Quantum Aristo Installation in the Mallet
I added a QSI DCC motor/sound unit to the Mallet. Here's the QSI in place, no great shakes, takes longer to remove the boiler than to install it!
If you have read my Mikado install, you know I used one of the wires between the loco and tender to bring power forward, and the other to send the sound from the loco boiler back to the tender.
(Note the QSI is a 5 watt output, the stock Aristo speaker in the tender is 1 watt, so you can get distortion if you use it).
The Mallet has a working backup light, so making the sound "go" from the QSI in the boiler "back" to the tender would have required another wire, since I am using one wire for the power pickup from the tender, and the other runs the backup light.
More importantly to me, having the sound come all the way back from the tender would sound really funny, since the smokestack is VERY far forward from the tender.
I noticed a large open spot in the very front bottom of the boiler. I simply took a 1.5" hole saw and cut a hole through here, and put in a small speaker with a big magnet. I did not bother to make an enclosure. I do not get as much bass as the larger speaker in the tender, but the sound comes from the right place now, and I like it much better.
Here's the speaker held in place with some double sticky "tape" This stuff is moldable and sticks to itself. I'll make a better mount later, and possibly look at a larger speaker, but this sure was quick and easy!
I've decided to try a larger speaker, a 2" x 3" oval. It just fits, with notching the frame. I have to enlarge the hole. QSI install and settings:
- Original sound file: 7.0.50 soundset 0, 8/24/07
- loaded version 7.18.2 on 12/22/2007, type# 4000, sound# 0
- needed to set reverse direction
