12-15-2008, 05:10 PM
LokSound decoder for Stewart Baldwin VO1000
I wanted to have sound for my Stewart Baldwin VO1000 and the only manufacturer to offer Balwin sounds is ESU, so the decision which decoder to use was very easy. The Stewart diesels are DCC ready, that means, they have an 8pin NMRA plug. To install the LokSound decoder, I only had to remove the "blind" plug that is in place for DC operation and plug the decoder in – that’s all, no soldering, no jumpers etc.
The round 0.9" (23 mm) speaker that comes with the LokSound decoder is not suitable for this Baldwin. I ordered a 2/3" x 1" oval speaker that fits perfectly above the front truck, no modification to the frame needed. I glued the speaker face down to the frame. I didn’t use a special baffle for the speaker, I wanted the shell of the loco to act as a baffle. Without the shell, the sound is really weak, but it increases dramatically when the shell is in place. To close some gaps in the frame (and the "baffle"), I glued some styrene pieces to the frame. But I found out that it is not necessary to close those gaps, the sound is just as good without the styrene pieces.
![[Image: vosound1.jpg]](http://www.cnw.mattheydesign.de/vosound1.jpg)
Only the LED retaining clip had to be modified. It touched the top of the speaker and hindered the shell to snap in . So I cut off the rear end of the clip (with the two pins that are used to attach the clip) and glued it to the shell.
![[Image: vosound2.jpg]](http://www.cnw.mattheydesign.de/vosound2.jpg)
The sound is very loud (I turned it down to approx. 40 %) and as good as you can expect of such a small speaker. The motor control of the LokSound decoder is superb, the engine runs smoothly and can crawl very slowly.
So, if you are looking for a very well detailed switcher that runs perfectly and you want to install sound without any problems, the Stewart Baldwin VO-1000 is the right engine for you.
I wanted to have sound for my Stewart Baldwin VO1000 and the only manufacturer to offer Balwin sounds is ESU, so the decision which decoder to use was very easy. The Stewart diesels are DCC ready, that means, they have an 8pin NMRA plug. To install the LokSound decoder, I only had to remove the "blind" plug that is in place for DC operation and plug the decoder in – that’s all, no soldering, no jumpers etc.
The round 0.9" (23 mm) speaker that comes with the LokSound decoder is not suitable for this Baldwin. I ordered a 2/3" x 1" oval speaker that fits perfectly above the front truck, no modification to the frame needed. I glued the speaker face down to the frame. I didn’t use a special baffle for the speaker, I wanted the shell of the loco to act as a baffle. Without the shell, the sound is really weak, but it increases dramatically when the shell is in place. To close some gaps in the frame (and the "baffle"), I glued some styrene pieces to the frame. But I found out that it is not necessary to close those gaps, the sound is just as good without the styrene pieces.
Only the LED retaining clip had to be modified. It touched the top of the speaker and hindered the shell to snap in . So I cut off the rear end of the clip (with the two pins that are used to attach the clip) and glued it to the shell.
The sound is very loud (I turned it down to approx. 40 %) and as good as you can expect of such a small speaker. The motor control of the LokSound decoder is superb, the engine runs smoothly and can crawl very slowly.
So, if you are looking for a very well detailed switcher that runs perfectly and you want to install sound without any problems, the Stewart Baldwin VO-1000 is the right engine for you.
Kurt