Phoenix Sound Systems climax 2k2 Installation and operation manual

Bachmann
Climax
Phoenix Sound Systems, Inc.
3514 West Liberty Road
Ann Arbor MI 4 103
www.phoenixsound.com
phone: [phone]
fax: [phone]
e-mail: [email protected]
©2004-200 Phoenix Sound Systems, Inc.

Installation Overview
Skills
Your BigSound™ Handbook, which is included in your kit, has basic
information for all our sound systems. These instructions apply specifically to
Bachmann's Spectrum™ Climax. Using these two manuals, you will be able to
successfully install the Phoenix BigSound™ system. We have customized our
standard kit with components that fit neatly although snugly into the allotted
space inside the coal tender. Any sound system installation involves physically
locating and securing the components (sound board, speaker, switches etc.),
wiring everything together, and making sure connections to the engine are
secure. Bachmann has designed the Climax to make some of these tasks easier.
The small size of the coal bunker where the sound system is installed does leave
a few hurtles to be overcome.
Options
AutoChuff™ Mode (Recommended)
In this mode you install track power wires to terminals 1 and 2. The system
estimates the engine speed based on track voltage and then alters the chuff
sounds accordingly. Hint: If you hear three toots going forward and two toots in
reverse, simply switch the track power wires. As packaged, our Climax sound
system is set up for AutoChuff™ operation. After many trial and error sessions,
we believe the AutoChuff™ installation is the easiest, most reliable, and least
frustrating. You can be up and operating in a short time.
Direct Sound Contact iring
Some modelers may want to take advantage of the cylinder contacts that
Bachmann has supplied for the synchronization of sound. You must do some
rewiring of the cylinder chuff contacts, at least with production run of the engine
we have tested, for proper operation. It is possible that even after rewiring, the
sound contacts may not trigger consistently. Unlike Bachmann’s Shay, the sound
contacts cannot be accessed for adjustment. We have included instructions for
the rewiring needed.
Advanced
True-to-life operation also can be obtained by using axle magnets and a reed
switch to synchronize the chuff. Additionally, some modelers may want to wire
reed switches to trigger the bell and crossing whistle via track magnets.
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Preparing the Tender
Opening the Tender
All your kit components will fit into the coal tender shell. The first step is to
remove the tender from the floor of the truck. On the top of the coal load near
the front of the tender, there are two water valve crank handles that conceal two
small holes on either side of the tender. See the photograph on page 19 of
Bachmann’s Operator’s Manual. These openings provide access to the Philips
screws that secure the tender box to
the floor. Remove the two screws but
do not take off the box yet. The back
end of the tender box is held in place
by two plastic tabs. To avoid
breaking the tabs, lift the front end of
the box and carefully swing it open
like a hinged lid to release the
holding tab and then lift off the shell.
Removing The Sound
Connector Board
The Bachmann sound connector board must be removed next. The wires for
power and sound contacts feed through a hole at the forward edge of the tender
floor. The two long wires [usually black] are the leads for track power input. The
shorter wires are the cylinder sound contact wires. [These may be any color
combination; In our installations they have been red and black.] You do not need
the shorter wires for our recommended installation. We cut them back a little and
tape them together, making sure the exposed wire ends are covered. To avoid
confusion with identifying the power leads, after clipping you can tape them
together with a label until you are ready to wire the board.
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Modifying the Tender
Trim down two plastic tabs in the coal spill area inside the tender shell to
accommodate the speaker. Trim enough to allow the speaker to clear this area
when the shell is in place. The leading rim of
the speaker extends into the corresponding coal
spill area on the tender floor. After trimming
the plastic tabs use clear silicone adhesive or
caulk to fill in between the tender, the coal spill
and the loose plastic board above it. This
stiffens this part of the coal bunker and
prevents rattling of these parts.
Installing the Speaker
The tender has slots cut into the floor where the speaker is installed. The
speaker for the Climax has been modified to fit snugly into the opening: we
have removed two of the mounting ears.
CAUTION: THE EDGES OF THE
SPEAKER BASKET ARE SOMEWHAT
SHARP. NOTICE THAT THERE ARE
WIRES PROTRUDING THROUGH ONE OF
THE SPEAKER GRILLS.
In order to prevent these wires from
vibrating against the speaker cone or
otherwise interfering with the installation
we have included a thin fiber gasket with
your kit. Cut a slot in the gasket, as shown
in the diagram below. The speaker has a
corresponding ring at the outer edge of the
cone. Position the gasket so the ¼” slot that was cut is directly across from the
mounting ears. Use silicone adhesive to glue the gasket to the speaker ring,
verifying that the orientation is correct. The gap should align with the wires that
protrude from
the speaker
grill.
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Place the speaker cone down with the mounting holes toward the back of
the tender. Locate the two small square holes on the floorboard slats close to the
back. Align the back edge of the speaker rim with the floorboard groove that
runs through the holes. The speaker should be set so that the floorboard groove
is just visible. It is imperative that the speaker is placed precisely in order for
shell to fit back on the
tender floor. The front
edge of the speaker
extends into the area
where the coal spill is
modeled at the forward
end of the tender.
Make sure that any
loose pieces of the
model are glued
securely in place. Any
extra time you spend
making sure you have
a good acoustic
chamber is well worth
the effort. Set the
engine aside to allow
the adhesive to set.
