MyLocoSound PLC009 US Steam User manual

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MYLOCOSOUND
UNIVERSAL SOUND FOR LARGE SCALE, DC, STEAM LOCOMOTIVES
1.OVERVIEW
Easy installation using screw terminals with no soldering.
Uses a TV remote control to adjust the volume and sounds to match the prototype loco.
Provides a chuff sound which matches the loco speed and load.
Sixteen pre-selected whistles, each with adjustable tone to suit the loco.
Selectable sounds include whistle, bell, safety valve, “All aboard”, brake pump, injector, guard’s whistle
and brake squeal.
For track powered DC or battery powered radio controlled railways
2. CONTENTS
The soundcard generates synthesised sound which is adjustable to reproduce the sounds of
most steam locos and railmotors. The terminal connections on the right are necessary for
the soundcard to generate a chuff which varies with the loco speed and load. The terminal
connections on the left trigger the various sounds where the locomotive controller has the
appropriate outputs available. The trigger terminals are labelled F1 to F7 and are referred
to by these labels in these instructions. For example, “Triggering F1”means to close a
contact between the F1 terminal and the Battery negative terminal.
Sounds can also be triggered by the infra-red TV remote control which comes with the
soundcard. Although it can be used when running in the garden, the remote control is
intended mainly for the adjustment and testing of sounds due to its short range.
The remote control communicates with the soundcard via two infra-red receivers. One is
located on the soundcard and the other is on a flying lead which allows it to be fixed to any external
surface of the loco.
Adjustments to the sounds can then be made without taking the loco apart to access the soundcard.

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Important Notes
The soundcard is designed for outdoor use and may not work correctly under bright incandescent
lights on a workbench. LED lights are okay.
The soundcard is in a “sleep” mode when not in use. Connecting it to power at the B+ and B-
terminals will not wake it up. It must also be connected to a motor at the M1 and M2 terminals as
well. The small voltage it sees at the motor will wake it up and it will then stay awake for as long as it
has power.
3. SPEAKERS AND SOUND QUALITY
The soundcard requires an 8 ohm loudspeaker which is not included. A 4 ohm speaker can also
be used but you may cause the soundcard to overheat and temporarily shut down if the volume
is very high and the soundcard is in a confined space.. Your choice of speaker is highly important
because it determines the quality of the sound produced.
The lowest cost option is to fit speaker from your local consumer electronics store. Typically
these come in 27mm or 57mm diameters. Use the largest which you can fit in your loco.
For a better quality sound and more volume, the speaker needs to be baffled.
That means that it needs to be built into the front face of an airtight box so
that sound is heard only from the front of the speaker and none from the
back. The plastic top of a spray paint can is good for making a baffle as shown in the diagram.
A good solution, which ensures high quality sound with lots of deep throbbing
bass, is to purchase an 8 ohm impedance external speaker unit for iPod and MP3
music players and remove the two speaker modules, in their enclosures, for use
in two locos. These are readily available at consumer electronics stores.
Speakers can be connected to the terminals either way around.
It is also possible to boost the volume by using a commercial stereo amplifier. Section 13 of these instructions
shows how this can be done. Use of an external amplifier is recommended for ride on railways.

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4. INSTALLING THE SOUNDCARD IN A TRACK POWERED LOCOMOTIVE, DC OR DCC
The soundcard is suitable for use on analogue DC track powered railways on which the following wiring
diagram should be used:
The wiring diagram below shows the connections for the DC jumper board in a Bachmann locomotive.
When the motor voltage is below seven volts it is insufficient to power the soundcard. Therefore a 9v
volt PP3 or a 7.2v cordless phone battery is used to drive the soundcard and produce sound when the
loco is static or moving slowly. This battery will be automatically recharged whenever the motor voltage
is at about 1.8 volts higher than the battery voltage so there should never be a need to remove the
battery for recharging. However, the battery must be a Nickel Metal Hydride type; Lithium and Nickel
Cadmium batteries must not be used. On small shunting layouts, the loco speed is often not high
enough for charging to take place. Some owners of shunting layouts put an isolation switch on the loco
motor circuit so that they can turn up the power to recharge the battery without having the loco move.

