iPhone 6s plus (5 . 5) speaker


tootnkumin

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I got a couple of samples of these speakers to see what they are like. On the ebay listing they looked like they may be under 16mm wide and suitable for insertion into HO diesel long hoods, but they are 18mm wide, minus the mounting piece sticking out. (L-51mm. W-18mm, D-4.5mm overall) the spring contacts add a couple of mm to that depth, but if you solder the wires to the side where they exit the case and clipp the ends off, that extra D could be eliminated and there is enough space down the side to not increase the width. The sound exits out the short end.

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I'm looking to see what I can fit one to, to test. I'm going to ask in the coffee shop.
 
I remembered after posting this that I have a NS Kato SD80MAC, all stripped down into pieces for painting (dulling of the black paint overall) and fitting of an ESU select decoder, so after doing some mods to the speaker and removing some overhanging edges along the same side as the wiring connections, I found it was a slip fit into the shell
modified speaker
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It sits neatly on top of the chassis over the rear drive shaft and is within it's length
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The similar chassis over the front drive is shorter, so whether there's something in the way once reassembled, I can't remember so, will have to wait to see if 2 of these speakers can be fitted. There is more than ample height between chassis and shell, normally taken up with light tubes, as there is only 1 LED on the DC board at each end supplying all the lights. I plan on replacing those with LEDS fitted closer to the lights themselves. There should be plenty of room to fit a second speaker up at the top of the shell with double sided tape, if not to the chassis.
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I would prefer them to be mounted on the chassis to simplify the wiring.

Good news too, with those small modifications, they will also fit above the motor and sound decoder in the Athearn RTR SD45, under the fans.
I'll now be able to get the two I have "on line" and order more. Go and do that now.
 
TOOT -- I really appreciate the detailed photos of your modifications and builds.
Even though It Is all "out of my league"- It is nice to have if I ever (doubtful) reach the point that I can use the information.
 
I'll do the modification and take pics as I do it, so it's clear what I've done. I'll try to get the SD45 install done soon. I'm multitasking between this and the Dozer flat car builds and the other stuff, you know how it is. Stay tuned. I've got a couple of RTR GP35's stacked away to check also, but the iP4s speakers are narrower and might be more suitable.
 
I have an Athearn SD45 as well, only because my then 10 yr. old son just had to have it when he saw it at the train show! In 41 days he turns 19.
I'll be watching this thread!
 
I figured whilw I had the bit between the teeth, I'd do some checking on other locos for the fit of these speakers. Just clipping off that mounting bracket that sticks out and no other trimming off one side allowed them to just drop into the long hoods of the Ath SD45 (this version being from the first of the dual RTR/Genesis shells with the sliding cab side windows and better detailing), a P2K GP20 and the Ath SD40's from the latest releases which have chassis that are DCC ready, or sound + DCC. Here's a few more pics, the first showing where I had to clip/file the ribs along the sides of the speaker to get it into the Kato 80MAC, compared to one not so modified, You'll note that doing that mod reveals and removes a very small amount of metal from the edge of the backing of the speaker, not enough I hope to affect it. The protrusions top and bottom form a shallow channel along the side. The shiny edge on the right side one is the metal edge exposed.
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The GP20 is from a late run, the chassis probably differs from earlier runs, this one also has LED lighting with the LEDs mounted 1 each end on the chassis. It has a large lighting board and at the back an 8 pin/9 pin DCC quick plug adapter (removed) in the lower recess. Plenty of room for one of these speakers where the lighting board sits and enough room (length) for a Loksound select sound decoder in that back recess after some minor metal removal (pliers and file).
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The Athearn RTR DCC ready (it would also be sound ready too, using their speaker which sits in a recess in the rear weight over the truck after removing and discarding the cover which also fills the hole the speaker would occupy and has a thicker lid i.e. adds more weight, lost to having the speaker (which is lousy).
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When I replaced the speakers of the 2 with sound ones I have, the iP4s speakers, being about 5.5mm thick over there full length and even without having that metal cover filling the OEM speakers, sat fairly close up under the fans at the back of the shell and also had to made sure they sat hard up against the shell's side, opposite the orifice the sound comes out of them on the side. The iP6s Plus ones, with the sound exit on the end will I think be better, especially too that the opening can be set facing the middle of the loco. It''s shape also, having that end stepped down, can be overhung into the motor's space. Ample room in there for the decoder above the motor. The speaker is just taped down over the weight.
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To get the speaker to sit down nicely and to not nip the track pickup wires, that pass up through the weight and cover, I removed the screws holding the cover to the weight and then the weight to the chassis, unthreading the wires through both. 2 smaller diameter screws for the lid, 2 larger diam (but shorter) for the weight. With the cover off and the weight too, I filed grooves (a cutting wheel in a Dremel could be used) in the weight to link the holes the wires pass up through to the front edge of the weight. The purpose being to have the wires coming out the front, into the motor recess and under the weight's cover plate, to make the top surface uncluttered and smooth for the speaker to sit on.
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I fed the wires back up through the weight before sitting it back into position and carefully lowered it back down, taking care not the nip the wires where they pass through the gap for them on each side of the chassis
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Then the weight was pressed into position and screwed down firmly, now, with the wires feeding out through the newly cut grooves the lid was refitted and also screwed back on. Nice and neat, A final check that the wires had a bit of freedom, and mount the speaker in place. With all the other loose wires tucked up into the shell, a trial fit was made, all good.
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The shell slipped over and down easily, resting fully on the chassis under the walkways, A check with a torch..Ooops, flashlight, showed a good gap between fans and speaker. I'll refit this weight and speaker to one of the other SD40's that has a decoder and compare it with the other sound+ iP4s equipped one. That will be the acid test to see (hear) which is best, if any.
 
