SoundBytes User Manual 
¶
Overview¶
SoundBytes are simple, fully self-contained sound modules that play ambient sound effects for your model railroad.
Features¶
- Easy to install and use
- Powered from 5V to 24V DC
Typical Applications¶
- Triggered sounds effects
- Ambient layout sound
Quick Start Guide¶
The SoundBytes module can be hidden under the layout, or above the layout in a building or scenery. Since each layout is different, experiment to figure out what works (and sounds) best for your application.
When installing under the layout, double-sided tape can be used to attach the module to the underside of the layout. Apply the tape to one of the smooth sides of the black speaker enclosure and attach it to the benchwork or underside of the track base.
Power¶
Power should be clean 5V to 24V DC. This can come from a wall wart, an auxiliary bus on the layout, or a DCC power adapter. Connect the red wire to the positive terminal of the power source and the black wire to the negative terminal. Be careful to not reverse the power leads as this will cause damage.
Please Note
Do not use an old power pack! These will damage modern electronics.
Triggering¶
To trigger the sound, connect the white (or blue) wire to the black wire. This can be done using a pushbutton, switch, IR detector, block detector, PIR sensor, or any number of other devices. Depending on the SoundBytes model, it may or may not have a blue wire. For those that do, the blue wire may activate a different sound, again depending on the model. See the table below for more details.
| Sound Module | White Wire | Blue Wire |
|---|---|---|
| Crossing Bell | Play bell | N/A |
| Cicada | Play cicada sound | N/A |
| CTC Bell | Ring bell once | N/A |
| Transformer Hum | Play humming sound | N/A |
| Outhouse | Play sound clip once | N/A |
Volume Control¶
The volume is adjustable using the square, white potentiometer on top of the board. Turn it with a small screwdriver to adjust the volume up or down.
Specifications¶
Input Power: 5 to 24 volts DC
Input Supply Current (idle): 20mA
Input Supply Current (playing): 80mA
Input Supply Current (max): 160mA
Open Source¶
Iowa Scaled Engineering is committed to creating open designs that users are free to build, modify, adapt, improve, and share with others.
The design of the SoundBytes hardware is open source hardware, and is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike v3.0 license. Design files can be found in the ckt-dingdong project on GitHub.
The firmware for the SoundBytes is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or any later version. Firmware for the SoundBytes can be found in the ckt-dingdong project on GitHub.