I am building a 7 1/4" gauge live steam loco 2-8-2 that will weigh in at over 1 ton and will be about 2m in length plus a tender at 1.2m. It is a scale model, typical of the larger 1920's vintage locos with a powerful low pitched whistle.
I am looking for a electronic steam whistle design that covers these low pitches. it would be nice to generate and store several sounds and possibly also rail track noises. The Dolby demo track on some DVDs is a good example of what I would like to acheive.
This is a ride on loco and space is all OK. Cost is not an issue, providing I can acheive near realistic sounds.
I'm not much into electronics, but could an Ipod (or similar) with power amp be the best solution??
Jack.
Electronic steam whistle
Jack,
Any MP3 player hooked to an automotive amp that can accept line level input would work just fine. Just connect from the headphone jack to the line input and use the volume on the MP3 player to adjust loudness. Any standard auto battery ought to give you a good long run time before needing a charge. I'd start with 100 watts and work from there.
The big challenge will be to construct a good sounding durable speaker enclosure for your application. I wouldn't go with anything less than 6x9 coaxial speakers in a large enough enclosure to ensure deep enough bass that can come close enough to the real sounds you are looking to reproduce. Plus, the 6x9's normally have a high enough SPL rating to be loud enough over your "mechanical music".
When you get your RR completed, post a pic and some sounds or a quick movie. I'd love to see\hear it running.
P.S., I don't recommend using a real IPOD in such a hostile environment. They are just too expensive for that. Look around and see what other brands offer. Overstock.com (http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/MP ... west+Price) has MP3 players starting at $18.99 and up.
If the speakers you choose have their TheileSmall parameters listed, I can help you calculate box sizes for them. Just let me know here.
Good luck!
CeaSaR
Any MP3 player hooked to an automotive amp that can accept line level input would work just fine. Just connect from the headphone jack to the line input and use the volume on the MP3 player to adjust loudness. Any standard auto battery ought to give you a good long run time before needing a charge. I'd start with 100 watts and work from there.
The big challenge will be to construct a good sounding durable speaker enclosure for your application. I wouldn't go with anything less than 6x9 coaxial speakers in a large enough enclosure to ensure deep enough bass that can come close enough to the real sounds you are looking to reproduce. Plus, the 6x9's normally have a high enough SPL rating to be loud enough over your "mechanical music".
When you get your RR completed, post a pic and some sounds or a quick movie. I'd love to see\hear it running.
P.S., I don't recommend using a real IPOD in such a hostile environment. They are just too expensive for that. Look around and see what other brands offer. Overstock.com (http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/MP ... west+Price) has MP3 players starting at $18.99 and up.
If the speakers you choose have their TheileSmall parameters listed, I can help you calculate box sizes for them. Just let me know here.
Good luck!
CeaSaR
Hey, what do I know?
If not an MP3 player then a CD played on a portable player would work just as well. I googled train sound effects CD and there are a few out there as well as many WAV downloads. You could use a PC to record your favorite effects in a loop onto your own CD for actual use.
A CD will give you better sound quality but the difference to MP3 may not matter.
I've seen cheap carved wooden train whistles at just about any train related tourist stop. Might consider adapting one of those for a real whistle sound. By elongating the chamber you should be able to lower the tone.
A CD will give you better sound quality but the difference to MP3 may not matter.
I've seen cheap carved wooden train whistles at just about any train related tourist stop. Might consider adapting one of those for a real whistle sound. By elongating the chamber you should be able to lower the tone.
In this situation, the difference in audio quality between the 2 formats is
moot as the extra noise of the engine and it's operations will mix with the
sounds emanating from any speaker system, thereby masking any
deficiencies in the soundtrack. Besides, MP3's at a 192kbps rate are all
but the same quality as CD's. I wouldn't worry about it. 128kbps is
probably more than than clear enough for your purposes.
There are quite a few MP3 conversion utilites out there for free. I use
CDEX, It has been around for almost 10 years now and works just fine
for my meager purposes.
CeaSaR
moot as the extra noise of the engine and it's operations will mix with the
sounds emanating from any speaker system, thereby masking any
deficiencies in the soundtrack. Besides, MP3's at a 192kbps rate are all
but the same quality as CD's. I wouldn't worry about it. 128kbps is
probably more than than clear enough for your purposes.
There are quite a few MP3 conversion utilites out there for free. I use
CDEX, It has been around for almost 10 years now and works just fine
for my meager purposes.
CeaSaR
Hey, what do I know?
electronic steam whistle
. .Try -> Phoenix Sound Systems, Inc.
> 3514 West liberty Road
> Ann Arbor, Mi. 48103
> www.PHOENIXSOUND.COM
They make sound modules for out door garden railways ('G' scale). Check Garden Railways Magazine (gardenrailways.com) or
your local large scale trains hobby shop (they'll advertise something like 'G - scale', 'LGB', 'USA Trains', 'Bachman', ect. It's not
hard at all to connect one of these modules to a high powered, 12v car stereo. Your biggest problem is going to be the speakers!!
That is - how far into the next county are you going to send everybody!!! Anyway, I hope I'm not too late with this info.
Good luck.
Phil Potter.
The earth is - oh my gosh - round! 
time is 1:00 am local
-
Dean Huster
- Posts: 1263
- Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2001 1:01 am
- Location: Harviell, MO (Poplar Bluff area)
- Contact:
A scale model that large in live steam I'd think needs its own real steam-operated whistle. Yes, the "model" steam whistle will be shrill and not sound like the real thing -- but the model isn't like the real thing either! It's as close as you can get in miniature. I think the whistle should be the same way. 2-8-2 ..... man, that's a big project for a live steam model!
In retrospect, I guess that you're looking at the fact that with a 7-1/4" gauge, you ain't ridin' this engine yourself and blowing a real whistle would be a pain and unrealistic. I hope that 1+ ton of steel and brass never derails on you!
Dean
In retrospect, I guess that you're looking at the fact that with a 7-1/4" gauge, you ain't ridin' this engine yourself and blowing a real whistle would be a pain and unrealistic. I hope that 1+ ton of steel and brass never derails on you!
Dean
Dean Huster, Electronics Curmudgeon
Contributing Editor emeritus, "Q & A", of the former "Poptronics" magazine (formerly "Popular Electronics" and "Electronics Now" magazines).
R.I.P.
Contributing Editor emeritus, "Q & A", of the former "Poptronics" magazine (formerly "Popular Electronics" and "Electronics Now" magazines).
R.I.P.
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