Williams FA-1—Upgrade to True Blast Plus? Or?

With the Williams sound, you might get tired of the long-long-short-long horn every time you press the button.

The loco should already have (not so) true blast installed when you receive it.

Can you still order the Williams sound system? The last time I looked (just a few days ago) the Williams parts list was severely limited from the already limited choices it used to be.

@RoyBoy posted:

With the Williams sound, you might get tired of the long-long-short-long horn every time you press the button.

The loco should already have (not so) true blast installed when you receive it.

Can you still order the Williams sound system? The last time I looked (just a few days ago) the Williams parts list was severely limited from the already limited choices it used to be.

The long-long-short-long horn is the horn sound for Williams's True Blast II board and yes, it will be in the locomotive. I am going to remove it and upgrade either to True Blast Plus or ERR's RailSounds Commander. True Blast Plus is Williams's newer polyphonic sound board, meaning it can play multiple sounds at the same time. Like with RailSounds, the horn lasts for as long as you press the horn button and you can play it while the bell is ringing. True Blast Plus also has prime mover sounds that increase in revs as the track voltage increases.

I've read of complaints that the FA True Blast Plus sounds are not very loud. Are they comparable to the those of the GP30 and/or the GE 70-tonner? Contrary to others, I have found them to be load enough. Other than cutting out during direction changes, the GE 70-tonner's bell is hard to hear over the prime mover. How does the FA's True Blast sound compare?

I seem to remember Ken Jr. from Trainworld reviewing True Blast Plus locos on their YouTube channel. That might give you at least somewhat of an idea.

@CK posted:

I seem to remember Ken Jr. from Trainworld reviewing True Blast Plus locos on their YouTube channel. That might give you at least somewhat of an idea.

Yes, Trainworld has shown the RS-3, the scale GE 44-tonner and the GE 70-tonner with True Blast Plus, but not the FA-1.

@RoyBoy posted:

Can you still order the Williams sound system? The last time I looked (just a few days ago) the Williams parts list was severely limited from the already limited choices it used to be.

Another contemporary thread (now blocked) had a discussion about the future of WBB...Williams...based on a recent discussion with a representative.  Not a lot of optimism about the product line's future...including, I suppose, their upgrade sound/electronics kits. 

I installed a couple of the later version diesel sound kits in postwar pieces.  Really a nice addition, IMHO.  The only downer was the interruption of the sound when activating the E-unit (changing direction), since they didn't have a battery back-up in their system. 

Could be a good secondary market for their sound kits?

Have you checked to see if Dallee has anything that fits your needs?

The TrueBlast Plus boards that I've seen left me mostly unimpressed, the prime mover on most of them was pretty low in volume.  I'm curious about your price quote for the ERR RailSounds Commander.  I see the TB+ boards for around $110 on the Bachmann site, and the ERR RS Commander lists for $130.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

The TrueBlast Plus boards that I've seen left me mostly unimpressed, the prime mover on most of them was pretty low in volume.  I'm curious about your price quote for the ERR RailSounds Commander.  I see the TB+ boards for around $110 on the Bachmann site, and the ERR RS Commander lists for $130.

True Blast Plus boards can be found for around $80 on Ebay. The one I was look at was $79, including shipping. ERR RS Commmanders are $125 on the ERR/3rd Rail site, plus $15 shipping, for a total of $140.

I'd heard complaints about the TB+ prime mover volume on the WBB GP30, but I've found it more than sufficient. That said, IIRC, I've read that it is the wrong prime mover (not turbocharged?). For my taste the prime mover and horn on the WBB GE 70-tonner are a tad quiet, but passable, the bell is far too quiet.

@Mallard4468, Dallee's sounds units are not only out-of-stock, but at $250, are twice the cost of an ERR RS Commander, and do not include a speaker.

FWIW, I went with the ERR RS Commander.

@Matt_GNo27 posted:

I'd heard complaints about the TB+ prime mover volume on the WBB GP30, but I've found it more than sufficient. That said, IIRC, I've read that it is the wrong prime mover (not turbocharged?). For my taste the prime mover and horn on the WBB GE 70-tonner are a tad quiet, but passable, the bell is far too quiet.

I've never been awed by any of the TB+ boards, mostly the prime mover sounds.  As you say, I did not the 70-Ton bell was almost nonexistent as well, the prime mover was way too low in volume as well.  No worry, I quickly converted it to command with the ERR boards, so that board went on the for-sale block.

@Matt_GNo27 posted:

I'd heard complaints about the TB+ prime mover volume on the WBB GP30, but I've found it more than sufficient. That said, IIRC, I've read that it is the wrong prime mover (not turbocharged?).

The GP30 certainly does have turbos, and a normally aspirated prime mover would have a totally different sound, that's for sure.

Followup:

The ERR RailSounds Commander PA Diesel kit arrived today and I installed it, along with GRJ's YLB, in a recently acquired Williams FA-1. Yes, the ERR RS Commander is expensive, but it does sound good and I am quite pleased with my decision.



FWIW, here's my ESD-safe kit for working on circuit boards. Using painter's tape to secure it, I make a work pad from two layers of aluminum foil—a large rectangle folded in half. The alligator clip is afixed to the aluminum foil and the copper clamp to a grounded pipe.

We have a name for that ground strap= suicide.

They put a resistor in those- so that in the unlucky (not unlikely- unlucky) event you cross a mains, you do not kill yourself by forming the other side of the circuit. Again, the purpose of a current limiting resistor in any ESD ground strap or workbench is ALSO there to protect you the user and not create a condition of near certain death.

Edit, Sorry, I realize this answer is harsh. When it comes to safety, I just think we need to hold a high standard.

Yes, per official ESD guidelines and standards you may in fact have a hard grounded surface workbench. Yes, I fully acknowledge that in theory with trains, we are dealing with lower voltage power, but at the same time, we may have tools, soldering irons and so forth typically at 120V AC. I have had an AC soldering iron (actually a desoldering iron from Radioshack) internally fail and short to AC at the tip. I destroyed a the very computer once I am typing this reply on because a USB cable was on the workbench, made contact to a board, and this defective desoldering iron was at mains potential.

For a DIY setup, hard grounding (no resistor and copper wire to a copper ground pipe) some layers of aluminum foil might be semi effective at draining some ESD, but there are just better methods and honestly safer. Proper ESD pads and wiring are a better and safer way to go.

A resistance of sufficient resistance to limit current to less than 0.0005 amps (O.5mA), at the highest voltage that may be encountered.

Nominally, 800,000 ohms (800 Kilohms) are sufficient for voltages of up to 240VAC. The value of 1 Megohms is specified because it is a standard value discrete resistor.

@Vernon Barry posted:

Yes, per official ESD guidelines and standards you may in fact have a hard grounded surface workbench. Yes, I fully acknowledge that in theory with trains, we are dealing with lower voltage power, but at the same time, we may have tools, soldering irons and so forth typically at 120V AC. I have had an AC soldering iron (actually a desoldering iron from Radioshack) internally fail and short to AC at the tip. I destroyed a the very computer once I am typing this reply on because a USB cable was on the workbench, made contact to a board, and this defective desoldering iron was at mains potential.

You have to stop using those cheap Radio Shack soldering tools.

@Vernon Barry, no need to apologize! I agree that we should take safety seriously. I greatly appreciate the lesson, and will add a 1 Megohm resistor. (FWIW, I've used it for changing batteries and screens on iPhones and installing RS Commder boards (sans soldering).) Thank you!