MB Klien had such a great deal on the loco that I finally had to buy one. Now, of course, I will have to add sound. I will be getting a Tsunami and using a high bass speaker.
I guess the question is not so much about the Tsunami install. I've read several times just use the 8 pin plug and you are good to go. I do keep reading about some capacitors that may or may not have to be removed.
Are the caps on the Bachmann circuit board or on the motor? Is the removal of them nearly mandatory or dependent on the deocder being plugged in?
I've seen pics of Bachmann boards and so far have not found the one that's in this 2-10-2. If I need to cut them off the board, I may have to try to get a pic so I make sure I get the right one.
I see comments too about removing chokes, but little beyond that.
How much of this is important and how much much ado about nothing?
Thanks.
The chokes and caps interfere with the high frequency pulse width modulation drive from the DCC decoder (and the Aristo DC sysem also, which also uses PWM). It can cause erratic operation. Usually it's enough to remove the caps - they are parallel to the motor connections and so can simply be cut out with no problem. I don;t know about your specific loco, some Bachmanns have them right onthe motor, other times they are on the circuit board. If you trace the wires, they would be the capcitors in parallel with the motor wires. The choke coils are in series with the motor, usually one on each lead. AGain either on the board or soldered right to the motor, although those seem mostly on the circuit board. Since they are in sereis with the motor power, they can;t just be cut, you'd have to use short pieces of wires to jumper around them after cuttong one of the legs free from the board, or desolder the whole thing and put pieces of wire in place of the coils.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Here is what I did with my Spectrum 4-4-0 and 4-6-0. I use the Micro-Tsunami. I have the 44 ton and the 0-6-0T and those also have the caps and inductors on the PC board but Bachmann is known to make changes during production.
A Spectrum USRA medium tender I bought some months ago has the components on the PC board. The PC board did NOT have a resistor for a LED headlight. Watch out when buying a separate tender.
Some PC boards have one, some two caps right next to each other. On some PC boards the capacitor/s stick up off the board. Some PC boards, the capacitors are SMT or Surface Mount Technology capacitors. With SMT, I use a small pair of side flush wire cutters and clip the cap. Without the caps, the inductors are out of the equation. Sometimes a little more room for the decoder by un-soldering the inductors and soldering in a piece of wire.
Decoders with Back EMF do not like the tuned circuit.
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.