<SoundNotes

One day while visiting the local hobby shop I stumbled on the Vellerman kit 8030 Voice recorder and playback module. While it seems that this kit is no longer in production it did inspire this project. It is designed to store up to (4) voice messages and play them back one at a time in any order. All four messages will play continuously when a certain button is held down.

The original chip also seams to be obsolete however there are many similar chips readily available today for answering machines, memo reminders and any number of “talking” toys, all with similar features, price and availability.

Then I visited George Reitze and his Connecticut Western. He showed me one of his industries that had sound effects. Now I use a sort of computerized block system on the North River which depends on train detectors to track the movement of trains. My first thought was to play a grade-crossing whistle as the train approached. Then the thought of the ringing of the bells of the grade crossing signal itself. Soon I had a whole list of sound effects that would be nice to have but too expensive to build a device for each.

The result of a lot of thoughts was this sound generator/multiplexing system

That uses just six chips to produce over 50 sounds at any of six locations, all played at a very low volume meant to be just barely audible if you listen.

The North River soundSystem designed around Windbond chips integrated into North River operating system

Overview of NR-62 Sound Generation System

System consists of 6 “players” and six speakers

Players are triggered by train passing over photo cells between tracks

The NR computer selects a player and speaker for appropriate sound

Creating Sound chips to be used in Sound Generator Players

General

Audio CDs are used as source of sounds

Several Railroad Sound effect CDs are available as a source for Engine, background and various types of sounds. Tracks are “ripped to MP3 files and edited, then Mp3 files are then copied to (6) Chipcorder devices using Dell DITTI mp3 player Contents of ChipCorder “Players” are documented for use in programming

“Rip” tracks from audio CDs

Folders are created to store “source” files of raw sounds

Create new [target] folder for each CD. i.e. C:/Audio/MP3/RR/Remembering Steam

Tracks of raw sounds ripped from Each Cd will be stored in its respective folder

A WORK folders will be created to store extracted sounds

Another set of folders will be used to store final sound clips

Each ChipCorder will be represented by a folder i.e. “steam running”, “highway” etc.

Note that while the number of tracks is unlimited, the total time is limited to chip capacity

Record the location of each sound clip and table (see below)

Tracks from railroad sound effects CDs may now be ripped

Use your favorite program to [batch] Rip sound tracks to folders just created

FX Audio Audio Editor Professional

can be used to extract [rip] tracks to MP3 files

only allows ripping of one track at time

Select FILE | OPEN

Use “Look in: dropdown box to select source directory containing CD i.e. D:

Set Files of Type: to All Supported ….

Select track to be edited i.e. Track01.CDA

Wait until file loads

Use “save selected samples as” dropdown box to select target directory (created above)

Set “Save as Type:” dropdown box to MP3

Set “File Name: to name to be used for new file i.e. C:/sounds/SteamLIves

Set Frequency to 44kHz

Set Bit rate to 128

Leave stereo checkbox blank to Make mono

Click Save to save file

Edit tracks

Use FX Audio Audio Editor Professional

Initialize environment

Open Sound Devices group boxes

Set Sound Devices as required

In Play Volume group box

Set Play Volume to: Microsoft Sound Mapper

Set Control to: Play Control

In Record Volume group box (if you want to create narritives)

Set Record Volume to Microsoft Sound Mapper

Set control to Microphone

In Vertical Scale Group box

Set Grid box to: checked

Set position to 100

Select Right and Normal value radio buttons

Open .MP3 file to be edited using

Select FILE | Open

Use “Look in: dropdown box to select work directory i.e. C:/sounds/SteamLIves

Set Files of Type: to All Supported ….

Select track to be edited i.e. Track1.mp3

Use Files of Type: dropdown and select MP3

Click “open”

Edit tracks as required

crop to sound lengths desired for “sound clip”

adjust equalizer as required

adjust sound level to “standard” peak value between -4 to -10 db

Clip silent segments as required

Add fade-in and fade-out to avoid speaker “clicks”

Storing Sound clip

Select FILE | Save As…

Use “save in” dropdown box to select target directory (created above) i.e. C:/sounds/SteamLIves

Set “Save as Type:” dropdown box to MP3

Set “File Name: to name to be used for new file

Set Frequency to 44kHz

Set Bit rate to 128

Leave stereo checkbox blank to Make mono

Press save

Repeat steps above to load multiple sound clips to a target directory

The target direct show now contain the files to be loaded into a single “player”

Document new or changes of content of player in table (below)

Downloading Sound clips to Chipcorders via Dell DITTI

General

The Ditty is a MP3 player that transfers files between itself and a host computer

using a USB interface much like a thumb drive

Copy Files from host PC to Ditty

Plug DITTI into any USB port

Remove Files existing on DITTI as required

Use File manager, explorer or any other similar program to transfer files

Charge DITTI fully before disonncecting from host computer

Copy Files from host Ditty to Player

Connect the programming/testing pendent to sound generator/multiplexer

Plug player to be programmed in station one of sound generator/multiplexer

This is the only slot that can be used for downloading files

Plug common and left channel of DITTI high impedance port of generator

Connect speaker to terminal provided for player station one.