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On analogue DC layouts which have pure DC controllers (as opposed to PWM controllers) you may need
to give the throttle a bit of a tweak to start the sound. On those layouts, the sound will automatically
turn off after one minute of inactivity and another tweak will turn it back on. With the more common
PWM controllers and with DCC the sound will turn on automatically and stay on.
When the loco is removed from the track the soundcard will go into a “sleep” mode to preserve the
battery charge. A fully charged battery should retain charge for over a year.
Because most DC controllers do not have function buttons, an alternative way of triggering the horn,
bell and other sounds needs to be found. The options are:
1. You can set the whistle to sound automatically three times a minute when the train is running.
Other sounds can also be triggered automatically. This is described in section 8.
2. You can connect the soundcard whistle trigger to a reed switch which you mount on the bottom of
the loco. Then install magnets in the track where you want the horn to sound eg. at the
approaches to a level crossing. The horn will then sound briefly as the loco crosses each magnet.
3. Use the remote control, supplied with the soundcard, to trigger all the sounds as described in
section 8. However, infra-red remote controls are not designed for long distance use outside. On
an overcast but bright day, the remote control, powered by AA or AAA batteries will probably
operate up to three metres away.
Any combination, or all, of these methods can be used.
With DCC, the soundcard is not a decoder and cannot trigger sounds directly from the controller.
Therefore the above methods are used to trigger the sounds. Some decoders have a servo output which
can be used to trigger sounds from the controller buttons by using a servo switch. They may also have a
constant DC power output which can replace the battery if it is in the voltage range 8 to 24 volts. These
connection options are shown below:

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Many decoders also have function outputs which can be used to trigger sounds. However, this is
technically difficult and you should only attempt it if you are very familiar with your decoder and the
setting of CVs.
Now continue reading at section 6.
5. INSTALLING THE SOUNDCARD IN A BATTERY POWERED LOCOMOTIVE OR RAILCAR
The wiring diagram below shows a typical installation for common types of battery powered radio control
systems.
The RailBoss 4 can trigger four sound functions.
The fifth and sixth soundcard triggers, the brake pump and injector, therefore cannot be radio controlled
and will need to be switched on, if required, by the IR remote control or be set to sound automatically.
The above wiring diagrams can be seen in colour by visiting the web site at www.mylocosound.com\installs.
Also shown are specific wiring diagrams for RCS, Spoerer, Mtronics, Roundhouse and LocoLinc.
The Crest Revolution can trigger all sound functions and is connected as shown in the diagram on the next
page. To connect the Crest Revolution, the adaptor plug for custom installations is used with the outer
red, orange, grey and black wires being connected as shown. The whistle and despatch functions should
be set to momentary by selecting MENU –ASSIGN FUNCTIONS –AUX FUNC SETUP.
Note that volume is adjusted by the remote control and not by the transmitter 7, 8 and 9 buttons.
Note also that early Revolution receivers, without the onboard sound, will start the soundcard
immediately when power is switched on. However this will not happen with later Revolution receivers
with the onboard sound. With the later ones you will need to throttle up three button presses to switch
on the sound which will then stay on.

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6. THE INFRA-RED RECEIVERS
The infra-red receivers accept commands from the handheld remote control to adjust or trigger sounds. Two
receivers are provided. One is fixed in the middle of the soundcard. The other is on a flying lead which plugs
into the small white socket as shown on page one.
In some installations, the soundcard is visible when installed in the loco. This usually occurs when the
soundcard is mounted on the floor of a cab, with or without windows. In this case, the remote control can be
pointed directly at the soundcard and the on-board receiver is all that is needed.
If the soundcard is within the loco and is not visible then the flying lead needs to be used. Plug it into the
white socket and glue the black receiver, round side outwards, to any external surface of the loco to which
you can easily point the radio control. Do not paint the receiver.
7. THE REMOTE CONTROL
The soundcard will operate with any Sony™TV
remote control using the buttons described in this
section. It will also operate with any universal
remote control when the code is set to 0140.
However, in the interests of domestic harmony, in
which stealing your partner’s TV remote is probably
a bad idea, MyLocoSound supplies a suitable remote
control and that is the BrightStar illustrated here.
Please ensure that your remote control has batteries
installed and follow the instructions which come
with it to set the coding. For the BrightStar, hold
down the Setup button until the LED comes on and
then enter 605. The LED will go off and it is ready for
use.

