In the end it comes down to choices. Some people want one thing and some people want another. I can't please everyone and to be honest there aren't enough hours in the day. However if a certain few are happy to join us on our little trip into sound then they are more than welcome.

 

If I stopped enjoying this jobby I would hang up my coat tomorrow.

 

Many thanks for your continued interest in our little projects,

 

Kind Regards,

 

Steve,

 

A member of the misfits and reprabatic (may not be a word!) sound team,

 

Charlie, Bif and Steve.

I am waiting to hear the EM's in action at the Bristol show with great interest. I fear that I am going to want to upgrade the dozen base reflex speakers in my class 37 fleet which will not be cheap!  This is not a complaint in anyway, shape or form and I am very happy with the base reflex sound fitting by Steve which is considerably superior to the ESU standard speaker. It is simply a case as with many things where new products render older ones inferior and ultimate obsolescence; such is progress.

 

A thought for peoples comment/consideration, is it possible to get the EM speaker in a size that fit within locos and thus avoid/reduce the work involved when upgrading?. I am assuming here that the EM speaker is not something made for models and is something that Charlie and/or one of his colleagues have sourced hence the need to do so much work to get them into locos. I suspect that the EM manufacturers would consider a custom job if there was sufficient demand, even if it were at a higher cost, a speaker that involved less work to fit into a loco might well mean the overall cost falls.

 

Again, to repeat my earlier point, I am not complaining about costs or criticising Charlie or Steve, I just wonder if there is a different way forward?

Hello Rob,

Yes, I am sorry we keep upping the ante as far as sound is concerned. We keep discovering new products, techniques etc and always ask whether we should inflict whatever it might be upon everybody else's eardrums too! 

In answer to your question regarding the making of a smaller version  of EM2, there is one available in the form of EM1. However unfortunately we cannot compress the laws of physics and the difference between these two speakers is very noticeable. 

The recommended fit by Merlin is for the EM2 in the Bachmann 37 to be fitted in a milled out pocket on top of the chassis leaving the tanks alone. The sound does improve greatly from the speaker being inside the body to our tastes though sound is very subjective.

Cheers,

Steve,

Shed dweller,

Merlin DCC.

Thanks again for your continued interest in our little projects Rob. We may have reach a plateau for now regarding the speakers used so maybe just maybe I might actually spend more time fitting sounds than developing new ways to fit them, oh and actually do a bit of my own modelling. Only built a signal box in the last eighteen months!

Although I do now have an interesting fleet of EM2 loco's to tinker with.

Hello Colin, 

 

You could possibly fit 2 no problem, 3 at a squeeze. However the limiting factor is that the EM2's are 4 ohms. This means wiring a pair to one chip means they must be wired in series. This removes the impact of the speakers and negates fitting two in a loco. This is the reason why I fitted two EM2's with two chips in the Atomic Option Deltic. The added bonus of this fit was the fact that two independent sound files will always be slightly out of sync meaning that the twin engine effect is really noticeable in a very nice way. 

 

Cheers,

 

Steve aka Merlin DCC.

Hello folks, thought a picture of a Bachmann Deltic Chaasis prepared for EM2 x2 "Atomic Option might be of interest ! You will notice alloy wheel balance weights added where possible to compensate for all that chassis being removed. Collectors and fuss pots look away!

Just fitted EM2 speaker installation in a Hornby Class 50 with Bif's Sounds. Had to put it at No.2 end and mill the chassis quite a bit even by my standards. However it's in and Glorious! No pun intended. I have never heard a 4mm 50 with any bass until now!

Next is a Hornby Railroad Bubble Car detailed and repainted as TDB975310 in Olive Drab. Wonder if the EM2 will lift this beggar off the rails! May have to add a little weight me thinks!

Cheers,

Steve.

Hello there,

We can do EM2 fits to 50's whenever you are ready.

Cheers,

Steve,

Merlin DCC.

