RCA PLC009 User manual

MYLOCOSOUND
UNIVERSAL SOUND FOR
LARGE
1.OVERVIEW
•
Easy installation using screw terminals
•
Uses a TV remote control to ad ust the
• Provides a chuff sound
which matches the loco speed and
• Plain and chime whistles
with ad ustable tone to suit the loco.
• Full remote control of the
whistle
• For
track powered DC or battery powered radio controlled railways
2. CONTENTS
The soundcard generates synthesised sound which
sounds of most steam locos and rail
motors
necessary fo
r the soundcard to generate
load. The terminal connections on the left
locomotive controller has the appropriate outputs available.
Sounds can also be triggered by the
Sony
you may have ordered with the soundcard or purchased locally yourself. Although it can
be used at short ranges
when running in the garden, the remote control is intended
mainly for the ad ustment and testing of
The remote control communicates with the soundcard via two infra
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. Ad ustments to the sounds can then be
without taking the loco apart to access the soundcard.
LARGE
SCALE, DC,
STEAM LOCOMOTIVES
Easy installation using screw terminals
with no soldering.
Uses a TV remote control to ad ust the
volume and sounds to match the
prototype
which matches the loco speed and
load.
with ad ustable tone to suit the loco.
whistle
, bell, safety valve, “All aboard” and optional
brake pump
track powered DC or battery powered radio controlled railways
The soundcard generates synthesised sound which
is ad ustable to reproduce the
motors
. The terminal connections on the right are
r 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.
Sony
compatible infra-
red TV remote control which
you may have ordered with the soundcard or purchased locally yourself. Although it can
when running in the garden, the remote control is intended
mainly for the ad ustment and testing of
sounds.
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. Ad ustments to the sounds can then be
made
without taking the loco apart to access the soundcard.
1
STEAM LOCOMOTIVES
prototype
loco.
brake pump
.
red TV remote control which
you may have ordered with the soundcard or purchased locally yourself. Although it can
red receivers. One
is located on the soundcard and the other is on a flying lead which allows it to be fixed

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 shu
the volume is very high and the soundcard is in a confined space.
highly important because it determines the quality of the sound produced.
of at least one watt is recommended.
The lowest cost option is t
o 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 com
instructions shows how this can be done. Use of an external amplifier is recommended for ride on
railways.
requires an 8 ohm loudspeaker which is not included. A 4 ohm speaker can
cause the soundcard to overheat and temporarily shu
t 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.
A power output
o 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
plastic top of a spray paint can is good for making a baffle as shown in the
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
and remove the two speaker modules, in their
enclosures, for use in two locos. These are readily available at consumer
Speakers can be connected to the terminals either way around.
It is also possible to boost the volume by using a com
mercial stereo amplifier. Section 13 of these
instructions shows how this can be done. Use of an external amplifier is recommended for ride on
2
requires an 8 ohm loudspeaker which is not included. A 4 ohm speaker can
t down if
Your choice of speaker is
A power output
o fit speaker from your local consumer electronics store. Typically these come in
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
plastic top of a spray paint can is good for making a baffle as shown in the
mercial stereo amplifier. Section 13 of these
instructions shows how this can be done. Use of an external amplifier is recommended for ride on

3
4. INSTALLING THE SOUNDCARD IN A TRACK POWERED LOCOMOTIVE OR RAILCAR
The soundcard is suitable for use on analogue DC track powered railways. It is not suitable for use with
DCC.
When the track voltage is below nine volts it is insufficient to power the soundcard. Therefore a nine volt
PP3 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 track voltage exceeds nine volts 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.
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. This
is described in section 6.
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 whistle to sound eg. at the
approaches to a level crossing. The whistle 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 6. However, infra-red remote controls are not designed for long distance use outside. On an
overcast but bright day, the remote with coin batteries will only operate up to one metre away
from the loco. A larger 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.
Now continue reading at section 6.

4
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 soundcard trigger, the brake pump, therefore
cannot be radio controlled and will need to be switched on, if required, by the IR remote control.
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 five sound functions and is connected as shown in the diagram
below. 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.
All auxiliary functions should be set to momentary by selecting MENU – ASSIGN FUNCTIONS – AUX FUNC
SETUP.

6. THE INFRA RED RECEIVERS
The infra-
red receivers accept commands from the handheld remote control to ad ust or trigger sounds.
Two receivers are provided. One is fixed in the middle of the soundcard. The other is on a
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
be pointed directly at the soundcard and the on
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 blac
k 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. The picture shows
the particular remote control
supplied by MyLocoSound.
The MyLocoSound remote
control requires two AAA
batteries fitted. It is a universal
device which has been pre-
programmed to Sony™ coding on
both the TV and SAT-CBL-DTC
channels. If your remote control
stops working or needs a battery
change then please refer to the
Trouble shooting guide at the
end of these instructions.
Note that the buttons on the remote control auto
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.
red receivers accept commands from the handheld remote control to ad ust or trigger sounds.
Two receivers are provided. One is fixed in the middle of the soundcard. The other is on a
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
k 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.
Note that the buttons on the remote control auto
-re
peat 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
5
red receivers accept commands from the handheld remote control to ad ust or trigger sounds.
Two receivers are provided. One is fixed in the middle of the soundcard. The other is on a
flying lead which
In some installations, the soundcard is visible when installed in the loco. This usually occurs when the
case, the remote control can
If the soundcard is within the loco and is not visible then the flying lead needs to be used. Plug it into the
k receiver, round side outwards, to any external surface of the loco to which
peat 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

