# Bachmann shay-sound system?



## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

Bought this shay from an estate, no info available. Of course I have to replace the gears before it will run! Discovered this board under the tender. Can anyone tell what it is?


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

I believe some Bachman Shays came with a Tsunami sound system.


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## SlateCreek (Jan 2, 2008)

The brown one on top is the old Bachmann sound interface. Generally removed and tossed; it had diodes that made it difficult for sound systems to determine direction.... that may be the first one I've actually seen used. The board in the middle .... looks like it might be a primitive version of the old Phoenix "Big Boost" .... for track powered engines, was designed to make the voltage the board required when track voltage was low (tradeoff is a really high current draw...) 

The meat is the board at the bottom.... components and plugs are in the right place to be an old Phoenix 97 board, but there aren't any screw terminals, so it probably isn't. It doesn't look anything like a Dallee, which has a bunch of pots all over it, and is smaller, and it's not a Sierra, again, no screw termianls, and also the chips on a Sierra are on the bottom. Seems like maybe the older Dallees were a little like that, but it's been a LONG time since I've seen one. 

I can only see part of the battery, but if it were an old Phoenix 97 board, it'd look like a 9V rechargeable, if it were a Sierra, it'd have a "power sonic" square gel cell ... there were some older Phoenix 97 boards that had a similar gel cell battery too, come to think of it, about 2" square by 1/2 inch thick. 

The Shay in the photo is not new enough to have a Quasai-Tsunami (and the board is very different from that one in any case.) And it doesn't look like any QSI I've ever seen (no gigundo capacitors, for one thing.) 

Best I can tell you is it's some kind of sound system, because the speaker's plugged into it .... but I've never worked on one like it. 

Matthew (OV)


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

It could be the PH Hobbies sound card he made for AristoCraft.


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

it doesn't look like either a PH or Dallee board.


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## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

Here's a pic of the battery....hadn't noticed it when I took the other pic! Can't make out the voltage..appears to have rubbed off looks like it says"T108"......500mAh. There is a 'pot' located upper right in photo, looks like you'd pull the crank off to make any adjustment. ( I have the trucks pulled off....they're broken up, looking for replacements.) I'm wondering if I could add voltage to the frame pickup points to see if the battery would charge? Should there be an on/off switch anywhere? BTW, guys, thanks for the help! Bill BTW, pulled the battery out, it's a 4V.


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## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

Here's a pic of the battery....hadn't noticed it when I took the other pic! Can't make out the voltage..appears to have rubbed off looks like it says"T108"......500mAh. There is a 'pot' located upper right in photo, looks like you'd pull the crank off to make any adjustment. ( I have the trucks pulled off....they're broken up, looking for replacements.) I'm wondering if I could add voltage to the frame pickup points to see if the battery would charge? Should there be an on/off switch anywhere? BTW, guys, thanks for the help! Bill


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## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

For my next installment. I desoldered the old battery..dead as a 'doornail', and added 4v dc direct to the wires. I then added 12 v (Motorcycle Bat) to the underside pickups ( I have the old trucks off). After a couple minutes, I got a weak 'idle' sounding chuff. flicker board works. I then disconnected the 4v source, the chuff got louder, but remained constant. I tried rotating the drive by hand but noticed no difference in the rate. Didn't want to try any more voltage...don't know what would be normal voltage/amps to properly run the Shay.


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## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

And, TONY-Downunder wins the BUBBA BEER! It is a P.H. Hobbies Inc. system. Decided to go ahead and pull the thing since the volumn seemed so low. Found a wee, tiny, 3rd wire from the rheo/pot broken off at the board. So....Don't know yet what the heck it's supposed to or how it works. SInce new trucks seem to be next, I don't $ money for a new system right now.


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

A PH Hobbies sound that actually works eh!! 

Resolder the wire to the pcb and the volume would likely increase and be variable.


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## Cap'nBill (Dec 27, 2008)

I am still playing with this thing, trying to see if its little heart is still beating! I have found the bell sounds, the whistle blows and I get a sort of constant chuff. But, turning the crank shaft doesn't vary the chuff rate. I am going to try to change the chuff wires at the board. Volume is so low it would be worthless, though the pot now works. Trying to figure out what the little add on circuit board is for. Looks pretty 'homemade', but I'm hesitant to cut it off. Perhaps an exercise in futility, but just my nature to tinker.......especially when you're poor!


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Bill. 
From memory I think the PH sound systems used a NiCd battery as the back up. 

You could have a problem using the lead acid Gel Cell.


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