Hi everyone.
Streamlined Backshop (SBS4DCC.com) has posted a page with what is apparently a new Zimo sound decoder board that is 48mm long by 9.5mm wide by 2.2mm thick. This new sound decoder apparently is the MX660.
http://store.sbs4dcc.com/ZIMOMX660MicroDCCSoundDecoder-UniversalDrop-InwithLargeSolderPa.aspxSBS doesn't yet have these decoders in stock, but it looks like they are coming.
Zimo has been working on its US prototype sound files, and now has more options than many of you may realize. You can get a list of them here:
http://www.zimo.at/web2010/sound/tableindex_EN.htm#USI experimented a few months ago with the Zimo MX649 sound decoder, which is only 9mm wide (but thicker than this new board, at 4mm). The decoder fit nicely into an Atlas/China GP7 (this particular one was an older non-DCC-ready unit) with minimal frame milling. Unfortunately, my own view is that the EMD567 16-cylinder sound file provided by Zimo is noticeably inferior to ESU's EMD567 V-16 files. In addition, Zimo's list of available diesel sound files is much more limited than ESU's. However, if they do have an appropriate sound file for an engine you are interested in, this new board promises to be an easier installation in most narrow-hood diesels than the ESU LokSound Select Micro, since no shell thinning will be necessary. Note, however, that some of the sound files in this list are "coded" files, which means they are available only for a $25-35 extra charge. Unfortunately, the "coded" files tend to be the best-sounding ones, since these are produced by independent programmers who often do their own sound recordings.
I admire Zimo's engineering and their commitment to this market. I've long thought that Zimo has the best motor control in the industry, and used an MX621 in my Kato FEF when it first came out, during the time that the TCS drop-in could not control the new coreless motor. The Zimo proved to be a bit better at controlling this new motor than the ESU LokPilot, and like the LokPilot, it has a myriad of adjustable BEMF parameters to get the best possible performance out of any particular motor. Right now, however, I view their diesel sound files as inferior to ESU's, and I think their business model of charging for "coded" sound files is seriously flawed for the U.S. market (add a $25 file to a $90 decoder, and you are up to $115 for just the sound decoder; plus there is the complication of a special unlocking code for these files to load them on the Zimo decoder).
Your mileage may vary, however, and if Zimo adds more high-quality sound files, they could be a serious competitor to ESU in the N-scale diesel sound market (I haven't heard any of Zimo's steam files - on the steam side, Zimo actually has a wider selection of files than ESU, although most of these are extra-cost "coded" files; and if you're doing an install in a steam tender, you don't need the new board anyway). In any event, I think this is definitely a development worth watching.
John C.
