I could use some advice from someone who has retrofitted a Heisler with a decoder. This loco takes an 8 pin NMRA plug and I had this decoder which I had replaced in another loco.
I replaced the harness on the left with an 8 pin harness and plugged it into the Heisler. I did a lot of work with the CVs to get the sound settings to my liking and got the loco moving with the shell off. When I tried to replace the shell I discovered there simply is not enough room in the cab for the decoder, speaker, and capacitor. There is barely enough room for the decoder.
I’m wondering if anyone has put a sound decoder in a Heisler and if so what decoder did you use? How big a speaker did it take? Rivarossi now sells Heislers with factory sound decoders but I don’t know if they had to reconfigure the insides to get everything to fit. These are selling in the $300-400 range and I’m not about to shell out that much when I have one that just needs the right decoder.
If necessary I can live without sound. This decoder. seems like it would work:
If you decide to go w/o sound with your Heisler I would pick the TCS M1P decoder. I think you’ll be delighted with the better motor control - especially at very slow speeds. TCS is my go-to for motor-only installations.
And, yes, you can use N- or Z-scale decoders for a HO installation. What you have to be mindful of is the continuous/peak motor current rating. HO decoders are generally rated at 1.0/2.0A. Smaller decoders can be 0.75/1.5A. Not a huge deal if you locomotive doesn’t draw a lot of current while operative - e.g. 0.25A.
I checked to see if the capacitor will fit in the boiler but it has a tight clearance also. The capacitor fits in the empty shell but the shell goes on top of a metal weight that also holds the wires to the front headlight and the boiler won’t go down all the way with the capacitor in it.
It’s going to be a tight fit even with the roof speaker and that’s if I can find a suitable sized decoder. I’m thinking the N scale decoder might be my only option if I want sound.
I got another idea for sound. The Heisler will operate on a switchback with only about 10 feet from end to end. I’d read that retired steamers were occasionally repurposed as stationary boilers. I’ve got a couple out of commission steamers with sound. I could put one on a track hidden under the scenery and use it as a stationary sound generator. It might be a better option than trying to force fit a sound decoder in the tiny cab.
I’d be curious as to whether Rivarossi retooled their Heislers to allow space for their factory decoders and speakers.
I did one using an Econami with an Iphone 5 speaker under the cab roof. I took out the window glass in the rear of the cab for better sound porting. I hard wired it to save space and did not use a keep alive capacitor. The decoder fit in the coal bunker behind the cab.
This is an update on this decoder installation. I had mistakenly ordered a Digitrax SDN136PS decoder for another loco which has an attached speaker and capacitor, not realizing this was an N scale decoder. I intended to return it for refund from Amazon. Meanwhile I ordered the M1P-1 non-sound decoder which is the one TCS used in their online installation tutorial. When I received it, I was suprised to see it is roughly the same size as the N scale Digitrax decoder I intended to send back. It is labeled as an N/HO decoder. I figured since the smaller decoder would work in the Heisler, why not go with the one that has sound, so I decided to install the Digitrax decoder.
The installation went fairly smoothly and with a little effort, I was able to fit the decoder, speaker and capacitor in the locomotive cab although the wires are visible through the windows. I can live with that. I am disappointed by the sound. I set the CVs for maximum volume and still the sound is anemic. The whistle is barely audible. Is this typical for N scale decoders and speakers.
The included speaker is oval shape and about the width of a dime. I’m considering cutting the wires to it and hooking up a sugar cube speaker, assuming I can get it to fit in the cab. Is the sound volume more a product of the decoder or the speaker. I’m wondering if it would be worth the effort to replace the speaker.
Meanwhile, I have a spare TCS M1P-1 decoder if the need arises.
It appears to me the baffle is part of the speaker. The instructions don’t specify a separate baffle and the photos in the instruction manual show the speaker installed in the tender of a traditional steam loco by itself with no additional baffle. The oval speaker is 10 x 18mm. It was a tight fit without a separate baffle and finding a suitable baffle is not going to be easy.