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Note that the buttons on the MyLocoSound remote control auto-repeat if held down. If you want a single
event to occur, like turning on the safety valve, then press the safety valve and release it immediately. If
you want to make a large change in volume or tone then you can hold the button down to avoid the need
to press the button repeatedly.
8. CONFIGURING THE SOUNDCARD
The soundcard has two modes:
1. Setting mode in which you can select the sounds you want and can make adjustments to them.
2. Run mode in which the soundcard does its job on your railway.
All settings are done using the remote control and we will cover that first. So place the soundcard into
Setting mode by pointing the remote control at the soundcard or the receiver on the end of the flying
lead and press the Mute button. The LED on the soundcard will blink slowly and all sounds will cease.
Next press one of the keys on the remote control to change the sounds listed below. When you press a
button, the LED will start blinking faster. At any time, you can press the Mute button to hear the sound
you have selected and then press Mute again to turn it off. The options are:
Power Button –Battery or Track Power. The soundcard can be used with battery powered, radio
controlled locomotives or with locomotives which are powered from the track (but not DCC). Press
this button to change from one to the other:
1 beep –Battery powered radio control.
2 beeps –Track power. In this case, the soundcard will automatically turn itself off when the
locomotive has not moved for sixty seconds. Turning the track power up a little will turn
the soundcard back on.
The power button is also used to set the chuff start as described under Button 7 below.
Button 0 –Country. This is used to select the part of the world which your locomotive comes from. Your
choice here will determine the selection of whistles offered and how those whistles are sounded.
When you press the 0 button, one or more beeps will be heard to indicate the country currently
selected as follows:
1 beep –Britain
2 beeps –North America
3 beeps –Australasia
Press the 0 button repeatedly to select the region you want. The sole purpose of changing the
country is to select default whistles and sounds which are appropriate. If you want to use a whistle
from another country because it fits your particular locomotive then there is no problem with
changing the country to access that whistle.

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Button 1 –Whistle. This is used to select the style of whistle which suits your locomotive. Every one of
these whistles has an adjustable pitch and volume. Each time you press the 1 button the number of
beeps will increase to indicate that the whistle listed below has been selected. If you wish to hear
that whistle, press the Mute button on the remote control to reactivate the sound then press the 1
button to start the whistle and then again to stop it. While the whistle is sounding, you can use the
channel up/down buttons to vary the pitch and also the volume buttons. The pre-selected whistles
available are:
Beeps Britain North America Australasia
1 Classic Original (default) American 5” 3 Chime Puffing Billy NA
2 Churchward Hancock 3 Chime NSW Chime
3 Stanier hooter Reading 6 Chime (default) Victorian Chime (default)
4 Bullied Nathan 6 chime South Australian Chime
5 Gresley chime C & O 6 chime New Zealand Chime
6 Thomas Thomas Thomas
Button 2 –Bell. This is used to select the type of bell from the list below.
1 beep –Manual bell. Starts ringing repeatedly when the button is pressed until the button is
pressed again.
2 beeps –Timed bell. When F2 is triggered, rings repeatedly for a predetermined time. To set that
time, press the Mute button to exit setting mode and then press Button 2 to ring the bell. When the
bell has rung for as long as you want, press Button 2 again to stop the ringing. The time is then set and
the bell will ring for that time when F2 is triggered while running.
3 beeps –Automatic bell. Rings repeatedly when the motor voltage is less than 4 volts. (US Default)
4 beeps –Automatic bell. Rings repeatedly when the motor voltage is less than 8 volts.
5 beeps –Automatic bell. Rings repeatedly when the motor voltage is less than 12 volts.
6 beeps –Manual bell. Rings once only each time the button is pressed. (Australasian Default)
7 beeps –Bell not required. Button sounds a short whistle toot. (British Default)
Button 3 –Guard. This is used to select the guard’s sounds from the list below.
1 beep –Sounds a guard’s Acme Thunderer whistle. (British Default)
2 beeps –Sounds “All aboard”. (US Default)
3 beeps –Sounds “All aboard” and then the guard’s whistle. (Australasian Default)
Button 4 –Safety Valve. This will operate in four ways:
1 beep –Manual. Starts blowing when the button is pressed or F4 is triggered and stops when
pressed again. (Default)
2 beeps –Throttle controlled. When the loco is stationary, turn the throttle up a little and the
safety valve will blow off until you turn the throttle off or forwards to move off.
3 beeps –Automatic. Blows for ten seconds once a minute.
4 beeps –Automatic. Blows for ten seconds once every three minutes.

