(Very) Cheapo sound system

[ge_rik]

Decided to add sound to my IP Engineering Simplex. It had to be small and being a skinflint, it had to be cheap.

One greetings card sound module from China (£1.29 inc postage)


One small mylar speaker from Maplin - N93FU (£2.29) - I could have used the one which came with the module but it was too large.


The sound of a Simplex diesel was recorded from a video made on a visit to Apedale Valley Railway near Stoke on Trent.

The board was modified by removing the batteries and wiring into the 3.7v supply for the motor and soldering a lead from the on/off switch to the mike terminal (the red wire on the board) - no idea why but this makes the sound loop continuously but it works!


The module sits neatly inside the bonnet of the Simplex. The speaker was mounted in a plasticard box and glued under the roof of the cab. The on/off button was also sited there so the sound can be turned off


The sound is not high fidelity but it does add a little something when the loco is chugging around the track - just wish I could enhance the bass tones. There is a half second hiccup at the end of the recording before it loops round again - but for a fiver, I`m not complaining.
http://youtu.be/RN5PLllZOGY

Rik

 

[Zerogee]

Brilliant-Rik - ideal for that kind of loco that just trundles round on manual control!
Was the greeting card unit supplied as a programmable one to load your own message? If not, how did you reprogram it?

Jon.

 

[ge_rik]

Brilliant-Rik - ideal for that kind of loco that just trundles round on manual control!
Was the greeting card unit supplied as a programmable one to load your own message? If not, how did you reprogram it?

Jon.

Hi Jon
It comes with a microphone and a play and a record button. Amazing value for £1.29! I just put the mike by the speaker on my laptop and recorded the sound from a video.

Rik

 

[Zerogee]

Hi Jon
It comes with a microphone and a play and a record button. Amazing value for £1.29! I just put the mike by the speaker on my laptop and recorded the sound from a video.

Rik

Excellent!

Jon.

 

[Robert Howard]

Genius

 

[trammayo]

Genius

Absolutely!

 

[ge_rik]

There seem to be a few different versions of this module on eBay all roughly the same price. This is where I purchased mine.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Recordable-Voice-Module-for-Greeting-Card-Music-Sound-Talk-chip-musical-TU-/121685963658?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1c550c738a

The hiccup in the recording is more apparent than I showed in the video - I edited it so the clips started and finished between the pauses. Here's an unedited clip so you can judge what it sounds like and whether you can live with it.

https://youtu.be/zk-Qh6I6jhM

Not yet found a way of overcoming the pause at the end of the recording. I suppose you could make the pause part of the engine sound cycle. The recording lasts as long as the record button is held down or goes to the maximum length which is what I used - might be a more elegant way of doing it than I've found.

Rik

 

[dunnyrail]

Looks like just the job to add some sound to my PWay Trolley conversion. Hope I have the same one as you bought, same price looks the same so finges crossed! At £1.29 it is not a big deal really.
JonD

 

[ge_rik]

Hi Ross
I did consider using a similar sort of card to that, but it was too big. The greetings card module (when the batteries have been cut off) has a much smaller footprint.



Rik

 

[ge_rik]

I've just sent off for a few more. I'm going to use another one with a klaxon recording. I reckon I can trigger it using one of the outputs from the rx65 receiver as the 'Play' button simply connects the contact to 0v.

Rik

 

[CoggesRailway]

Very ingenious. I wonder if you used two modules running two sound tracks you might disguise the pause through timing?

 

[ge_rik]

Very ingenious. I wonder if you used two modules running two sound tracks you might disguise the pause through timing?

That's a thought - worth investigating when the soundboards I've ordered arrive

Rik

 

[ge_rik]

Now added a horn sound to the Simplex by using another sound module triggered by one of the output pads on my Deltang Rx65 receiver/controller. Haven't quite got the sound levels right when using the engine and horn sounds together so (following Greg's advice) will try experimenting with some resistors. But getting there. Total cost = £1.29 + £1.29 + £2.29 = £4.87 (could have been cheaper if I had been able to fit one of the speakers which came with the modules into the cab of the Simplex).

Rik