6
8. CONFIGURING THE SOUNDCARD
There are a few settings which need to be specified to match the sounds to the particular locomotive or
railmotor. Place the loco on the track and switch it on. Then proceed as follows:
• Brake pump. Press button 5 to turn the optional brake pump on or off. You should hear it.
• Number of cylinders. Press the 7 button on the remote control. If a double beep sounds then the
soundcard is set three cylinder locos. If there is a single beep then the soundcard is set to two or four
cylinder locos, both of which emit four chuffs per revolution.
• Control mode buttons Press the 6 button on the remote control to change the control mode.
o One beep – Indicates manual mode. In this mode all sounds are triggered only by pressing a radio
control function or by using the remote control buttons. The whistle will sound for as long as its
button is pressed.
o 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 which
will turn on when crossing a magnet and then off at the next magnet.
o 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 which will turn
on when crossing a magnet and sound for a set time. This time is set using the remote control.
Press button 2, let the bell sound for the desired time and then press button 2 again to stop it. The
bell will then ring for that time when the F2 terminal is triggered.
• Whistle type. Press the 9 button on the remote control. A single beep means that the soundcard is set
to a plain whistle and the 2 button will sound a short whistle. A double beep means that the soundcard
is set to a chime whistle and the 2 button will sound the bell when pressed.
• Whistle tone and volume. Press the 1 button to start the whistle. Use the channel up/down buttons to
set the tone and the volume up/down buttons to set the volume.
• Bell volume. If a chime whistle has been selected, the 2 button will sound the bell. Use the volume
up/down buttons to set the bell volume to the desired level.
• Brake Pump volume. The 5 button will sound the Westinghouse brake pump. Use the volume up/down
buttons to set the pump volume to the desired level.
• Setting the static steam hiss. You should hear a steam hiss. If not then press the Mute button to switch
on the sound. Use the volume up/down buttons to set the desired volume.

7
• Choosing the chuff. Some locos have a chuff trigger; an internal switch which closes three or four times
each time the wheels rotate. If your loco has one of these then you should connect it to the F7 terminal
and use it to trigger the chuffs generated by the soundcard. Do this by pressing the 0 button and two
beeps indicate that the chuff cam is in use. One beep indicates that the chuff rate will be determined by
the soundcard from the motor voltage. When using a chuff cam, the chuffs will not switch on until the
motor voltage, at the M1/M2 terminals, gets up to 0.4 volts.
• Setting the chuff start voltage. Turn up the controller to the point where the loco ust starts moving.
Then press the Power button to set that start point. Further increases in power should cause the chuff
to speed up.
• Setting the engine running speed. When the loco is in motion, even at slow speed, you can use the
channel up/down buttons to set the rate at which the chuff increases with speed. Aim for four chuffs
per wheel revolution for two or four cylinder locos and six chuffs per revolution for three cylinder locos.
• Setting load sensitivity. The soundcard can be programmed to make the engine loud when accelerating
and softer when coasting and slowing down. Button 8 changes 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. Start by setting the sensitivity to two and change to
one if you want more sensitivity or three or more if the chuff sounds erratic. After five beeps the
sensitivity will return to one beep.
You can change these settings whenever you wish and those changes will be effective immediately.
Holding down the 3 button for two seconds will cause the soundcard to reset itself back to its factory
defaults. These set the chime whistle, 2/4 cylinders and a voltage controlled chuff.
11. OPERATING THE SOUNDCARD
When the loco is running, the engine sounds should operate automatically, getting louder when
accelerating and softer when slowing down or idle.
Where your controller has function buttons then you can use them as follows:
• Button 1. Sounds the long whistle for as long as the button is pressed.
• Button 2. The bell or a short whistle will operate depending on whether the chime or plain
whistle has been selected.
• Button 3. Sounds “All aboard”
• Button 4. Sounds the safety valve blowing off.
• Button 5. Turns the Westinghouse brake pump on and off.

