From what I am seeing, the sound decoder replacement boards are for the larger locomotives in N Scale. ESU has the board that will fit the SD50/SD60 Atlas locomotives, but what is there for smaller locomotives like GP-7/9 or GP 30/35? The Kato locomotives seemed to covered with a board replacement for the SD70/80/90 and in the works is one for the F3/7, E units, PA units and P42's with the pending Wide body ESU decoder. So is there a board replacement decoder for the smaller locomotives or are they all frame mods? I am new to the sound install game. Thanks!
I have two GP7's that I bought ESU sound decoders for but haven't done the install yet. Looks like the newer LokSound Select Direct Micro decoder that is referenced here... http://www.sbs4dcc.com/tutorialstip...0073199selectdirectmicroapplicationnotes.html ... might be the way to go. Bryan shows where it would install down the page a ways and mentions that one is going to have to do some cutting for the speaker. Still looks very doable. I'm going with a wired decoder as that decoder wasn't available when I bought my two decoders. I have put a number of wired decoders in other loco so I feel OK trying this although things are going to be tight. Here is a link that might help you. https://jtburketrains.sitelio.me/atlasgp7 ... I'm going to be using an ESU 58923 in both with GP7 sound files that I had SBS install when I purchased them. The 58923 is a smaller, especially in width -- 8.5mm wide vs. 10.5, decoder than the one he use and probably wasn't available then. That should make things somewhat similar. I've seen YouTube's with GP7's with sound in them also and XL looks like they have a drop-in that isn't expensive ( HERE ) but I put a wired XL in a loco ( HERE ). It has more or less generic sounds. I was happy with it for what it was but have decided for now at least I'll only be using ESU if I want sound in a loco. Sumner P.S. I put the article on the wired install into a PDF format with the photos where they should be. Don't want to post it on the internet buy if one is interested PM me and I'll send it but please don't post it in a public domain. I also put together another group of pictures where someone else put the newer board type decoder into the 1st generation of the Atlas GP7's (lost the link to that). More frame work but really not that much. Those locos had the screwed up wheelbase so for me at least it doesn't make sense to put an expensive decoder in one when you can find the 2nd Gen GP7's.
So it isn't a board replacement decoder, it is a wired decoder that you have to finagle into working.......
Yes, that's basically how it works. DCC decoder companies will usually only make a board replacement decoder if it's common to several different locomotives - there's much less of a profit margin/customer base involved if you're making a board replacement for a small loco that doesn't share its decoder form factor with others. As someone who was once scared to death to do a wired DCC decoder install 10 years ago when I started out in DCC, it's not really that hard once you get the hang of it and understand where each wire goes. The colors of the wires are generally standard among the different manufacturers. The hard part really is installing function-controlled lights like flashing ditchlights or marker lights.
Yes, well the GP-9 and the GP-7 and a few other that use the TCS ASD4 decoder fits 4 so it may seem like there would be a market for the GP-7/9 variants decoder? It is also an issue for the intermediate sized locomotives like the GP-30/35/40 variants From what I can tell, the decoder they make only fits the Atlas SD50/SD60 variant and the Intermountain SD40/45 variants. It would be nice if ESU would list the Atlas legacy locomotives that their decoder fits. Atlas has 3 different models, perhaps ESU should as well.
I'm using a wired version but Bryan has a picture of how the board would sit in the chassis on the one link I posted ( http://www.sbs4dcc.com/tutorialstipstricks/esuloksound7310073199selectdirectmicroapplicationnotes.html ). Go down the page quite a ways. You still have to make room for a speaker and wire it but the board has LEDs on it and the option to use them or to run wires to other ones if you want to, say for other lights than the forward and reverse light. With the board one doesn't have to run the individual wires in most cases as it fits where the light board was. The board is used for various models that have a single long light board. In the case of the 1st gen GP7 with individual light boards the other person got the board to work but had to do extensive chassis work. I haven't used one of these boards but a lot of people are now. Sumner
I really do not want to butcher the frames too much. So I will just go with the decoders that fit naturally in the locomotives. A GP9 would not work in a consist with a SD50 or SD60 so there is no reason to force it to work. What I want to do is outfit all my locomotives that would normally run together with the same decoders so that the movement is consistent with all the rest of the locomotives. So the GP7/9's would all use the same decoder and all the SD50/60 would also use the same decoder specifically fitting the locomotives. When the Kato Wide Body decoders are out, I may have to toss the existing Digitrax decoders and put them all on the ESU boards.
This thread on therailwire... https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=31981.0 It's full of different sound installations, some straight forward, some not at all, but it's a good starting point to see if you can add sound.
I have decided that sound is not really needed. If I am running dozens of locomotives and all with sound, I am sure a headache will be the result. If I was just starting out it may be different, but with hundreds of locomotives with non sound decoders. and less than 20 with sound decoders, and still quite a few more like possibly 200 that need decoders, it seems that Sound would be too cost prohibited. Or I need to sell a bunch of locomotives. The one thing that makes it somewhat doable is the the ESU decoder can play multiple sound files at the same time.That way, to my way of thinking, is that only the lead locomotive needs the sound decoder, and the other just need motion decoders. It is the what's up front that counts situation. Well back to testing locomotives and their decoders......
