Sound in a Kato SD40-2?

[Maletrain]

A guy contacted my club looking for somebody to "put a decoder" in his Kato SD40-2, and it was referred to me, for no better reason than I coordinate the club's N scale layout.  I am not a decoder installer, but I will try to direct this guy to somebody who can help him once I figure out what help he actually needs.

He initially made its seem like he just wanted help because "his hands shake".  But, after a little correspondence, it seems he wants sound.

Looking at Spookshow reviews, it seems that the only Kato models of the SD40-2 either came DCC ready or were Kobo units with a non-sound decoder already installed.

So, my question here is whether anybody has installed a sound decoder in a Kato SD40-2, and, if so, what is involved?  Is there already room for a decent speaker, or is frame milling required?

[Mark5]

may I refer you to: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=31981.0

[Lackawannae8]

its basically a drop in if you are going ESU. I mill my stuff for optimal sound value out of the space but you can fit a "stock" size baffle back there on the shelf up to what they want but im deaf so I like things loud.

[peteski]

The install Kelley did used older ESU 73100 decoder. That was before ESU came out with Kato narrow body specific decoders.

While I have not tried it, 58741 might work even better.  Or possibly the newer versions with slightly different board shapes:  58781 or 58771.

[Southern1970]

The install Kelley did used older ESU 73100 decoder. That was before ESU came out with Kato narrow body specific decoders.

While I have not tried it, 58741 might work even better.  Or possibly the newer versions with slightly different board shapes:  58781 or 58771.

Install of a loksound 58741 in a kato SD40-2 by Duford Model Works (@nightnare0331)

[Maletrain]

So, my take-aways from Allan's video are that this conversion to DCC with sound requires:

1.  an ESU 58741 V5 Kato USA decoder
2.  installing sound file S0508 for the EMD 16 cylinder 645 turbo engine
3.  milling the frame for a speaker plus enclosure
4.  a 15x8 sugar cube speaker
5.  a speaker box, maybe 3D printed (but I think I am seeing equivalent boxes available with the speaker - for instance https://www.ebay.com/itm/116774484536 ).

I'm still not sure which version of Kato's SD45 the guy who e-mailed my club actually has.  He will eventually bring it by for me to look at, some time next month.

However, I am sure that I don't want to add this guy's conversion to my own to-do list (not that I am really proficient enough, anyway).

So, do any of you know where I might recommend this guy to go for this install? 

[ednadolski]

I believe i have a shelved Kato SD45 project with the sound conversion process pretty much complete (decoder+speaker installed on the chassis). I don’t think I will ever get around to finishing the full detailing project, so if you like it’s all yours for the shipping.  Let me check and see if i can get a picture or two.  At the least you might simply be able to swap a shell onto it to have a working model.


Ed

[kiwi_bnsf]

The Kato SD40 and 45, SD40-2 Early, SD40-2 Mid Production are all best served by the ESU LokSound V5 58741 decoder.

This decoder is a drop-in fit, and has dedicated solder pads with power for two LED lights with resistors, and four more without, as well as U+ and Ground for a keep alive.


I've documented the Kato SD40-2 Early ESU 58741 install and recommended milling / speaker configuration here:

      https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=55532.0

The install and available space in the Kato SD40 is very similar. The Kato SD45 milling is also the same, but this has room for a bigger speaker enclosure.


The Kato SD40-2 Mid Production requires different milling and speaker geometry. You can get the idea from this install I did for the Intermountain SD45-2 using a Kato Mid Production chassis:

      https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=55139.0


Hope this helps!

[ednadolski]

Here is the pic.   I haven't tested it lately, but lmk if interested and I'll make sure it's working.  --Ed

[keeper]

I did this with an ESU LokSound drop-in decoder some time ago. As far as I remember there ist no milling required.

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=54921.msg753601#msg753601

[Maletrain]

Keeper, So if no milling is done, then the speaker enclosure needs to be pretty shallow.  How deep is the one you used?  How does that sound? (Awful/OK/Great ?)  If OK or better, this might be pretty close to a drop-in conversion, even with sound.

ednadolski, that is a very generous offer!  But, remember, at this point I am only trying to direct an apparently very clueless NON-member of my club that I have not even met, yet, following up on his initial e-mail to the club.  Our club lost the member who did N scale decode installs, so I am just trying to learn what would be involved for this guy's particular loco so that I can see if there is anybody in the club or locally in the business who could do the work for him.  I am not volunteering to do it myself, because I am already swamped with club-related work on the N scale layouts and the building accommodating our club. I really don't want to encourage non-members coming to the club expecting help unless they look like prospective new members.

That said, if it was a simple drop-in with a decoder he has purchased, I would probably do that for him. That is what his initial e-mail seemed to indicate, saying his hands shake.  But follow-up e-mails showed a lack of understanding about the loco he has and he added the desire for sound, while not answering direct, simple questions.

At this point, he has decided that he will meet me at the club "sometime next month", so all I am doing is homework to understand what the options really are for him. Once I meet him, I will have a better idea of whether I want to entice him to join the club, and how much effort I want to personally make to do any enticing.  As a minimum, I want to be able to realistically describe to him what is involved to get the finished product he desires.  Thanks to the Spookshow site and the TRW members responses here, I think I am zeroing in on that.

[keeper]

Keeper, So if no milling is done, then the speaker enclosure needs to be pretty shallow.  How deep is the one you used?  How does that sound? (Awful/OK/Great ?)  If OK or better, this might be pretty close to a drop-in conversion, even with sound.

So for my ears I would say the sound is OK or better. In my opinion there is no great sound even in bigger scales or at least I haven't heard one but that's just me. 

The only additional work compared to a drop-in install is the speaker housing and the LED for the rear light.
I made the housing by cutting styrene sheets and gluing them directly to the speaker frame. The housing itself is glued to one half of the split frame.

[dangerboy81]

I did 2 of them a few months ago. I made a cringy video showing what I did. I didn't mention it in the video, but I used a 8x12mm speaker in a homemade enclosure. That speaker seems to be obsolete at Digikey now but they have an 8x13 that I have used as well.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

This was almost embarasingly easy.

The hardest part was installing the "ears" salvaged from its old Digitrax decoder.

[peteski]

This was almost embarasingly easy.

The hardest part was installing the "ears" salvaged from its old Digitrax decoder.

The Kato original light board has the motor contacts - why not use those?