Engine Sound Unit Testimonials

Following testimonial published courtesey of Peter Bone.

 

Just thought I’d let you know that I got the sound unit installed and up and running for the Southend Model Power Boat club Annual Festival this weekend. Our guest judge was Andy Coulson of the Southwater Dablers Club and he judged my boat ‘Best in Show’! I’m sure the sound unit tipped the balance and helped me win.

 

Picture of the boat taken today under full power.

 

The sound unit is terrific and attracted a lot of attention and several people asked me where it came from.

 

As you quite rightly said, the really difficult bit is mounting the speaker and getting the sound out. The model is Andy Griggs’ 1/12th scale Cygnus 33 the one with the ‘bulbous’ bow. After quite a lot of experimentation I’ve mounted the speaker on a relatively small wooden baffle low down in the bow, facing upwards at an angle towards the underside of the wheelhouse floor. I put a cardboard tube (from a real of tape) over the speaker, then I found that and empty container of Cadbury’s cocoa powder just happened to be a nice sliding fit inside the cardboard tube, by sliding the cocoa container in and out (and shortening it) with the open end facing the speaker and the closed end upwards, I found I could ‘tune’ the note. The cocoa container is a cardboard tube with a metal bottom and the thin metal bottom needed a bit of ‘damping’ which I did with a disc of self adhesive felt, then I drilled a hole in the bottom of the container and fitted a piece of plastic tube about 15mm dia, this terminated just under the wheelhouse. I finally drilled a few holes in the wheelhouse floor in places where they were not visible from the inside as the wheelhouse is nicely fitted out and I didn’t want to spoil the look from the inside.

 

The end result is very convincing, not too loud to be annoying but loud enough to sound just right.

 

Thanks again for all your help.