Apply power to generator and initialize

Set speaker and player switches to player 7

Press SELECT to select a non-existant player and clear system

Set speaker and player switches to player 1

Press SELECT to select Player 1

Tune ditty on at full volume

Select first sound clip to be transferred

Hold “FEEDTHROUGH” button down and “start” DITTI playing

You should hear the sound clip through the speaker connected to station one

Hold “REC” button down to copy sound clip to player

Release button at end of clip

Press “PLAY” to verify the clip has been successfully copyied

Press “FORWARD to position player for next sound clip

Computer programming considerations

General process of programming sound chips

Using test pendent to test sound generation system

Computer control

Routines used

Sequence of routines to activate system

Scematics, tables, diagrams etc.

Windbond 1700 series chips

System designed around Windbond chips

Modified to be integrated into North River operating system

Conceptual View of the Chipcorder

Chip Selection

Windbond manufactures several series of chips for various specific tasks. The 1700 series is extremely flexible, fairly low cost and easy to use. It can accept a wide range of voltages and is completely compatible with TTL logic.

Inputs

Two pins available for direct input via microphone

Another pin available for high or low impedence connections

Works just fine with DITTI through capacitor

Output

Two pins for direct connection to a 8 Ω speaker

Fine for earphones

Not quite enough for loudspeakers

Aux/audio output easy to use

Control

Button control

This is essentially what the North River system uses

SPI interface

Any function of chip can be accessed by these (4) pins

Including the serial downloading of sound files

All operations through buttons

A host of internal operations

These pins are not used in the North River System.

Other features

LED to show chip is in operation

A status flag to show idle or busy

Sampling rate from 40 to 120kHz

Chipcorder Schematic

This is another view of the chipcorder showing the pinout or connections to the outside world.

Chips in this series have a storage range of from one and a half to four minutes with a sampling rate of 40 kHz. There are virutaly no limits to the number of sound clips that can be stored

Text Box:

Chipcorder Pinout

This is another view of the chipcorder showing the pinout or connections to the outside world. Note that these chips are available both for surface mount or standard DIP packages

Application Circuit #1 as used in Project

This is a fairly close representation of how the connections are made on this project.. Note the Anain input at pin 9 is used for an auxillary input via a capacitor to the DITTI, the AUD/AUX at pin 17 drives a simple circuit for the external speakers

Application Circuit #2 showing microphone connections

Application Circuit #3 showing Direct Computer interface

Note the absence of Control buttons.

The Anain input and one of the speaker outputs could also be eliminated

Other Chips used in project

74LS138 Decoder

The two 47LS138 chips are decoders which select which player is active. One to latch which speaker is to be used with a player and the other to select the player itself

74LS244 Bus Driver

The six 74LS244 Drivers are controlled by the 74LS138 decoder to gate the signals from the pushbuttons to the players such that only one player is actively controlled at one time

74LS175 Quad Latch

A 74LS175 is used to retain the last setting of the speaker swithes to a player. This setting is controlled by one of the 74LS138s.

AD608 Analog Switch

These electrical switches control which player is connected to which speaker. The output of each player is wired to one of the outputs and the speaker for a player is connected to the drain. The selection is made by the current state of the corresponding quad latch connected to the address pins.

These switches behave very much like a remote controlled single pole, eight throw switch except they are smaller, fast and efficient. They do, however, introduce a resistance of between 30 and 100 Ω into the circuit which may have to be considered in the design of a circuit

RESOURCES

Digi-Key

Almost all parts in this project can be purchased from:

Digi-Key, 701 Brooks Avenue South, Thief River Falls, MN 56701 USA
Phone: 1-800-344-4539 or 218-681-6674 or Fax: 218-681-3380

http://digikey.com/

Winbound Product lines:

Several PDF files containing information about Chipcorders are available on this site along with an extensive line of similarproducts created by this company

2727 North First Street
San Jose, CA 95134 USA
Tel: 1-800-252-5832 or 1-408-943-6666
Fax: 1-408-544-1789
E-Mail: info@winbond.com

Website http://www.ISD.COM

Preliminary design ISD1700_series.pdf

Design Guide ISD1700_DesignGuide.pdf

SOUND CLIP MAP for clips stored in ChipCorder memory chips

CHIP		Label	Sound Clip	To	length
L	17240	WORK
	1	Grade Crossing sig			47 sec
	2
	3
	4	Loud whistle to proceed	Whistle_3985_Proceed_A

B	17240	Industry



C	17240	Highway
	1		HighwayOneXingDing.mp3		00:45
	2
	3
F	17240	Trackside
	1		ClickityClack_B_13Cars.mp3		00:34
	2		CrowdNoiseB.mp3		00:37
	3		XingDing_A.mp3
	4
	5
G	17240	Steam, Running
	1		WhistleLoudWheelsCoastToStop_24_3A.mp3		00:46
	2		LongSlowRunby_18_B.mp3		00:55
	3		Shay_1.mp3		01:10
	4		EngineRunby.mp3		00:18
	4		DriftWheelsAirHoseHiss_14_A.mp3		00:49
J	18240	Steam Standing




S	17180	MISC



U		Music



V	17180	Diesel Standing



W	17180	Steam, Standing



X	17180	Diesel, Standing



Y	1790	Trolley Running



Z	1790	Trolley Standing
	1	Music

Ref: C:\Audio\MP3\RR\NRSoundClips