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if those 4/6 wires/pickups where still attached to the circuit board, i could walk you right through it. HOWEVER, just because you kept the circuit board DOES NOT MEAN the strobes/lights wont blow out when it hits the DCC track. on NEWER DC engines, SOMETIMES you can save the lights by doing what you are trying to do, BUT NOT ALWAYS. i sure hope i am wrong, but from the looks of those lights, i don't think saving the circuit board is going to help. AGAIN, I AM SORRY, and truly hope i am wrong, but it doesn't look like it. , it ended up i 86'ed the circuit board and had to replace the blown out bulbs. i put LokSound in it, and NEW lights, the lights and all work GREAT now:thumb:. -DeanoDigitrax said:
Awesome!!! Thanks!!!! I was hoping to save the lights but i think leds are cheap enough i can just go pick some up and put in new ones. The decoder i have is the 163 and from what i've read it is supposed to do strobing right out of the box so ... a.ll i have to do is solder it to the correct wire.Squidbait said:
, i don't want to join wires so should i use this as an excuse to find a loco that the decoder fits in . I noticed at the lhs they have a centercab in the sprectrum line that would be great for my yard switcher do you know if they have nrma 8 pin plugs?
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. I thought the one you have pictured was the one i was buying .. had i known it was an older style i probably wouldn't have purchased it . rogerw said:
. for one, i know you said you black taped the motor, but from the pics i am seeing, its still touching the frame. SECOND, looking at the pics of your trucks, they are so far from being DCC ready, it will never work like that. OK, see the tabs on the trucks that touch against the metal frame...announce1CUT THAT PART OFF! as long as the current from the track is in contact with the frame, you are in a constant short. i am going to post the link to a GREAT tutorial that Dan Raitz did on installing decoders in Athearn BB, 90% of how he did this WILL APPLY TO YOU! PAY ATTENTION TO HOW HE DID THE TRUCKS, you will have to do it just about the same. the link should be of GREAT help to you:thumb:. i have a Bachmann spectrum FM H16-44 that was set up EXACTLY the way yours is. two years ago i converted it to DCC, i ground out the frame so NONE OF IT was close to touching the motor, then made a styrene case to put around it to hold it in place:thumb:. i did the trucks THE SAME AS Don shows how to do them in his tutorial(only i did mine two years before his tutorial). to get that engine to run on DCC, your in for some work, BUT IT CAN BE DONE:thumb:. hope the link helps -Deano http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=26837
. I guess i was jus tbeing lazy .. haha, I have on eof those board type decoders i may use that instead of the dn163. I'll have to look up the dox again. WAIT!!!!!!! THE DECODER YOU HAVE WILL WORK!!!! NO NEED TO GET ANOTHER!!! the wires are color coded, just set the wires up as per the instructions that came with the decoder:thumb:. no need to waste money, THAT DECODER YOU HAVE WILL WORK!!!YmeBP said:Thanks Deano!! I used that tutorial as well as a youtube video to install my first decoder into my athearn bb
Awesome thanks!! I think im going to go try it tonight see what i come up with.
-Deano
UP SD40-2 said:WAIT!!!!!!! THE DECODER YOU HAVE WILL WORK!!!! NO NEED TO GET ANOTHER!!! the wires are color coded, just set the wires up as per the instructions that came with the decoder:thumb:. no need to waste money, THAT DECODER YOU HAVE WILL WORK!!!
. Not sure if i should tackle it all at once or take it step by step i guess the best first step is getting the engine to actually move when i put it on the lay out hahaha.
UP SD40-2 said:YmeBP, you have picked one of the hardest engines for a beginner to install a decoder in, BUT IT CAN BE DONE
, NO PROBLEM!