Is it possible to have battery powered R/C with full digital sounds ? - Yes !

[AustrianNG]

I remember a thread a while back where the question above was asked as in is it possible ?
The answer is yes by using an IBU3 unit which is available for R/C tanks. This unit is fully programmable with sound files other than that of "Tigers" or T34 s
It has a miriad of functions which would suit locos (diesels obviously but remember all Tanks from WW2 were petrol fueled besides the Russian ones.).
One source is "Tankzone" here in the U.K.

Obviously I have been dabbling in 1:16 R/C tanks of which the metal ones are fantastic.

 

[Rhinochugger]

OK, let's re-phrase the question.

Is it possible at an affordable price ?

 

[Rhinochugger]

How many more times?

 

[Gizzy]

There's an echo in 'ere....

 

[Tony Walsham]

Define affordable.

 

[dunnyrail]

Define affordable.

1 and thripence.
JonD

 

[Rhinochugger]

Define affordable.

I saw one offering of the IBU3 at £175 great British pounds. That's out of my league.

 

[Mobi]

Easiest solution for sound:

1. Get a portable bluetooth speaker with built in rechargeable battery.
2. Pair with your smartphone.
3. Download appropriate sounds from internet.
4. Run trains and control sound from phone

You can even move speaker among locomotives as and when wishes.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Easiest solution for sound:

1. Get a portable bluetooth speaker with built in rechargeable battery.
2. Pair with your smartphone.
3. Download appropriate sounds from internet.
4. Run trains and control sound from phone

You can even move speaker among locomotives as and when wishes.

Cunning

 

[idlemarvel]

Cunning indeed. It would not be tied to loco speed so this would be okay for "steady as she goes" engine sounds but not stopping and pulling out of stations etc. And for ancillary sounds like whistle, bell, station announcements. I think you'd have to be quite agile to switch apps between loco control and playing sounds on your mobile, but for a constant chuff-chuff or diesel throb it is a neat solution. Rik on this forum posted info on how to set up a cheap MP3 player controlled by R/C which is also quite a cheap solution, but more DIY required than this.

 

[PhilP]

So no more expensive than a high-end sound-card solution from the likes of Phoenix then?
I suppose you 'pay's your money..' on this sort of thing?

Adding a Massoth XXL decoder AND a Phoenix sound card to a Aristo / USA Trains American diesel could cost you a similar amount, I reckon??

 

[Rhinochugger]

Still very expensive.

What I don't understand is that I had a cheap 'Buddy L' g scale loco which had massive sound in it. No variation, but a chuff so deep and loud, you would automatically link it in your mind's eye to something like the picture in my avatar.

It had a whoo-whoo which sounded at a regular time interval, and additionally a bell ringing in reverse.

The sound and the volume were phenomenal, triggered by a light sensor and segmented disc on one axle.

Now, it must have been cheap, because the loco was real cheap, and some of the sound units were a bit dicky. But if you can get that sort of noise out of a cheap unit, why can you not just buy similarly cheap units that make a decent noise.?

 

[stockers]

Noise and volume does not necessarily make it good, and it is probably cheap because exactly the same sound was stuffed in a big production run.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Noise and volume does not necessarily make it good, and it is probably cheap because exactly the same sound was stuffed in a big production run.

Well, yes and no minister.

But the sound was great - it hit the spot. As I say, you couldn't alter anything and, that in my mind, is where the expense seems to come in.

You could, in theory alter the volume, but that bit of mine didn't seem to work, but that didn't worry me.

But when you look at cheap simple cards, they try to do too much, they try to cover the chuff, and the background hiss, and that's the mistake. For simple garden sounds, you only really need the chuff. Sure, if you want something more complex, then pay the wonga, but my complaint is - why won't somebody make a cheap and simple decent chuff - the sort of noise that would come out of that K27 on my avatar.

 

[stockers]

For simple garden sounds, you only really need the chuff.

You are actually very right - just look at the basic sound from the starter set Stainz - does the business.

 

[Rhinochugger]

You are actually very right - just look at the basic sound from the starter set Stainz - does the business.

Yeah, and the Aristo sound tender isn't that bad - I just want a bigger woof!

 

[Beddhist]

Airwire & Co.

 

[Tony Walsham]

I like the MyLocosound. Great value for money. ......and not just because I sell them
IMHO it has the best sounding chuff of most any sound systems on the market, including DCC, Plus it automatically adjusts the volume depending on load faced. The best voltage controlled and very accurate chuff rate or mechanically timed for purists..
The Bell is not created, it is a real recording. However, Nit pickers know it is a mechanical bell and not a pull ring type.
The whistle - "All aboard" call is quite reasonable.
Just like the blow down and air pump. Good as anything Phoenix does.
Again IMHO, the whistles could be much better but, with a bit of fiddling, are acceptable.

I really do believe the chuffing alone will justify the existence of My Locosound in the market place.
So for your low cost aim, start with a VIPER micro 10 amp ESC and add a switcher unit to control 2 x sounds. Use the R/C of choice and end up with a R/C + sound combination for a quite reasonable total price.

 

[Rhinochugger]

I like the MyLocosound. Great value for money. ......and not just because I sell them
IMHO it has the best sounding chuff of most any sound systems on the market, including DCC, Plus it automatically adjusts the volume depending on load faced. The best voltage controlled and very accurate chuff rate or mechanically timed for purists..
The Bell is not created, it is a real recording. However, Nit pickers know it is a mechanical bell and not a pull ring type.
The whistle - "All aboard" call is quite reasonable.
Just like the blow down and air pump. Good as anything Phoenix does.
Again IMHO, the whistles could be much better but, with a bit of fiddling, are acceptable.

I really do believe the chuffing alone will justify the existence of My Locosound in the market place.
So for your low cost aim, start with a VIPER micro 10 amp ESC and add a switcher unit to control 2 x sounds. Use the R/C of choice and end up with a R/C + sound combination for a quite reasonable total price.

Tony, thanks - I used a micro-viper in the last R/C and I reckon that's a cracker.

I have Saturn as an R/C it's got 4 channels, so I suppose I cold do something there.

 

[PhilP]

I like the MyLocosound. Great value for money. ......and not just because I sell them
IMHO it has the best sounding chuff of most any sound systems on the market, including DCC, Plus it automatically adjusts the volume depending on load faced. The best voltage controlled and very accurate chuff rate or mechanically timed for purists..
The Bell is not created, it is a real recording. However, Nit pickers know it is a mechanical bell and not a pull ring type.
The whistle - "All aboard" call is quite reasonable.
Just like the blow down and air pump. Good as anything Phoenix does.
Again IMHO, the whistles could be much better but, with a bit of fiddling, are acceptable.

I really do believe the chuffing alone will justify the existence of My Locosound in the market place.
So for your low cost aim, start with a VIPER micro 10 amp ESC and add a switcher unit to control 2 x sounds. Use the R/C of choice and end up with a R/C + sound combination for a quite reasonable total price.

I think I must have only had sight (sound?) of early units??
The chuff is not too bad..
The whistle(s) - at least of the ones I have heard - has been dire!
Diesel sounds not bad, but again IMHO, the horns are not so good.

I have found a cheap 'small diesel' sound-card, but the horn is not very good.

All opinions my own, and I may only have had older MyLocoSound units..