Is there any way to get louder sound out of the older Big Haulers? Even with hearing aids when the engine get 4' past me I don't hear it any more. Is there an amplifier that can be installed in the tender and connected to the sound board and a larger speaker to get some SOUND out of these engines ? ? Thanks much for all you guy and your great ideas and problem solvers.
Try a new battery in the tender and/or the hearing aids. ::)
cf,
http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips1/big_hauler_tips.html#sound
You may have a newer version of the board, but these tips should still apply.
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Joe Satnik
Have tried different brands of NEW batteries in the tender. I don't need advise on how to control my hearing aids, at least not from this site.
Thanks for that link Joe. I have a print out of that article in my file but I did not see where it increased the volume, just the quality and chuff from 2 to 4. Will do those this winter and see what happens. Have a good day. ::)
Chieffan,
I am not a electronics guy, but I am thinking that to increase the sound volume you probably need to some how get a more powerful amplifier to install in the circuit. The speaker in the loco is suitable for a higher amp level. I have installed aftermarket sound systems using the speaker.
As far as that goes my aftermarket sound systems do have a much higher sound volume than the stock system, and you would get the bell and whistle as well. If you have a local Garden railroad club you might be able to visit and check out the actual sounds of the various brands of sound systems. Some systems start around $80, but I have no idea how high you can crank them up volume wise.
Best of luck finding a solution.
Bill
Thanks Loco Bill for that information. I wondered just how much one could apply to the stock speaker before it blew. I wonder if an additional amplifier connected between the present speaker and the board would work ? ?
This is a used Big Hauler so the board may be the problem also. Will do some checking with other, if I can find them in this "remote" area of the country. Have a good day. ;)
Dear All,
To my ears the stock BH chuff system's lack of bass is more of a problem than lack of overall volume. (Poor EQ.)
A larger speaker, or the same size speaker with a heavier magnet, may increase the efficiency and bass, thus the perceived loudness.
Hmm, I wonder if anyone has ever taken lab measurements of the tender and its speaker, with the intent of making a tuned-port bass box out of the two....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_reflex
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Joe Satnik
::) You got me thinking there Joe. I can usually hear the base tones real good but if they are not there ? ? ? I have a heavy speaker magnet from a high quality speaker that came with an audio system we bought at an auction. Mouse made the speaker box his home and chewed through both cones. I may try putting that magnet on the back of the original magnet and see what happens. Sure can't hurt anything and if it works - a cheep fix. ??? :-\
Try putting a baffle around the speaker to help with the sound, use something like the cardboard core from a roll of tape (or roll your own out of thinner cardboard than on a roll of tape). I know this worked on an O scale engine I have. A bit of hot glue to hold it in place and you're good to go!
BobD.
I haven't been inside the tender as yet so don't know how the speaker is set up. When I did HO sound installs I always built an enclosure around the back of the speaker to get the sound out the front. also run the speaker up through the coal load a lot of times to get the sound going up rather than down. On diesels I would run the sound out through the cooling fan. Will have to dig into the tender and see what gives. Thanks for the reminder. ???
I opened my Annie I recently bought and it doesn't have a baffle, I'll probably put one in it once I get back working on it.
Bob D.
I didn't read all the posts so excuse this if its a repeat.
To get more sound you can open up the slots in front of the speaker under the tender.
Nm-Jeff
I am also thinking of mounting the speaker under the coal load with a ton of holes drilled through the load. this would put the sound up - where our ears are. Not down where it is absorbed in the ballast, ground etc. before we get a chance to hear it. Might get into that in the morning if something else don't get in my way ???
I have done the holes in the coal load on on30 and it made the sound cleaner.