Adding TTS decoder to Bachmann class 37

[ColinB]

I don't know if this is useful to anyone, but I recently decided to add a TTS sound decoder to my Bachmann class 37. I did the usual, like buying a 21 to 8 pin converter, only to find the body wouldn't fit. The combined height of the 8 pin socket and the 8 pin header of the TTS decoder was greater than the space available. Anyway, eventually I bought one of those 21 pin adapters that bring the pins out to PCB solderable holes. So all I had to do was solder the 8 wires of the TTS to their equivalent pins on the 21 pin socket. The other advanvange is pins 9 and 10 connect to the speaker connections on the Bachmann PCB, so you can wire the speaker wires to them and use the speaker connections Bachmann supply. So what you end up with is a TTS decoder on a 21 pin header that you can easily replace it with a DC header, or ordinary decoder. The only issue is if it goes wrong and you have to send it back to Hornby, but hopefully that does not happen, as it is a good idea to test it on an 8 pin rig before you do the conversion. It might be an improvement if someone made a 21 pin to 8 pin converter that used a 8 pin socket on a flying lead, that way it would get over the issue of height.

[96RAF]

...if someone did a 21 pin adaptor .... on an 8 pin lead....

 

Hornby Sapphire but its the wrong way round. Allows a 21 pin decoder to be fitted to an 8-pin socket.

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[ColinB]

Yes that is exactly the sort of thing. Rewiring the 8 pin is a pain, but on a Bachmann diesel is does make the speaker connections tidier, which is good as normally they are the first wires to fall off.

[96RAF]

You could make one from this

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and/or this

 

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[ColinB]

Yes, I did think about it. You could take the 8 pin socket out of the 21 pin to 8 pin converter and replace it with 8 way ribbon cable, then terminate it with the 8 way socket. I stick with rewiring it, it is much neater and takes up less space. Trouble with flying leads it is one more place to short out the module especially when trying to fit it in a small space.