I have acquired an HO genesis bigboy from a friend who basically was at wits end with the thing. What he gave me was the engine in the box missing a rivet to hold a driver rod on (ordered new part from Athearn) and the tender in a zip lock bag completely torn down. Long story short, a failed attempt at installing a sound decoder over the one it came with.
THE PROBLEM: The wires going to the tender were cut, and of course Athearn paints them all black. I need to know if anyone knows which one is which as I'm going to re-wire the whole thing (with a better sound decoder). And I don't really want to take the engine apart to trace wires.
HELP anyone!
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Buy a cheap digital multimeter and ring out the leads. Right rail is to the red lead on the decoder. The left rail goes to the black wire on the decoder. Follow the NMRA wire code for all the rest. Don't attempt to work at this leverl without a meter and basic decoder info which can be found on the 'Net with Google searches. It can be done by those who understand DCC installs.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Whatever you do, do not use a multimeter to trace the leads. You will blow the headlight LED, and replacing it is not fun. Ask my why I know that.
You may have to disassemble the locomotive a little more to trace the wires. There will be a pair for the motor, a pair for the headlight, and a pair for power pickup.
Did the Genesis Big Boy's have Tsunami's? I've only seen them with MRC.
Springfield PA
Thanks for the heads up about the multimeter, I figured that may be my only course (further disassembly) but oh well.
Thanks!
no, but this one will by the time I'm done with it.
:)
You may want to do a search for " tsumani heavy steam genesis challenger" in the Model Railroader Forums, not DCC electronics. This should give you a set of instructions for wiring in the genesis challenger, I suspect the wiring will be the same as with the Big Boy, but I am not certain since I have never compared the challenger wiring with the big boy's.
I just had my LED headlight blow on my Athearns big boy. I have been looking at the drawings but not sure what all I have to take apart. Any help in this matter would be great.
Using the diode check mode instead of the plain 'beeper' continuity mode should work without blowing LEDs. Of course, if you get no reading you need to try the opposite polarity as well.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
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I am sorry to hear you have blown the LED front light, because to open Genesis Big Boy and change the LED, you have a lot to do. But, now you will have the opportunity to change ugly yellow LED with warm white, at least for me warm white looks much better.
I have done this procedure a year ago, so I do not remember every step, but I hope my explanation will be somewhat helpful.
If you do not have it already, make a foam cradle for Big Boy. This will prevent damaging small delicate details on your locomotive while working on it.
First you need a Big Boy manual (I could not find it on Athearn web site), because I will use in my explanation parts numbering from exploded diagram on pages 3 and 4 and terms for parts listed on page 5 (it is easier for me, because English is not my mother language).
For removing LED you need to remove the boiler top #1 (item no. 21). To remove the boiler top, open item no. 19 (boiler half) and item no. 26 (steam dome cover). Under both you fill find screws, unscrew them. Now you can remove boiler top, be careful for wires for number boards.
Now you have access to PCB and other wiring, and you can remove item no. 52 (main frame – upper). Maybe it will be necessary to remove also PCB for smoke generators. Be careful not to loose small parts (screws, washers).
You also need to remove the front engine. To do so, you need to remove worm gear assembly retainer (on exploded diagram, this item is numbered 147 for rear engine, not for front - but it looks the same on front engine). After you remove it, you can remove the worm, and after that, the whole front engine can fall out. But do not remove it until you unscrew screw (item no. 95) that holds item no. 94 (piping for front cylinder). You have two screws on each side, for each piping (for each cylinder). They are very small, and piping is very fragile!
After that turn locomotive upside down and remove pilot truck. To do so, remove screw (item no. 172) that holds it in place (save washer and spring on a safe place).
Now remove securing ring for item no. 98. that will be visible after you remove pilot truck.
Now you can remove front engine (of course, first you need to disconnect all wires going from front engine leading to PCB).
