Tsunami Sound Install In Athearn - Model Train Forum

Geep Fan · 09-17-2011, 07:46 PM

I have an Athearn RTR GP 38-2 that i want to install a Tsunami sound board and a speaker. Can anyone post a photo of a similar install and show me how they handled the speaker mounting in it?

Also and the same with any blue box locos they have installed a speaker enclosure in?

Thanks,
Corey

gc53dfgc · 09-17-2011, 09:21 PM

Well I imagine when you say rtr you mean the new ones that look nothing like the insides of the old blue box era ones. If you do I will be able to help you with that in a few days once I get my GP38-2 that I bought which is DCC equipped but no sound. If you mean a blue box engine I would imagine your best bet would to get some super detail parts like radiator and dynamic brake fans and grills to replace the current ones then glue the speaker and enclosure to the roof of the long hood where the grills are with some CA so sound can get through easily. Then glue the decoder itself to the roof in the middle or make a mount out of plastic to hold it and put that right under the dynamic brake grills so it can stay cooled easier. That should keep the decoder out of the way of the motor and spinning driveshafts and the same for the speaker. Make sure to glue or tape the wires to the roof as well so they do not hit the spinning drive shafts and cause a mess. I will post on here again once i get mine in if you are looking for how to do it for the new rtr.

Geep Fan · 09-17-2011, 09:38 PM

Yes sir it's the Newer Athearn Ready To Roll i guess they call it. It's the retooled GP 38-2. however the motor isn't that much different looking that the old BB and it is not DCC ready either like some of the new RTR models. Its in the Iowa Interstate paint scheme which is hard to come buy. I do have some blue box to do as well.

Thanks for your help!
Corey

NIMT · 09-17-2011, 10:44 PM

You have asked the 100 dollar question, Sorry your going to get the 5 dollar answer from me.

I have done installs of DCC and Sound in hundreds of Engines and equipment and no two are ever the same! Not even 2 of the same model or type! You need to find space anyway you can.

You'll need to do the install step by step, most speakers are too large for Blue Box engines and you'll need a fairly small and shallow speaker in order to fit, The speakers with the large baffles on the back never work.
When I first got into doing installs, I used to use a chunk of soft clay to test for proper clearance for the speaker and decoder.
Isolating the motor from the frame is one of the most important requirements for Blue Box units, Second would be rewiring the pickups to the new decoder to get good power.

gc53dfgc · 09-17-2011, 11:07 PM

Those two things are easy Sean. All blue box engines come pre isolated with the exception of that little metal pin on the bottom of the motor which can be simply cut off to isolate it and then a piece of electrical tape or tape of choice to insure a good insulation. And if you remove those extra metal clips like you told me to do I think a decent speaker and baffle could fit in there. Soldering to the oldmetal pieces on the trucks is not very hard to do either. That is if you have okay soldering skills and a steady hand.

Geep Fan · 09-18-2011, 07:30 AM

Thanks for the help guys. Got to figure something out on this one as it's one of my roads main pieces of equipment and IIAS paint schemes are difficult to find.

Corey

gc53dfgc · 09-18-2011, 12:29 PM

See if you can get a picture of the insides of the locomotives so I can get a good feel of what you have.

NIMT · 09-18-2011, 01:01 PM

I'll second the pic comment!

GC and I can get you threw it with pictures for reference.

For years I didn't cut the body at all on blue box engines to get the speaker sound out, I just installed them with the speaker pointing down and they are plenty loud.

gc53dfgc · 09-18-2011, 01:28 PM

ah Sean but think of all those cool fancy super detailed fan grills.

. There is even a way to power them with little pager motors so they spin to and it can all be controlled by DCC. That is my next project, to get working fans in one of my DCC trains.

Geep Fan · 09-18-2011, 03:03 PM

Thanks guys. I got photos and will post them. Also... this is the newer chassis with the screw in motor mounts. I also have a Genesis GP15-1 motor i bought on ebay, i believe it will screw right in to this same mount and both units use the new hex drive. So if i can get a decoder to fit i can replace the motor and have it run like a top of the line loco!

Corey