8
12. TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE
THE REMOTE CONTROL WON’T WORK
Press any button. If a red light next to the POWER button does not turn on then the battery is missing or
flat. Open the battery compartment on the
reverse and insert two new AAA batteries.
Then, when you press a button, the red
light should turn on to indicate that it is
sending.
If the red light is on but the soundcard does
not respond to the remote then try pressing the other channel (TV or SAT-CBL-DTC) button near the top
of the remote control.
If the remote still does nothing then try resetting the SAT-CBL-DTC button coding as follows:
1. Press the CODE SEARCH button and hold until the LED lights.
2. Press the SAT-CBL-DTC button.
3. Enter the four digit code 1 0 0 6 or 0 6 3 9. The LED should turn off. If it blinks multiple times then an
invalid code was entered.
4. Power up the soundcard and test. Button 1 should sound the whistle.
If the remote still does nothing then try resetting the TV button coding as follows:
1. Press the CODE SEARCH button and hold until the LED lights.
2. Press the TV button.
3. Enter the four digit code 0 0 0 1 or 0 8 1 0. The LED should turn off. If it blinks multiple times then an
invalid code was entered.
4. Power up the soundcard and test. Button 1 should sound the whistle.
If the remote control still does nothing then the problem may be the infra-red receiver on the loco
which must not be painted or obstructed.
I GET NO SOUND AT LOW SPEEDS WHEN USING TRACKPOWER
On trackpower, you may get no sound at low speeds until the track voltage gets up to about nine volts.
This indicates that the support battery is flat. Charge the battery by running the loco at half speed for
ten minutes.
I GET NO SOUND AT ALL
Press the Mute button on the remote control in case the sound has been accidentally turned off.
Switch the loco off and then on again. When the soundcard starts, the LED should flash three times. If
not then use a multimeter to check that there is at least nine volts at the B+ and B- terminals. If not then
check your wiring in case something has come adrift.
If testing on the bench, make sure there are no fluorescent lamps shining on the board or the remote
receiver.
Check that the speaker is connected correctly.

9
THE SOUNDCARD MAKES A CLICKING NOISE OR SHUTS DOWN
This most often occurs when the whistle is sounded. It is caused by the soundcard restarting because
there is insufficient voltage in the track or the battery to sustain the volume setting. Recharge the
battery.
WHEN INSTALLED IN A LOCO, THE LOCO AND SOUND STOP INTERMITTENTLY AND I HAVE TO RESET
THE CONTROLLER TO GET IT GOING AGAIN
The soundcard maximum output is 1.5 amps. If this is exceeded as a result of high volume settings then the
soundcard will shut down. Also, if the soundcard is installed in a very confined space and is run for a
prolonged period at high power then it can overheat and switch itself off while it cools down.
HOW TO RESET YOUR SOUNDCARD
A time may come when you have been ad usting the sound and you want to start again. This can be
achieved by resetting the soundcard back to the settings when it left the factory. You can do this by
pressing the 3 button on the remote control and hold it down for two seconds. The soundcard will beep
three times when the reset is complete.
THE SOUND IS ERRATIC
When using trackpower, some controllers have an output which is so rough as to cause the soundcard
to run erratically. This can be cured by fitting a 220µF bi-polar capacitor across the M1/M2 terminals to
smooth the DC pulses. The capacitor rating needs to be at least 30 volts to ensure that it is more than
the maximum voltage of the controller. A bi-polar capacitor is one which can be connected either way
around.
MY RADIO CONTROL HAS BECOME ERRATIC
If the soundcard is installed very close to the loco radio receiver ie, back to back, then it can interfere with
the radio commands and operation can become erratic. To avoid this problem move the soundcard a little
away from the receiver. You can also avoid the problem by wrapping the soundcard in silver paper but
would have to be very careful to avoid shorts and component overheating.
13. USING AN EXTERNAL AMPLIFIER FOR RIDE ON RAILROAD LOCOMOTIVES
When used in 5 inch and 7¼ inch ride on railroads there is a lot all environmental noise. The one watt
output of the soundcard is not sufficient for these environments and an external amplifier needs to be used.
The wiring diagram below shows how the soundcard can be interfaced to a commercial stereo amplifier in a
loco powered by a 12 V battery.

10
A 24v battery powered loco will require a 24v to 12v DC
converter as shown alongside. Note that the soundcard can
handle a maximum of 24 volts DC. A battery which is labelled
as 24 volts will typically output 28 volts when fully charged
and will therefore damage the soundcard if connected
directly.
For most locos a 12v DC, 2x15 watt amplifier is suitable. Other
amplifiers may require the 100Ω resistor to be changed. If the
output volume is too low then raise the value of the 100Ω
resistor.
A single speaker can be used on the right output or two
speakers on the left and right outputs.
Any of the five functions can be used by means of a pushbutton between the function terminal and
ground. The sound functions available are whistle, bell, “All aboard”, safety valve and brake pump.
The installation can be made more
robust by using two blobs of silicon
to attach the soundcard to a plastic
box in which the capacitor and two
resistors are placed as shown
above. The whole can then be fixed
to the top of the amplifier, again
using silicon.
Select a speaker which matches the
impedance and power output of
the amplifier. It is also important to
make a soundbox which is an
airtight fit to the back of the
speaker. This will improve both
volume and sound quality.
PLC009 Steam Instructions RCA.doc 29/03/15
For more information, please visit the web site at www.mylocosound.com or e-mail
[e-mail].
Copyright © 2013-5 Peter Lucas Consulting Pty. Ltd.