Products
- SuperSound
- C14 Teddy Bear
- Hesketh
- Class 52 Western
- Class 50 Hoover
- Project Loco
- Riding Car
- Class 42 Warship
- V200
SuperSound
Digital sound and control unit for battery electric locos.
Information
Digital sound and control for battery/electric locos.
How many of us have stood on the platform or at trackside to watch a favourite loco go by? A glorious sight, whether it is a Duchess with a full head of steam, or 50019 Ramillies hammering up the Lickey Bank or a humble Class 14 shunter going about its duties in the yard. They all evoke childhood memories and raise your spirits.
However, it is not just the sight of the loco that stimulates the mind, it is the sound and the driving experience.
Diesel Locomotives all have a distinctive sound signature, music to the enthusiast’s ear! When that loco goes past you don’t just see it, you hear it and you feel it.
Model locos using battery/electric drive are uncharacteristically quiet in operation, so fitting a sound unit is an ideal way around this.
Early units were based on white noise generators; they make a sound but not the sound. Chip based units improved things; they made the right sound but were limited in the range of sounds offered and difficulty in running synchronously with the loco. (Watching a loco pull away with a good passenger load and the engine note still at idle is like watching a badly dubbed foreign movie)!
At Phoenix we have been looking for a way to get authentic sounds and realistic running. We decided DCC systems as used in tabletop scales were ideal but we needed to get them off the tabletop systems and into a loco.
Synchronising the sound with running proved difficult and we soon realised the way to get the results we wanted was to supply a new fly-by-wire control system.
The new control desk allows the driver to control his loco as he would in full size operation.
The big red button will start your new driving experience by powering up the starter motor and turning over the engine. (Class 50 has a habit of not catching first time; we built that into the system too) Once the engines have reached full idle you can select direction and apply power. There is a guards whistle facility and a brief horn flourish to acknowledge that you have the road.
You can set off with your passengers’ listening to the glorious staccato of diesel engines working hard. Complete your passenger run and ease into the station with the power off, add in some brake hiss and flange squeal for authenticity and coast to a gentle standstill in the station. Put the loco into neutral and she will idle away with just the odd hiss of brake reservoirs replenishing. When you have finished for the day you can press that red button again for a full engine shut down sequence and the hiss of the brakes being applied for the final time that day.
The control desk is straightforward and simple to use, Control is smooth and allows for all driving styles. The Sounds will authentically replicate full size running and will synchronise with your control commands to give seamless sound with smooth control.
2 - Key switch. Master on/off.
3 - Deadmans facility supplied with jack plug (other options available)
4 - Main Selector. Forward/reverse, horns and up to 4 other sound files
5 - Power handle. Interlocked with direction selector for safety.
6 - Forward/Reverse/Neutral indicator
7 - Dead mans trip indicator (also used when programming unit)
8 - Engine running indicator
9 - Battery status
10 - Volume control (fitted to left side of unit)