SoundTraxx LC Series Owners Manual - Manual (Page 9)

LC SERIES DIGITAL SOUND DECODER OWNER’S MANUAL 9
diminishing return. As a rule of thumb, for small speakers, the minimum for the length, width and
height should be equal to the speaker diameter. Thus the smallest enclosure for a 1" speaker
would be 1" X 1" X 1", while 2" X 2" X 2" would be the smallest size enclosure for a 2" speaker.
As this is only a general guideline, exceptions can and must be made in many circumstances.
HOWEVER, the use of a proper speaker enclosure cannot be over emphasized and
failure to use one is almost always the cause for poor sound quality.
In the case of a steam loco tender or a dummy
diesel unit, the body shell can serve as the
speaker enclosure. In this case, mount the
speaker facing down through an opening in the
floor or up through an opening in the coal load
or perhaps a fan grill.
Figure 3 - (Above) A typical speaker
installation using the tender as the
speaker enclosure.
Figure 4 - (Right) A typical speaker
installation in a powered diesel
locomotive. Note the use of
two speakers.
The speaker enclosure need not be fancy and can be fabricated from sheet styrene, bass wood,
and even cardboard in a pinch! A 35mm film canister usually produces excellent results, as
does a pill bottle or the cardboard tube center of a roll of paper towels. SoundTraxx also offers a
self-enclosed speaker (PN 810086) that is useful in extremely tight quarters. The figures below
show several types of speaker enclosures.
Figure 5 - Speaker Enclosures
Decoder Considerations
It is normal for the DSD-LC to get warm after periods of extended operation and its thermal
overload protection will shut down the audio amplifier if it gets too warm. Therefore, it is
important to install the DSD-LC in a location where it can dissipate the most heat. Avoid placing
the DSD-LC near heat sources such as the motor or lights.
Lighting Considerations
Each DSD-LC is equipped with two to four function outputs that are intended to drive headlight,