On Track, with Deano

[UP SD40-2]

When i got my Y3, i wanted to try a Tsunami sound decoder for a few reasons, i have bought MRC's steam sound decoders, and Loksounds, both are good, but as with any sound decoder none of them are perfect, their are good points and bad points with all of them. i had herd many good things about the Tsunami, so i figured the Y3 would be the engine to try one on.

i bought the Tsunami sight unseen online, i figured it would be like MRC & Loksound decoders, they come with a speaker, and with an 8 pin DCC plug attached to the wire harness...boyu was i ticked off when the Tsunami came and i found out this was NOT the case . i couldn't believe it, Loksound is pretty darn expensive, but the Tsunami was $20.00 higher, and i got it on sale even , so i paid more, for less . my only thoughts was "the sound better be playing some golden notes for the cost of it, and having to go through all the extra work to get the Tsunami to work in the engine".

now folks, don't get me wrong, hot wiring a sound decoder in an engine is not hard, i have done it to EVERY Athearn diesel i ever had , the problem was, when i buy Athearn Diesels, i KNOW the "DCC ready" circuit board in them are junk, so i fully expect the job ahead of me , but this sound decoder was going inside a P2K, and they have FANTASTIC DCC ready boards in them, so hot wiring a sound decoder in it was NOT what i wanted to do .

now i have a Tsunami that has no speaker or 8 pin plug on its wire harness, what am i going to do? well, luckily i had some extra speakers on hand, and since i have backdated my layout to 69-79, the extra MRC "modern" diesel sound decoder i had was the perfect candidate to steal the 8 pin plug off of , so i guess my problems were solved .(see pic below)


the first thing i did was to cut the 8 pin plug off the MRC sound decoder, notice i was careful and cut the harness so that i had enough wire left on both ends. doing this enabled me to use the 8 pin plug so i could attach it to the Tsunami wire harness, and i still have enough wire attached to the MRC sound decoder to hot wire it into a future Athearn diesel (pics 2 & 3 below)



next i bared the ends of the wires, ready for soldering.


soldering the 8 pin plug to the Tsunami's wire harness was a snap, its just a matter of matching each color from both parts to each other, EXAMPLE: red to red, gray to gray, etc.


HELPFUL TIP: when wiring a bunch of wires together, i always tape down the wires i have soldered, just to get then out of the way .


now you folks might want to use heat shrink wrap to seal off the soldered part of the wires, but i found a couple years ago that hot glue works great for this . after i hot glued each set of wires(pictures 7 & 8 , i hot glue them all together to make a cleaner looking install(not pictured).



now that the wire harness was ready, i soldered the speaker to the speaker wires. i am finally at the point to where i can install the Tsunami into the tender of the Y3 . i pulled the "dummy" plug from the DCC socket in the tender, and pushed in the 8 pin plug i had just attached to the Tsunami into the DCC socket in the tender. the Y3 had TONS of space in the tender for the Tsunami and the speaker, so installing it was a snap.


After putting the tender back together, the job was a done deal .


All the extra work i went through to put an 8 pin plug on the Tsunami was well worth it , the wheel spin to chuff sound is spot on , the performance is GREAT, and the bell & horn is FANTASTIC , all in all, i ended up really liking the Tsunami . Using the DCC ready circuit board in the P2K Y3 was a GREAT IDEA , but honestly, if the engine wasn't DCC ready, the story would have been MUCH different .

for engines that are NOT DCC ready, putting the Tsunami in would have been a nightmare . on NON DCC ready engines, you would have had to buy a "cam kit" in addition to the sound decoder , then you would have to pull a set of drivers off, attach the cam kit to the inside of a driver, then wire up a wiper to "read" the cam so the Tsunami could get the chuff rate right , CRIPES, i would have been so ticked off had i had to do all that, ON TOP OF hot wireing in the decoder & speaker in, i would have chucked the Tsunami in the trash and just bought an MRC or Loksound sound decoder and hot wired it in and been done with it .

FORTUNATELY, it worked out the way it did, and honestly, i an quite happy with the Tsunami ...though i doubt i would get another one .

Till next time...Stay on track!
:deano: -Deano

[viperman]

Thanks for the pics Deano! Maybe I'll have you superdetail and add sound to my BN Athearn GP40-2

[jbaakko]

Heck Deano, you about ruined the point, using an MRC speaker. I've heard nothing but bad reviews about the MRC ones. Seemed most people focused on the decoder, but I've read that replacing the speaker helped...

Kidding about ruining it, hope it sounds as good as they claim.

[UP SD40-2]

Originally Posted by jbaakko

Heck Deano, you about ruined the point, using an MRC speaker. I've heard nothing but bad reviews about the MRC ones. Seemed most people focused on the decoder, but I've read that replacing the speaker helped...

