One of my initial objectives for my micro layout was to incorporate sound. The intention is to operate with small tank engines and this gives the issue of very little room to install DCC sound decoders in the loco. My initial idea was to install a speaker somewhere under the layout and connect it up to the PC and use the audio functionality in JMRI Panel Pro to effectively create a virtual sound decoder.

However, I’ve just come across an interesting video on youtube that really has captured my imagination with a cheap way of incorporating some sound without necessarily incorporating sound decoders or using a PC connection all the time. Mike Ware is delivering sound to his Mountfield Parkway layout using a very inexpensive MP3 device and a MicroSD card.

The gadget that Mike uses is readily available on Amazon, and I’m about to order one to experiment with. The advantage seems to be that it will connect to a whole range of devices including laptop and raspberry-pi, so my original JMRI panelpro idea would still be covered but I’d have additional flexibility too.