# Annie Sound System



## Dylanfreeski123 (Apr 13, 2008)

Hi all. I didn't know where to post this, so I guess this works. I have a sound system that I took out of a brand new Bachmann Anniversary Edition 4-6-0. I has been sitting on my workbench for months, and now I want to put it in my Fairlie. The only problem is, I don't know where all six wires go. I know that two are battery, two are chuff, and two are speaker, but I have no idea which goes where. I tried several combinations but I just can't figure it out.










I was hoping someone with an Annie could help me out.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Dylan, 

George Schreyer has a bunch of 'tips' on his website, including a schematic of the sound board. It might help you figure it out.

*[url]http://www.girr.org/girr/ti...d*[/url] 

Hang on - I have a new tender up on the shelf. Four screws and a quick couple of photos and here you are:










Green + brown are the 9V battery power. Yellow, blue and orange to the volume and on/off knob. Red+grey to the speaker, and red+black to the chuff. (That's a bit confusing. Let's take another look.)










The black wire from the chuff trigger goes to the on/off switch on the volume potentiometer. Yours is dangling off to the right. You seem to have a black wire next to the red for the speaker on the left - they connect to the pcb very close together. So your red-fading-to-black wire is the red for the chuff trigger. 
Or, as a picture is worth a thousand words:


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I believe the schematic you want is at the bottom of this page: (there's a lot of different schematics)

*http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips4..._tips.html* 











Image courtesy of and copyright George Schreyer.


There are no colors on the wires, but you can see the components... you will probably have to trace it out...

If you get stuck, take closeups of both sides of the board and I will help you figure it out...

Regards, Greg


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## Dylanfreeski123 (Apr 13, 2008)

Thanks a lot everyone, but I still can't seem to get it to work. Does anyone have a working one that they would sell? Or does anyone know what the problem could be with mine? I tried switching the polarity on the battery and the speaker but I still can't get any sound out of it.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Well, those photos came from 1 of the 4 tenders sitting on my shelf, of which 2 used to have sound system boards and are now empty - no idea where they went but I'll have a look around. (One has a Sierra now so it won't need one, and the last tender is a big hauler so it never had one!)


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## Dylanfreeski123 (Apr 13, 2008)

That would be very helpful, I appreciate it. I have a BigHauler one that works but I am far from pleased with the way it sounds. The Annie ones too are a far step from Phoenix or Sierra, but its not bad as chuff goes. 
Thanks, 
Dylan


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Dylan, 

None of mine are "Annie" sound cards - in fact, the photos are of a current non-anniversary ten-wheeler. I wasn't aware they were different, so my analysis and photos is suspect - maybe yours actually works and is different from mine. 

Anyone else got an Anniversary version and can shed some light on this?


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## Dylanfreeski123 (Apr 13, 2008)

Well the BigHauler one (at least at some point along the line) has a sound that is just a solid ccccc, as long as you hold the chuff together. The one on my Annie had a more developed SHUFff. Perhaps you could test one of them to see???


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

has a sound that is just a solid ccccc 

According to George Schreyer, they improved the sound card along the way to the Annie version, which doesn't emit the solid noise if it stops on the chuff cam. That may be the version they put in the Annie, but I don't know for sure. 

George is a member here. You can wait and see if he comments tomorrow or send him an email. 

On my last working ten-wheeler (which now has a Sierra card in it,) I made the mods suggested by George and it did improve the chuff. 

I'll look around and see if I can find a battery to test my tender. 
OK. Found a battery and tried it - much as you described, and as George described, the chuff doesn't stay on if you trigger the chuff and keep it on, but the decay is very slow.

So the question is: your board from an Annie version may be the same or may not. I'd give it a day or two to see if some other genius can shed some more light on it.


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## stumpycc (Jan 2, 2008)

Dylan, 
Did you turn the sound on using the on/off switch? Also, make sure you turn up the volume. I can't remember if the tender has to be connected to the engine or not. 
Cliff


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

On the big Hauler, the tender must be connected to the engine for the chuff switch in the engine to create the sound activation im the tender, good 9 volt battery installed and the sound switch turned on/volume up.


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## Dylanfreeski123 (Apr 13, 2008)

Well I'm not using the tender or engine. I am just rubbing the chuff wires together to see if there is any sound. The sound runs just on the 9v, so I guess mine is just broken.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

the tender must be connected to the engine for the chuff switch in the engine to create the sound 

(I was doing like Dylan - I put a battery in my tender (in the photos) and stuck the points of my tweezers into the chuff lead socket to 'make' and 'break' the circuit. ) 
Dylan - there's the possibility that your speaker is fried. If you could find another speaker it would be worth a try.

I'd offer you a spare board but I can't find one! With 4 tenders sitting on the shelf, you'd think I had more than one with a sound card in it, but no - the one I photographed is my last. I'm sure someone else will find one. I wonder where I put the other three...

Try re-posting this as a request in the 'sound' forum !


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## Dylanfreeski123 (Apr 13, 2008)

I tested the speaker with another sound system and it's fine. Anyway I have like a thousand speakers, but I guess I am just going to have to try something new. Thanks for all your help Mr. Thornton.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Dylan, 

Last thought which I forgot when testing mine. The polarity is marked on the tender water tank filler - the green wire is positive. 

As I suggested - re-post in the Sound forum and ask if anyone has a sound system lying around. I'm not the only guy with more than he needs!


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