# RC, Batteries, and Sound (DCC?)



## doublereefed (Jan 3, 2008)

Greetings!

Let me know if I need to cast about in a different forum. I would like to run radio control with batteries and have a kick-butt sound system to boot. 

I'm not set on DCC, but have a few DCC HO switching engines that have such amazingly great sound and want this on G1 LGB locos. I love it that they continue to make great sound at rest, as well as random sound when running (compressor safeties, wheel slip, etc.). 

I don't really to address many locos with one controller like DCC, I just like the DCC sound and programmability of sound I have on the HO setup. Any advice on how best to proceed?

Thanks,

-Richard


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

AirWire by CVP with a DCC sound unit.

Greg


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

There are a lot of good sound systems around. Phoenix has very good quality and a lot of volume, it can be adjusted with the remote.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I suggested Airwire since he is already familiar with DCC. This gives him plenty of options for the sound part.

I think his first decision is the control system though.

Greg


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Richard.
If you are contemplating Live Steam as well in the future, my RCS brand is the only system designed for both Live Steam and battery R/C.
Compatible with most sound systems such as MyLocosound, Dallee and Phoenix.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

If kick-butt sound is your driving motivator, I'd definitely go with Airwire. As was mentioned above, you can use Airwire's receiver/motor control board in conjunction with a Phoenix sound board for fantastic results. Airwire's motor control is very good, and the Phoenix sound can be customized to really respond to changes in speed, etc. for very realistic performances. (If you're going to go with Phoenix sound, definitely spring for the programming software.) 

Moreover, Airwire makes a lower-current receiver only board called the "Convertr" which can interface with any DCC sound/motor decoder. By itself, it's good for up to 2.7 amps, which is going to be ample for small-to-medium locomotives with fairly light loads. For larger locos (2-motor diesels, larger steam locos, etc.) you can either combine the Convertr with Tam Valley Depot's 3-amp booster (3-amps continuous, 5-amps peak), or use Tam Valley Depot's DRS-1 HiPower receiver, which is their receiver combined with their booster on one board. 

With these receivers, you can pick and choose which DCC motor/sound decoder you want based on its specific features and specifications (and--most importantly--sounds!), and control it with your Airwire transmitter. I've found myself going this route more and more recently for my projects. I like the flexibility it offers. For smaller locos, I can get away with the Convertr and an HO/O scale decoder rated at around 1 amp for around $200. If I need high current capacity, I'm still good to go for around $300 - $325.

Later,

K


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

The latest QSI Titan "emulator" steam files allow for infinite tuning of the chuff, intensity, duration, volume, cadence and reaction to load and coast.

It has 32 channels of sound, dual speaker outputs and a 32 channel mixer for fading between two speakers, i.e. you can make the bell and whistle come from one speaker and chuff from another. You can do this with all 32 sounds.

Nothing else out there has these features.

Greg


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## doublereefed (Jan 3, 2008)

Which sound cards, in addition to Phoenix, have external triggers? Is there a converter to allow external triggers for DCC cards? 

I'm leaning towards RCS (I'm far more into live steam than battery, 2.4Ghz, tiny/simple controller) and need a trigger-able sound card. I have a Phoenix sound card in a ride-on loco that I have and love it, but just wondering what else might be out there.

Thanks,

-Richard


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

If I remember correctly QSI were supposedly going to offer that feature but I don't think it ever was made available for use with PWM output ESC's.
No doubt our resident QSI expert Greg can shed some light on the matter.
In the meantime both Dallee and MyLocosound have quite reasonable sound that can be triggered but neither are as good as Phoenix.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

The Titan does have external triggers for bell and whistle. However, it doesn't make a lot of sense to use the Titan as a stand-alone sound system in conjunction with another manufacturer's motor control. Too many hoops and limitations. 

If you want to use a non-DCC throttle system, your options are for all practical intents limited to Phoenix, Dallee, and MyLocoSound. They're not bad options by any stretch. Phoenix has long been the gold standard in sounds, and even with the advances around them they still hold their ground. Dallee just introduced a new, polyphonic sound system. I have not heard it, but their older stuff sounded good; it just wasn't polyphonic. MyLocoSound just upgraded their boards as well, and while not on par with Phoenix, they're half the price. They're a digital/analog hybrid, and they do sound pretty darned good.

Later,

K


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

The OP's first post indicates he wants sound as good as his HO DCC loco.

Throw out the mylocosound, dallee, etc. That's not what he asked for.

Phoenix, QSI, Zimo, Massoth, ESU...

Now only one of those does not have motor control, and cannot synchronize the motor load with the sound.

So, Airwire, the convertor, and one of the above 4, excluding the Phoenix

The plus is that he is familiar with DCC, so he can tune the CV's in the decoder.

Greg


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

I understand what both Greg and Kevin are saying about DCC sound. However, In post # 8 above, Richard says he is also more interested in Live Steam than battery R/C.
How would he use an AirWire, for example, with Live Steam?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

My mistake Tony, I missed that post, you are exactly correct.

RCS and Phoenix...

Greg


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## Beddhist (Dec 17, 2013)

At a recent running day I had the opportunity to listen to a Mylocosound-equipped steam engine and the chuff sound was impressive. It even made coasting sounds. The whistle, however, was terrible: an electronic squeak like from a cheap Chinese toy.


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