Just finished the 50 and blown beefed up EM2 Bif Sound onto the fingymybob! The results are rather pleasing! First 4mm 50 I have heard with buckets of bass!

We can add another loco to the EM2 list. The Hornby 50. Just got to load Bif's file!

Steve.

Bloody marvellous !

Hello Mark,

It was indeed the EM2 installation. I received the 68 the day before the show and I was working till 2340. So the 68 was done at 0345 the morning of the first day of the show. Then had to drive up. From Notts.

Cheers,

Steve.

Hello Colin, 

You could possibly fit 2 no problem, 3 at a squeeze. However the limiting factor is that the EM2's are 4 ohms. This means wiring a pair to one chip means they must be wired in series. This removes the impact of the speakers and negates fitting two in a loco. This is the reason why I fitted two EM2's with two chips in the Atomic Option Deltic. The added bonus of this fit was the fact that two independent sound files will always be slightly out of sync meaning that the twin engine effect is really noticeable in a very nice way. 

Cheers,

Steve aka Merlin DCC.

Hello Bob,

Just to advise that your 9011 Deltic is winging it's way up to Durham and should be with you before 1300 tomorrow. Press F1 at arms length!

Cheers,

Steve.

Would you say this is P4 sound Steve?

 

Hard hat, coat and I'm outta here

 

Edit adds emoji, just in case!

If P4 is a Platform reference? Any platform, pick a platform! Whatever platform you pick this beast will shake it, just like the real thing did, really...

Good Evening,

Thought it was time for an update on all things Deltic! I have done two sound fits with EM2 speakers in Deltics recently. The first is commercially available now with a single EM2 fitting.

The second, oh dear, the second one was a "wonder if we can get away it" and we did! 2x EM2 speakers, effectively 4 cones fitted in one Bachmann Deltic and wired to two independent chips. The results speak for themselves! Two independently powered speaker systems sounding and "feeling" like two Napier Engines! Extra weight has been fitted else where to compensate for all that milling. 

This little monster will be doing the rounds at exhibitions shortly should you wish to run it past your eardrums! This really will frustrate the pompous.

The Deltic has entered the building, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Just thought I'd let you chaps know that the first Merlin "Commercial" fit of an EM2 speaker fitted 68 with Legomanbiffo Sound has been completed and will be sent out to the customer imminently. 

There will be a Beast out there!

If the Government hear this sound fit they will attempt to License it!!

Cheers,

Steve,

Part of the band of reprabates known as the "Sound Team" AKA Charlie, Bif and Steve.

OOOOPS!

Forgot to mention that the Dapol 68 has been added to the successful EM2 list.On reflection there's not much that can't be EM2'd in 4mm with a little persuasion except Shunters, 20's, 58's and 70's. 

I did try the EM2 in a Class 66 for a customer, however the sound did not suit the speaker so another type of speaker choice was made.

I have got the Hornby 31 and 50 on the to do list very shortly.

Merlin DCC will be trying to concentrate on EM fitting where possible. The sounds from these beasts really do justice to Legomanbiffo's handywork.

We are going to try the same installation done as an experiment in sound on the Deltic with the Dapol Western, Two chips and two EM2's. Giving a true twin engined sound!

There have been 3 serious enquiries within a couple of days regarding the Atomic Option Deltic and Atomic Option Western. So watch this space.

Cheers,

Steve.

When I come out of my shed at 0300 laughing my head off I know I'm on to something!

Just done an EM2 Hymek and 27 for Bif.

The list of EM2 fits is now as follows;

SLW Class 24!!!

Bachmann 25

Heljan 26

Heljan 27

Hornby 31

Heljan Hymek

Bachmann 37

Bachmann 40

Bachmann 44

Bachmann 45

Dapol 52

Bachmann 55 1x EM2 and 2x EM2!!!

Hornby HST.

When I come out of my shed at 0300 laughing my head off I know I'm on to something!