dcc sound decoder for atlas shey, which one? do they make one?

[billvassar45]

do they make a sound decoder for the atlas shey? and how to install?

[mmyers]

There's no sound decoder that I know of.  I installed decoders in the first run way back when. There is little room for a standard decoder much less one with sound. Don't forget, with sound one also needs to find room for a speaker.  Best way to get sound would be to install one in a dedicated car to run coupled to the shay.

Martin Myers

[billvassar45]

  thats what i was afraid of an additional car would not work the shat pulls a 10 car log train.

[peteski]

thats what i was afraid of an additional car would not work the shat pulls a 10 car log train.

Sounds like it is time for you to move up to H0 or O scale! 

N scale has some serious sound issues because of physical th size limitations of electronic circuits and acoustics.  Even with the current advances in miniaturization, sound decoders are still quite large compared to non-sound decoders. Acoustically, you also need a speaker large enough to move enough air to produce quality audible signals.

[billvassar45]

ho is out of the question went to n-scale because i could put more in the same area, my wife has o-guage christmas trains that she runs won't let me run.

[wm3798]

If it's a small enough layout, why not hardwire the sound decoder to track power, give it the same address as the loco, and hook up a nice subwoofer under the benchwork.  You'll get much better sound than you would from a 1 cm diameter speaker.

Lee

[Philip H]

Bill,
It's not often we hear that the wife's trains are bigger then the guy's trains, and even less often do we hear he can't run them.  Seriously dude, there's a keeper.

And lee's right - if you are going to have a small layout with a single loco, hardwire the decoder, and add a speaker.  You may need a small amp to get really good sound that way, as the output of the deocder won't drive a quality speaker to much volume.

[TiVoPrince]

Seems 
like a job for a Digitrax 'Sound Bug' hooked up to the largest speaker you can fit under the layout.  Have a glance at the in-wall speakers sold at big box lumber stores.  They are incredibly efficent and work very well with even low power outputs.  Don't forget to add a mute switch because not everyone truly appreciates the rapid fire 'machine gun' stack sounds of a shay...