Installing the Volume Control Switch
The Climax has a special place for the volume
control switch that makes it readily accessible. Look
at the back end of the coal load at the end of the
tender. There is a small water valve fitted with a lid
that has a handle. The lid pulls out to expose a hole.
It is difficult to place the hex nut on the shaft of the
volume switch after inserting the switch through the
water shaft hole. You can use an Allen wench to
position the nut and get it started then use needle
nose pliers to tighten it in place. It takes a steady
hand and patience.
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Installing the BigSound™ Board
The board is installed against the back wall inside the tender shell near the
water fill hole. It fits in this spot perfectly. It may be awkward with all the wires
connected to the sound board, but just
take your time.
Your kit contains mounting pads
that you may want to use to affix
components. Regardless of what type
of adhesive you use, be sure to avoid
placing it on the tiny board
components. A good place on the sound
board is the microprocessor on the
underside of the board. Holding the
edges of the board, press it firmly
against the back wall of the tender
shell.
Installing the Battery
The included 3.6V battery is installed flat against
the ceiling of the tender shell. The water fill hole
almost touches the long edge of the battery. The
second mounting pad in your kit can be used to hold
the battery in place.
Finishing Up
Carefully place the shell over the speaker and
align the tabs with the square slots at the rear of the
shell just behind the speaker. Carefully swing the
bunker back into place making sure that no wires are
protruding from the bottom of the shell or across the
screw holes at the front of the shell. Firmly seat the
bunker flush with the tender floor and tighten the two long screws at the front of
the tender.
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Modifications for iring to the Cylinder Contacts
CAUTION: THIS PROCEDURE MAY VOID YOUR BACHMANN
WARRANTY!
When operated “as-received,” the switches are wired in series and would
not produce the chuff pattern. We have tried our rewiring method on several
Climax engines with good success. Before beginning the system must be
configured to derive speed from a trigger. Please see the BigSound™ Handbook
for instructions on this.
1. Set the engine on your workbench with the engine facing you head
on so the sketches will be correctly oriented to your work.
2. Remove the lids of the boxes
that rest on top of each cylinder.
Inside you can see the wires
connected to metal pins along the
front edge of the box.
3. Inside the engineer’s cylinder box, de-solder the
inside wire and solder it to the outside pin, as
represented by the dashed line in the sketch.
4. Drill a small hole on the inside edge of each
cylinder box to accommodate the new wire that is to be
added to the circuit. You should use a small gauge insulated black wire
(22AWG or smaller) for this modification. You will be drilling at an
angle at approximately the locations shown by the arrows below.
5. Cut a length of wire about 7 inches long. Strip and tin one end of
the wire.
6. Thread the tinned wire through the hole on the fireman’s side,
across the steam boiler, and through the hole on the engineer’s side.
7. Solder the wire to the inside pin of the engineer’s cylinder box.
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. Cut the wire to an appropriate finished length, strip and tin the end,
and solder it to the outside pin of the fireman’s cylinder box.
9. Once you have switch contacts that work, you will be getting two
chuffs per revolution of the crankshaft. The chuffs will have an uneven
pattern because of the quartering of the two flywheels. You must “un-
quarter” the flywheels so that the switch contacts are made every 1 0°
of rotation. As-received the flywheels are set 90° apart (quartered).
Manually turn the flywheels on either side of the engine until they are
offset 1 0° rather than 90°.
Reed Switches and Axle Magnets
Chuff Reed Switch (Optional)
The AutoChuff™ will be more than acceptable for most, however if some
will wish to use a reed switch and axle magnets. Following is the mounting
method that works well with the Climax.
In general, follow the instructions for component placement and wiring
found in this manual. Mount the magnets with Silicone, Epoxy or other suitable
adhesive 1 0° apart on the drive shaft. The chuff reed switch is mounted
horizontally at the rear edge of the ash pan. Experiment a little for the best
placement of the reed switch before gluing it to the bottom of the engine.
The wires from the reed switch can be routed along the underside of the cab
floor to the rear end of the wiring channel. If a small portion of the rear end of
the wiring channel cover is trimmed off, the reed switch wires can be easily
threaded through the hole in the floor under the coal spill with the other factory
wiring. In order to trim off the wiring channel cover, you will have to remove
the rear power truck. This is an easy job. Just follow the instructions in your
Bachmann Operator’s Manual on page 2 .
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Bell and histle Reed Switches
You can install the reed switches to activate the bell and whistle via track
magnets by gluing them to the brake beams on the front and rear
of the back power truck. They will fit into the slot of the brake
beams better if you file flats on two opposite sides of each reed
switch.
CAUTION: REMOVE ONLY THE AMOUNT OF MATERIAL NECESSARY TO ALLOW THE
REED SWITCH TO FIT SNUGLY INSIDE THE BRAKE BEAM. REMOVING TOO MUCH
MATERIAL WILL DAMAGE THE INTERNAL PARTS OF THE REED SWITCH.
Make sure the reed switches are mounted with the tips all the way to the
outer edge of the brake beam: one switch tip all the way to the right side of the
engine and the other reed switch all the way to the left side. Route the wires
through the same hole as the chuff reed switch wires.
These wires will fit through the hole with the factory wiring and also clear
the speaker and coal bunker cover.
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