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Button 5 –Westinghouse Brake Pump. This will operate in two ways:
1 beep –Manual. Sounds only if the 5 button is pressed or F5 is triggered.
2 beeps –Automatic. Sounds whenever the locomotive is stationary. (Default)
Button 6 –Injectors. This will operate in three ways:
1 beep –Manual. Starts blowing when the button is pressed or F6 is triggered and stops when
pressed again. (Default)
2 beeps –Automatic. Operates for twenty seconds once every two minutes.
3 beeps –Automatic. Operates for twenty seconds once every four minutes.
Button 7 –Steam Chuff. The locomotive chuff can be generated in three ways:
1 beep –Automatic chuff based on the motor voltage for two or four cylinders. (Default)
2 beeps –Automatic chuff based on the motor voltage for locomotives with three cylinders.
3 beeps –Mechanically triggered chuff. For locomotives which have a built in chuff trigger on an axle.
The output from that chuff trigger needs to be connected to the F7 terminal on the soundcard. Note
that the chuff trigger will function only when there is a voltage the M1/M2 terminals.
When automatic chuff is selected, the chuff needs to be set to correctly match the loco. This is done
with the sound active. Starting from static, turn up the throttle until the loco just starts moving and
then press the Power button on the remote control. This will set the voltage at which the chuff starts.
Next the chuff rate needs to be set to four or three beats per wheel revolution depending on the
number of cylinders as above. Before doing this step it is a good idea to turn off all other sounds so
that you can clearly hear the chuff alone. Then throttle up the loco so that it is running at a scale
walking pace and use the channel up/down buttons on the remote to adjust the chuff rate to the
correct number of beats per revolution. When you are satisfied then restore the other sounds.
A customer, Rik Bennett, has made an excellent video of setting the chuff which can be seen by going
to YouTube and searching for “MyLocoSound steam setting”. It can also be accessed through the
steam page at www.mylocosound.com.
Button 8 –Brake Squeal. This will operate in two ways:
1 beep –Not required. (Default)
2 beeps –Automatic. Sounds whenever the locomotive comes to a halt.

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Button 9 –The Operating Mode. There are three operating modes available:
One beep –Indicates manual mode. In this mode all sounds are triggered according to the above
settings. With battery radio control, the whistle will sound for as long as the function 1 button is
pressed. With track power the whistle will sound for one second when triggered by track magnets.
Two beeps –Indicate simple automatic mode. This is designed for controllers which have no
function buttons, as is often the case with track power, or at exhibitions, etc. where you don’t want
to operate manually. The whistle will sound once automatically when the loco moves off and then
once more three times a minute when the loco is on motion. A reed switch can be placed under the
loco and be connected to the F1 terminal to make the whistle sound when the loco passes over a
magnet. Another reed switch, connected to the F2 terminal, can be used to trigger the bell. If the
bell is set to one beep then it will ring continuously until the loco passes over another magnet. If the
bell is set to two beeps then it will ring for the set time.
Three beeps –Indicate American automatic mode. Again this is designed for controllers which have
no function buttons, as is often the case with track power, or at exhibitions, etc. where you don’t
want to operate manually. However, it follows American rules. The whistle will sound two long
toots when the loco moves off forwards or three short when backing up. If these occur the wrong
way around then reverse the leads at the M1/M2 terminals. When the loco stops, a single short
toot will indicate brakes on. A reed switch can be placed under the loco and be connected to the F1
terminal to make the whistle sound the grade crossing sequence when the loco passes over a
magnet. Another reed switch, connected to the F2 terminal, can be used to trigger the bell. If the
bell is set to one beep then it will ring continuously until the loco passes over another magnet. If the
bell is set to two beeps then it will ring for the set time.
Channel up/down buttons–Load Sensitivity. The soundcard can be programmed to make the engine loud
when accelerating and softer when coasting and slowing down. The channel up/down buttons
change the level of sensitivity as indicated by the number of beeps when pressed. One beep indicates
maximum sensitivity. Five beeps sets minimum sensitivity ie. the engine will be loud all the time. The
default sensitivity is two and change to one if you want more sensitivity or three or more if the chuff
sounds erratic.
Resetting the soundcard back to factory default settings. If you get in a bit of mess and want to start again
then you can reset the soundcard by holding down the 0 (zero) button of the remote control for
three seconds. You will then hear five beeps and all settings will revert to the defaults for the country
you have selected. These include the default sounds, 2/4 cylinders and a voltage controlled chuff. It
will not change the country.
You can change all the above settings whenever you wish and the changes will be effective
immediately.