Now you must remove both air compressors (item no. 182) - pull them sideways. This will allow you to open the front light and disassemble front part of locomotive (platform with railings) that is located over the pilot truck.
As far as I remember, now you will be able to see the LED, but still not be able to access it. There is a metal narrow plate with small “tower”, LED is located inside that “tower” (sorry, I can not find better word for it).
As far as I remember, at least two screws need to be unscrewed to remove that metal plate. After you remove it, you will be able to change the LED.
I hope you have at least the general idea what you need to do.
I have done all of this while installing Tsunami sound decoder in my Big Boy, with new LED’s, firebox flicker, cab light, CAM (small reed and magnets), and a big loudspeaker in tender, firing up thru coal load. Coal load is real coal, glued on wire mesh that was formed and installed instead of old, plastic coal load. Tender body was used to make big airtight baffle.
I am sure you know now that a multimeter will never blow an LED.
Also, the multimeter will not show anything when checking an LED. Either on resistance or diode check.
Some use 1.5 volt battery with no resistor. That will not work with green/red bipolar LED. I know.
Some us a 9 volt battery with 1 k resistor. Works with bipolar LED.
The only ones who burn out LED's don't know what they are doing and try to treat an LED like a light bulb.
Or, don't pay attention to what they are doing. Has happened to me.
LED's and light bulbs are totally different.
Spalato68 First you need a Big Boy manual (I could not find it on Athearn web site), because I will use in my explanation parts numbering from exploded diagram on pages 3 and 4 and terms for parts listed on page 5 (it is easier for me, because English is not my mother language).
Is this what he needs: http://www.athearn.com/ProdInfo/Files/Genesis_Big_Boy_Manual.pdf
I think this can also help, because I have hard copy that looks different, it is later release of Big Boy (Weathered). But construction should be the same, so it should be very helpful.
Dissasembling of Genesis Big Boy is not an easy task, but with patience it can be done.
Nice diagram but any loco diagrams I have seen have no drawings about the wiring. The manufacture expects users to have wiring knowledge.
The best would be someone who has done the complete wiring.
I have done Bachmann DCC steamers but have wiring knowledge and how LED's and light bulbs are wired.
Use a nine volt battery to determine which direction the drivers will turn for forward. Plus voltage on the right rail will send the loco forward if the motor is wired correctly. Mark the proper motor contact with a red dot or a plus sign.
That terminal will get the orange decoder wire.
If light leads show resistance, that will be a light bulb usually. Don't remember the resistance for a 1.5 volt bulb or 12 volt bulb.
If no resistance, a LED or burnt out light bulb.
A 9 volt battery with a 1k resistor across both light leads might show an LED. You have to experiment. Try reversing the leads as LED's are polarity conscious. You might also have a burnt out LED.
Most locos I have dealt with have the LED resistor on the PC board.
Follow the instructions on the paper work that comes with the decoder. I have and it always works.
richg1998 Nice diagram but any loco diagrams I have seen have no drawings about the wiring. The manufacture expects users to have wiring knowledge.
Agreed. But I posted the link to what I think is the manual in response to the poster who stated that the manual might be useful for disassembly purposes to access the headlight for replacement.
richg1998 I am sure you know now that a multimeter will never blow an LED. Also, the multimeter will not show anything when checking an LED. Either on resistance or diode check. Some use 1.5 volt battery with no resistor. That will not work with green/red bipolar LED. I know. Some us a 9 volt battery with 1 k resistor. Works with bipolar LED. The only ones who burn out LED's don't know what they are doing and try to treat an LED like a light bulb. Or, don't pay attention to what they are doing. Has happened to me. LED's and light bulbs are totally different. Rich
richg1998 this is not the first loco I have worked on I have put many LED lights in my engines. Only reason I had the LED blow on my big boy was that with the MRC decoder that came in the loco hade the resistor built into it, That is why when I removed the MRC decoder and installed the Tsunami decoder it blew the LED.