Adding sound to a TMCC Dummy B unit. Help please

Mike

 

    Try hooking the reed switch to pins 21 & 23 of the Audio Board.

 

Bill

Thanks, Mike and Bill!

 

I have the NYC (6-14555) which is the same B for NYC, and I'll someday add sound to my B, as well!

 

Thanks,

Mario

Thanks, Plan on going to the hobby shop in Milwaukee to get some reed switchs this weekend to finish this project, than the shell will be taken apart and hit the 98% isopro alcohol to get it ready for a re-paint

Mike,

 

Changing it to Milwaukee Road?  Keep us updated with the change and pics!

 

thanks,

Mario

Yes, another B-unit for Milwaukee Road, With the 3 GP9's I have done so far, this will be the third F7B, Hopefully I will get my two A units out of lay-a-way this weekend, still have the Powered B-unit to pay off than.

I hear ya...

 

Love to see some pictures of your work.  I was in WI a few weeks ago, and ate at the Brat Stop, and I think that Milwaukee Road is slowly becoming one of my favorite road names...

 

Thanks,

Mario

put power to the f3b, noticed the rpm would transition thru throttle change with cab 2 in command mode

 

Does this mean we don't need the reed switches?

Depends on your specific TMCC package.  You need either a VCO or a switch on a wheel to sense when the engine is in motion.  For ERR stuff, it's the extra leads that go to the motors for diesels, and the chuff switch that is usually reed switch & magnet or the micro-switch activated by the drive rods.

But if its a stock powered B, with TMCC, does the tmcc control the rpm or the wheel spin? I would imagine its the TMCC as the RPMs climb before the locomotive moves. So would I just need the RS board and power board and a speaker?

The TMCC controls the initial "burst" of sound revving up the prime mover, but if it doesn't receive motion sensing in a couple of seconds it'll drop back to idle.  You not only need the two boards, but the motherboard they live on, not to mention the connectors for hooking it all up.  Truthfully, the way to go is the ERR RailSounds Commander for diesel, it has the VCO and you just need to connect to one of the motors.

GRJ, does it already have the connectors and speaker?

Oh, what happened to the boards?  If it has the plugs for the boards, then you probably just need the boards.  It likely also has provisions for the VCO in that case.

 

Do you have the boards to populate it?

Haven't done any purchasing, yet... investigating phase.

How did the MB get into the unit, is this a factory original?  What happened to the other parts?

 

To Bill's point, check the trucks for a hall-effect sensor on one of the truck axles.

Yes, its a factory powered B unit...

 

http://www.lionel.com/CustomerService/ReplacementParts/index.cfm?DOACTION=productPartFilter&PRODUCTID=FC9F3085-63F5-4D78-86075B67016A7889&resultsPerPage=100

 

Heres the MB:

 

 

 

Mario

 

   Your best bet is to use a ERR RS4 package.

 

Bill 

Bill and John,

 

I just checked the installation manual for the ERR Sound Commander, and is it this easy?

 

1. Install the VCO from the DC motor to the Sound Commander

2. Run power (red/Black) from mother board.

3. Install speaker in the enclosure?

 

Thanks,

Mario

That motherboard is just for the R2LC, not the sound cards, Bill is, of course, correct here.   You need something like the Sound Commander.

 

The Sound Commander will require the RailSounds connection from the TMCC R2LC, but I don't see a connection on this MB for the RS serial data.  Unless bill knows something I don't know (quite possible), you'll have to also connect to the R2LC socket pins the wires for the RailSounds serial data.  Pin 24 of the R2LC has the RS serial data on it, and that has to go to the RS Commander serial input.

The chuff on a steam engine is tied to the wheel rotation but I'm not so sure about the validity of a VCO or wheel sensor providing "accurate" rpm sounds on a diesel electric locomotive.  I've seen/heard real locomotives in notch 8 crawling up a mountains pass at less than 10mph and an engine in notch 4 while the train blasts through at 80mph on a level plain.

Well, it may not be truly accurate Chuck, but it's really the only game in town.

You can ramp up and down manually.

True, that's another option.  I've occasionally fooled with that.