Budget sound system

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listerboy
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Budget sound system

Post by listerboy » Sun Dec 25, 2016 11:51 pm

I'm enquiring if there's such a thing as a simple (IE, cheap) electronic diagram for generating a diesel sound?

The KEMR doesn't believe in spending a lot of money!

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ge_rik
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Post by ge_rik » Mon Dec 26, 2016 9:28 am

A couple of really cheap ways of doing it, dependent on how realistic you want the sounds and how technically minded you are.

1. I've used a cheap record your own message greetings card module (£1.29 from China), recorded a diesel sound on it, modified it so that the sound loops continuously and then installed it in my IP Engineering Simplex loco - https://riksrailway.blogspot.co.uk/2015 ... -card.html

There is a half second hiccup at the end the sound loop (not yet found a way of getting rid of that), but for the price I can live with it. I've even added another sound module with klaxon sound which is triggered by the r/c receiver.

The sound isn't what you'd call high fidelity, but it is cheap!

2. Slightly more expensive, I bashed a USB soundblaster type of device which records much better quality sound and includes a more powerful amplifier. I've arranged this so that I can jump from one recording to another using r/c to simulate increasing speed, decreasing speed, stopping and starting. Not got an independently triggered horn though - but could add another device to do that. My MP3 player cost me £5 a few years ago but you can still pick up similar ones on eBay for under £10 - http://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2015/11 ... sytem.html

3. If you're more technically minded, my mate Greg in Australia uses Picaxe programmable chips to create simulated steam and diesel sounds which are linked to the speed of the loco. He even uses the same Picaxe chip as an ESC to control the speed of the loco using a cheap radio control system. He's put a lot of info on his website as to how he does it. Picaxe controllers are as cheap as chips (and he uses the smallest and cheapest @ £2.26). You'll need a few more components but the lot shouldn't be more than £10 - http://www.trainweb.org/SaTR/Picaxe%20tutes.htm

None of these is quite what you were asking for I'm afraid, but they might give you some ideas as to cheap alternatives

Rik
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listerboy
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Post by listerboy » Mon Dec 26, 2016 1:11 pm

Rik, many, many thanks. That's given me plenty to work on!

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