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I have an Athearn SD45 as well, only because my then 10 yr. old son just had to have it when he saw it at the train show! In 41 days he turns 19.
I'll be watching this thread!
I forgot to check if there was enough clearance above the rear weight on the SD45 to get one of these in and shut the shell back on, I'll try tomorrow and report.
 
My My .. You've been busy.
Too busy it would seem. Having just woken up and as usual, it's funny how sleeping on something always comes up with an answer, or in this case a better and simpler method, I realised the best way to bring those power pickup wires around to the decoder would be to just to have increased the groove in the frame, around the side. Wouldn't have had to make it very deep so as to not interfere with the thread of the screw holding the weight on and the tape holding the speaker on top could hold the wires in place as well.

Never let it be said, I don't know how to make work for myself.
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Just an update on the fit inside the SD45 seeing I forgot to do that before. The speaker with just that mounting piece clipped off slides up into the shell OK but there is not enough clearance betwee the rear weight over the rear truck to sit the shell down if it sits on top like the SD40's. Needs about 5/32" sliced off the the weight. There are a few alternatives to this method and I'll think about them. Any way, this is how the chassis looks with a Tsunami decoder just taped to the original motor (insulated of course), speaker sitting on top of rear weight and sound opening end hanging into motor space. A good place apart from having to remove weight to lower it enough to get the shell back on.
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There is also the groove in the top of that weight which would need to be reinstated for wiring, not as much maybe, but some.
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An alterative place for the speaker (and possibly the best), taped up under the fans onto the shell. Another advantage would be being able to form a sheet of styrene to pass above the motor, sandwiched between the weights to mount the decoder onto, especially if the motor was slimmer, or even the other way round, decoder up top, speaker above motor. This is an attractive alternative, with the decoder fixed to the shell, wiring in LED lighting wouldn't need long wires, they would theoretically, never need to be disturbed and as I'd be adding ditch lights, all of that wiring would also stay in/on the shell. The only "loose" wires would be the track pickups and motor, and speaker connections, a chance to try those JST's I bought.....sounds good. Hmmmm, there might be an even better way, the motor's size being the key.
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Just another view, more straight on
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An update. I took both of the sound equipped SD40's to the club last night, one with the iP4s still installed and the other having it's replaced with the iP6s Plus speaker. Fortunately one of the newer members was there that had worked in the trains section of the closest hobby shop that has a dedicated section for them. I put them on a length of track in the yard and asked if he could detect any differences between them. Ran each up and down singly with the other's sound turned off, without identifying which was which. His opinion was that the iP6s had the better volume, but no greater sound quality (both CV's adjusted to the same value). I also had the one with the 4s turned so the speaker opening was facing us.

Subjective result, yes, but I think the larger general internal volume and the larger exit, won out, even if only slightly.
 
Subjective result, yes, but I think the larger general internal volume and the larger exit, won out, even if only slightly.
Well, I have found that since everyone's ears are different, it doesn't matter what the specs, calculations, and meters say - only one person can judge the quality of a certian reproduction of sound is the person with that set of ears. I know many people who find the BOSE speaker systems to be the most wonderful things they have ever heard. I find them totally missing the quality mid-range where most of the music is. On the other hand I found something as simple as the Advent Series 1 speakers of 1997 at $99 each, to sound almost as good as the top of the line reference JVC speakers at $450 each.

So I guess I am saying ALL speaker evaluations are subjective, because in my opinion the technical ones are only valid at the higher levels of separating junk from good stuff. At the lower levels of evaluation who knows what the difference in a resonance frequency of 1K Hz vs 900 Hz. is going to sound like to each person's ears.
 
Well, I have found that since everyone's ears are different, it doesn't matter what the specs, calculations, and meters say - only one person can judge the quality of a certian reproduction of sound is the person with that set of ears. I know many people who find the BOSE speaker systems to be the most wonderful things they have ever heard. I find them totally missing the quality mid-range where most of the music is. On the other hand I found something as simple as the Advent Series 1 speakers of 1997 at $99 each, to sound almost as good as the top of the line reference JVC speakers at $450 each.

So I guess I am saying ALL speaker evaluations are subjective, because in my opinion the technical ones are only valid at the higher levels of separating junk from good stuff. At the lower levels of evaluation who knows what the difference in a resonance frequency of 1K Hz vs 900 Hz. is going to sound like to each person's ears.
Yes, and I wear hearing aids, so even more so. I myself couldn't detect anything, but I've been told I need to spend between 8 and 15 thousand to counter the effects of tinnitus anyway. I could definitely tell the difference between them and Athearn's fitted rubbish, like night and day. I got complaints if I left them idling.
 



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