DC Sound- do manufacturers want it?

QUOTE (Dave Searle @ 25 Sep 2007, 10:02) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>On my Bachmann Class 20, I set CV 13 to 1, which gives limited DC usage (full start up once the controller gets about halfway, and then running sounds). This is fine on a continuous layout, but a pain on a point-to-point one as reversing direction causes a full start-up each time!

Cheers,

Dave

That's probably a good example of the extent to which sound decoders will do anything on DC. With the way sound decoders work, there has to be an analogue-to-digital handover/conversion at some point and the chip will probably be able to pick up on a certain voltage and produce digital sound commands according to some factory setting on how to behave on DC. Other than that, you'd probably never ever be able to produce anything other than running sounds on DC.

In that sense, you really cannot separate sound from DCC and it makes sense for manufacturers to push this as such. Of course they then want you to buy their gear, but that's another matter!

Walter

QUOTE (Walter @ 26 Sep 2007, 01:32) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>That's probably a good example of the extent to which sound decoders will do anything on DC. With the way sound decoders work, there has to be an analogue-to-digital handover/conversion at some point and the chip will probably be able to pick up on a certain voltage and produce digital sound commands according to some factory setting on how to behave on DC. Other than that, you'd probably never ever be able to produce anything other than running sounds on DC.

In that sense, you really cannot separate sound from DCC and it makes sense for manufacturers to push this as such. Of course they then want you to buy their gear, but that's another matter!

Walter
As I said previously the QSI sound works perfectly well on analogue dc. You have the full range of sound functions and can change between them by toggling back and forward quickly on the power.

At the risk of jumping in where angels fear to tread...

I cannot see that there is any technical reason why a sound generator cannot be designed that could accept, say, pairs of audio tones (similar to tone dialling on a phone) and, combined with an A to D converter, automatically produce the sound of a train starting up, accelerating and running at speed. The operator would have to initiate the process manually. With 3 frequencies one could have 3 commands (A+B, A+C and B+C). Four tones would give 6 commands, etc. Some commands would have to be paired to give on/off (diesel engine sound/steam loco sound) while others would be stand-alone (e.g. whistle/horn, venting steam). The same frequencies coudl be used for all locos on a layout as the signals would be limited to the loco being driven by a particular controller.

However, I cannot see it ever happening. (

All the best,
Chris.

PS added as an afterthought. Could one actually generate the sounds in the controller and superimpose them onto the DC voltage. All the loco woudl need then is a small speaker to make the appropriate noises. (There would have to be at least a capacitor in series with it to prevent dc reaching the speaker.) Would relatively low level audio signals have any effect on the motor?