Fitting Hornby TTS chips in classes other than that specified and in other manufacturers models.

Discussion in 'DCC Sound' started by Tallpaul70, Aug 30, 2019.

  1. Tallpaul70

    Tallpaul70 Full Member

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    Hi All,
    I am considering saving money by fitting Hornby TTS chips into other DCC Ready Hornby locos than those specified and into other manufacturers, particularly Bachmann DCC Ready models.

    For instance:-
    Could the LMS class 5 chip be fitted into Bachmann Standard Class 5 or Class 4 4-6-0s or Hornby Standard Class 4 4-6-0, and would it sound reasonably correct? I think I could live with minor inconsistencies in view of the cost saving?
    Or:-
    Might the J36 0-6-0 chip work in other 0-6-0 tender or tank engines? Or even in small 2-6-0s?

    I know that some ideas would not work such as the fitting of the 8 beat Lord Nelson chip into other locos or fitting 2 cylinder steam chips into 3 cylinder steamers, or fitting GWR chips into non GWR locos.
    Practical experience of other nonos would be appreciated.

    On diesels, might the Hornby Class 08,20 or 40 TTS, fit and sound right in Bachmann locos of the same type, or in other locos?
    Could TTS loco chips sound ok in DMUs?

    I would appreciate people sharing their practical experience in these areas.

    My apologies if this topic has been covered previously in other threads, in which case, cross references to those threads would be welcome!

    Many thanks
    Paul
     
  2. Ron

    Ron Full Member

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    The only non Hornby TTS I've fitted was a Class 60 TTS into a Lima Class 59, no problems and it sounds good!!

    Ron
     
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  3. paul_l

    paul_l Staff Member Administrator

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    I have bought the A3 TTS chip, to be fitted into a Bachmann V2, and I also have a Nucast V2 kit, that if I ever get around to building it (and it moves) then depending on the current draw may also have the same treatment.
    I'd also like to fit the 4F chip into an old Airfix 4F and an old O gauge Lima 4F, again depending on current draw a kit built O gauge 3F Jinty.

    Paul
     
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  4. jakesdad13

    jakesdad13 Staff Member Moderator

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    Depending on the motor and load thereon I reckon the 4F TTS chip will be fine in a kit built 3F Jinty. The Mashima 18/33 motor fitted to my Megamodels kit built 1F tank drew around 1.5 amps with a load of about 6 wagons.

    Pete.
     
  5. paul_l

    paul_l Staff Member Administrator

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    Cheers Pete

    The lima 4f draws arround 0.5 A at stall, so that will be OK, I suppose for the kit built loco's being well run in will help.

    The J36 may be useful for a J83, not sure if I would get away with it on a heavier J35 / J37.

    I would say tho', how many folks can actually remember exactly how each loco sounded, and maybe playing around with speaker combinations may assist in hiding the true origin of the sounds - hearasy I know, but I was out of the country from '66 to 69 so steam had dissapeared before i could appreciate it, so for me whistle type and making them rest of the sounds appear a bit different may be sufficient - although making a Class 20 sound more like any other loco wouls be a blessing.

    Paul

    Paul
     
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  6. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    Pete, I seem to think there is a max 0.5amp current draw on these.

    I’ve got an A1 and A4 to fit in the next couple of days. Will check the specs
     
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  7. SRman

    SRman Full Member

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    There should be no problems with this idea, with one proviso: check the current draw of the loco against the specifications for the TTS decoders. My reservations would be Heljan diesels which could, under heavy load, draw more current than the decoder can cope with.

    I have fitted a TTS decoder for a class 37 into a ViTrains model. There have been no issues except for finding and fitting a suitable speaker into the ViTrains chassis (not a TTS problem, as such).

    All the TTS decoders in my experience benefit from fitting better speakers than the ones Hornby supplies with them.
     
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  8. jakesdad13

    jakesdad13 Staff Member Moderator

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    I may have miss remembered the current draw on my 1F mate, it was around 20 odd years ago and the memory ain't what it was, but I still remember the surprise that the current draw was as low as a 00 loco of that time.

    Pete.
     
  9. paul_l

    paul_l Staff Member Administrator

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    My 4F stalled at approx 0.5A



    I even made a video (how sad can I get). I used a H&M Duette for the supply and a pair of Multimeters, one set up for voltage the other for current.

    Paul
     
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