Kidding about ruining it, hope it sounds as good as they claim.

Really? , i have never herd that before about MRC's speakers ...well, I'll be the first to tell you then, that thats the biggest crock of...i have ever herd , i think they sound just fine, and have never had ANY problems with them . i guess its just a matter of "different strokes for different folks" type of thing , take Digitrax for example, MANY like their products, personally though, you couldn't pay me to use their decoders ...go figure .

:deano: -Deano

[jbaakko]

I'd still set my opinion, after I buy an MRC sound decoder... But the reviews make me leary...

[Nazgul]

Deano....could you help me with THIS install?

[UP SD40-2]

my GOOD FRIEND Steve , for YOU, ABSOLUTELY ...

SERIOUSLY THOUGH, that looks like a NEW engine you have there , or is that the Stuart VO you bought awhile back?

:deano: -Deano

[Nazgul]

That is just a pic I "picked up" online.....with a few digital enhancements by yours truly...shhhhhhhh, don't tell anyone!

Seriously though.............love all your recent work. You are a real inspiration and true artist!

[steamhead]

Steve....First, you take the blue wire (the one at the very top) and....Oh, never mind...!!!

Good to see ya'....Come back more often..!!!

[UP SD40-2]

Originally Posted by Nazgul

That is just a pic I "picked up" online.....with a few digital enhancements by yours truly...shhhhhhhh, don't tell anyone!

Seriously though.............love all your recent work. You are a real inspiration and true artist!

, i knew you was just having fun with me , but i seriously thought you had a NEW engine ...and was kinda mad you didnt tell me about it/ or send me pics .

anyways, i'm REAL GLAD you stopped in Steve , i know you have a lot on your plate now, but dont be such a stranger, pop in more often .

THANKS STEVE!
:deano: -Deano

[viperman]

hey Deano, I need you to identify some UP equipment I saw today, but was unable to get a picture of. There was a freight blocking my view, and never got a decent angle for a picture after the freight passed by.
What I saw it looked like it was a single unit, and the rear window kinda reminded me of an observation car

[zachary]

deano very nice work on that decoder instaell i have a question on sodlering irons for a decoder install is a 30 watt to much on a decoders electronics or should i find a lower watt iron thanks zachary flowe

[Sarge_7]

Hey DeanO Thought I would show you some pics of another project that I picked UP recently(not that I don't have enough going already)

It's a Bowser challenger with the super detail kit, and the tender I believe is either a Kemtron or Tenshedo brass centipede. I havn't decided for sure yet wether it will be 3985 or a Rio Grande version yet. What do you think?

100_1473.jpg

100_1474.jpg

Also here is a progress pic of my diesel service facility

100_1468.jpg

[CNWman]

Originally Posted by Sarge_7

Hey DeanO Thought I would show you some pics of another project that I picked UP recently(not that I don't have enough going already)

It's a Bowser challenger with the super detail kit, and the tender I believe is either a Kemtron or Tenshedo brass centipede. I havn't decided for sure yet wether it will be 3985 or a Rio Grande version yet. What do you think?

Attachment 68884

Attachment 68885

VERY nice engine! I think Deano's gonna say 3985 since he's a licenced UP fanatic who would personaly restore a Beeg (hold on, that's doctorwayne's kick-butt 2-10-20 from the CPR), I mean, Big Boy if he could with his bare hands and 50 boxcars full of (insert Deano's favorite energy drink here) if he had the money.

[UP SD40-2]

Steven, it sounds like what you was seeing was like a Sperry(i am sure i spelled that wrong )track detection car, or something similar, but modern day. without pics, its only a guess, but it sure sounds like a unit that would detect track problems. i am sorry, i don't have a pic of one.

Zachary, a 30w soldering gun would work fine . just a tip, when soldering to a decoder, or any circuit board, i put a bead of solder on the end of the iron, then quickly place the bead where needed on the circuit board, this way it lessens the chance of melting anything on it .

Jim, WOW! , thats quite a project you have there. Personally, i think you should turn that engine into whatever you wish, by the time you are finished with it i know it will be SLAP AWESOME, and would be a great addition to EITHER of those roads . BTW, your engine servicing facility looks like it coming along GREAT!

CNWman, Deano's favorite energy drink?, survey says...COFFEE, its one of the major food groups, don't cha know .

************************************************** ****
ON MY SIDE OF THE TRACKS...
Well, NOTHING worked out as i planned this weekend, but thats just par for the coarse these days . really, thats OK, i have been posting lots of prototype pics on here lately anyways, and steamers, "odd" passenger trains, i think its time to post some of the "meat & potatoes" here on the RVS for a change .
:deano: -Deano