Duke of Gloucester R3191. Sound decoder install

[BODS3]

Hello

Just a little confused about decoder fitting 
The instructions show the sound decoder going in the tender and a decoder socket also in the loco. I have a loksound decoder to fit in the tender but there are no cables between the loco and tender do you know how this works?
Paul

[96RAF]

I have a DCC ready DoG with sound in a replacement sound ready tender, hence it has an 8 pin socket in both the loco and the tender and speaker mount in the tender. The decoder and speaker are easily fitted into the tender, which also has pickups from the track on 4 of the 6 wheels. No need for a decoder in the loco.

I made up a harness using an old decoder 8-pin plug and wires spliced to a 4-pin loco plug harness (X8188 I think - check the HSS). This plugs into the existing 4 pin X8188 tender socket and harness to 8 pin decoder socket.

If that makes sense  (A diagram would clarify it so much easily Admin).

I had to file a chamfer on the loco body inside to clear the harness splice shrink tubes as I put them all beside each other. Given better splice offsets it may not have been necessary to do this.

So the DCC routing is decoder direct to speaker in the tender and via the harness to the loco motor. If you want say lighting functions on the loco then you need more wires to cross the loco/tender gap outwith the usual 4 pin plug/socket. 

[BODS3]

Many thanks for the reply.

What tender did you use?

The tender with the model has no pickups so everything relies on the 6 loco wheels which I think might cause some running problems.

I don't understand why Hornby used this design there's no way a sound decoder could be fitted in the loco. The box says dcc ready but maybe it should state not sound ready in addition.

If I had known this I would not have brought this model

Thanks

[Fishmanoz]

I think to be fair BOD, DCC Ready isn't currently understood to be DCC Sound Ready. 

That said, sounds to me like there is a market for a tender sound fitting kit for those who want to go that way. As RAF has indicated, it will only be standard parts anyway, having them all together with instructions is the clever bit. 

[walkingthedog]

If it doesn't say sound it ain't got sound. That goes for just about all producers of locos. Not everybody wants sound so they aren't going to make it a standard fitting.

[walkingthedog]

Also DCC READY means it's ready for a decoder not actually DCC.

[Cronan]

Can you get small cubed speakers now? Also isn't the DoG designed for TTS if that's any different?

[96RAF]

Many thanks for the reply.

 

 

 

What tender did you use?

 

 

 

The tender with the model has no pickups so everything relies on the 6 loco wheels which I think might cause some running problems.

 

 

 

I don't understand why Hornby used this design there's no way a sound decoder could be fitted in the loco. The box says dcc ready but maybe it should state not sound ready in addition.

 

 

 

If I had known this I would not have brought this model

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

@Bod

 

The tender I used was the standard tender modified using standard fleet parts, except for the tender wheel pickups which are not listed on the service sheets. The TTS DoG only has pickups on 4 of the 6 wheels anyhow so you could get away without having any to simplify the conversion.

 

The electrical bits you need are these standard parts used on many locos/tenders:

 

X9958 tender electrical connxn, X6113 loco/tender wires and plug/socket and X9084 8 pin decoder socket. If your sound decoder is 21 pin then just look for a Sound Fitted model service sheet with a 21 pin socket - eg Merchant Navy.

 

The tender pickups I modified from some carriage ones I had in my gash-box, but you could get away with making your own from springy sheet or wire. Just take of the chassis bottom/wheel-axle retainer and insert your pickups, then refit the retainer.

 

If you didn't want to make up a loom you could remove the loco decoder socket and move it to the tender, then run the feed wires direct from the loco pickups and motor to join onto the new loco plug.

 

I referred to HSS 342, 360, 400 and 405. You can see that there is next to no difference between the DCC ready tenders (which have all the necessary holes and fitting places, etc) and the DCC sound or TTS tenders.

[BODS3]

Many thanks for the reply.

 

 

 

What tender did you use?

 

 

 

The tender with the model has no pickups so everything relies on the 6 loco wheels which I think might cause some running problems.

 

 

 

I don't understand why Hornby used this design there's no way a sound decoder could be fitted in the loco. The box says dcc ready but maybe it should state not sound ready in addition.

 

 

 

If I had known this I would not have brought this model

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

@Bod

 

The tender I used was the standard tender modified using standard fleet parts, except for the tender wheel pickups which are not listed on the service sheets. The TTS DoG only has pickups on 4 of the 6 wheels anyhow so you could get away without having any to simplify the conversion.

 

The electrical bits you need are these standard parts used on many locos/tenders:

 

X9958 tender electrical connxn, X6113 loco/tender wires and plug/socket and X9084 8 pin decoder socket. If your sound decoder is 21 pin then just look for a Sound Fitted model service sheet with a 21 pin socket - eg Merchant Navy.

 

The tender pickups I modified from some carriage ones I had in my gash-box, but you could get away with making your own from springy sheet or wire. Just take of the chassis bottom/wheel-axle retainer and insert your pickups, then refit the retainer.

 

If you didn't want to make up a loom you could remove the loco decoder socket and move it to the tender, then run the feed wires direct from the loco pickups and motor to join onto the new loco plug.

 

I referred to HSS 342, 360, 400 and 405. You can see that there is next to no difference between the DCC ready tenders (which have all the necessary holes and fitting places, etc) and the DCC sound or TTS tenders.

[BODS3]

 

Many thanks for the reply.

 

 

 

What tender did you use?

 

 

 

The tender with the model has no pickups so everything relies on the 6 loco wheels which I think might cause some running problems.

 

 

 

I don't understand why Hornby used this design there's no way a sound decoder could be fitted in the loco. The box says dcc ready but maybe it should state not sound ready in addition.

 

 

 

If I had known this I would not have brought this model

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

@Bod

 

The tender I used was the standard tender modified using standard fleet parts, except for the tender wheel pickups which are not listed on the service sheets. The TTS DoG only has pickups on 4 of the 6 wheels anyhow so you could get away without having any to simplify the conversion.

 

The electrical bits you need are these standard parts used on many locos/tenders:

 

X9958 tender electrical connxn, X6113 loco/tender wires and plug/socket and X9084 8 pin decoder socket. If your sound decoder is 21 pin then just look for a Sound Fitted model service sheet with a 21 pin socket - eg Merchant Navy.

 

The tender pickups I modified from some carriage ones I had in my gash-box, but you could get away with making your own from springy sheet or wire. Just take of the chassis bottom/wheel-axle retainer and insert your pickups, then refit the retainer.

 

If you didn't want to make up a loom you could remove the loco decoder socket and move it to the tender, then run the feed wires direct from the loco pickups and motor to join onto the new loco plug.

 

I referred to HSS 342, 360, 400 and 405. You can see that there is next to no difference between the DCC ready tenders (which have all the necessary holes and fitting places, etc) and the DCC sound or TTS tenders.

Many thanks for reply . Will get hold of parts and give it a go

[96RAF]

@Bod

 

It really was a dead easy conversion.

 

I also did an R3090 Robinson B1 which is DCC ready with a tender mounted decoder so it was just a case of reworking the tender weight to accept the speaker. The B1 has a plastic tender chassis (with pickups) hence the need for a weight whereas the DoG has a hefty metal chassis.

 

If you Google TTS on eBay and if you are quick (and rich) you could bag a P2 TTS decoder and speaker. An insight into the value of TTS decoders?

[Fishmanoz]

Can you get small cubed speakers now? Also isn't the DoG designed for TTS if that's any different?

 

Cronan, in terms of fitting a decoder, TTS is no different to any other sound decoder. The complication with any sound decoder is the need to fit it in the tender to have room for the decoder and the speaker so wires have to be run from the decoder socket in the loco to the tender. That's all standard parts though.

 

And if you look at the locos that are coming TTS fitted, they are often being sold in 3 variants, the other 2 being DCC Ready Railroad and detailed. Simple to fit a standard decoder into the loco. More complicated to fit a sound decoder but no different to doing so in any other DCC Ready loco With any type of sound decoder.

[96RAF]

You should notice from the TTS HSS that the speaker comes with an enclosure. This is essential for the sound qualities. A normal sound decoder speaker installation would require some sort of box to enclose the speaker and direct sound out through holes in the loco/tender.

[RDS]

Can you get small cubed speakers now?

You can get some really good (cube type) speakers off an old mobile phone. For example the Nokia N8 has an excellent speaker.