Being the cheapskate that I am, and not afraid of a little solder, I'd probably just remove the stock board and solder in the wires to a TCS T-1, and install LEDs.
For sound that will be tough, there really isn't room without removing some of the metal to fit the speaker, enclosure, and decoder. Check the current draw on DC, if it's within the limits of a micro-Tsunami that would mean less metal removal, but the biggest chunk would be for the speaker and enclosure anyway.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
That is exactly like mine. I'd appreciate any suggestions as to a good choice for this replacement.
Here is a shot of the old-style board.
The top motor wiper is built into the board. There is only one wire coming off each truck, the other side grounds through the frame, like an Athearn. The screws that mount the board provide this contact.
I think the way to do this is to toss the factory board, and the 1.5v bulbs, and hard-wire something in, with 14v bulbs or LEDs. I think the space available is a little too small to use an Atlas-style board replacement decoder.
Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com
Ooops! Guess I don't know how to post a photo. Help!
Here is a photo of the board. No plug.
rrinker Recent favorite was the one selling an FA/FB, seperately even though they were originally a set, for $200 each. LOL! Luckily no one bought them - seller relisted 3x at the same price though. hahahaha. --Randy
Recent favorite was the one selling an FA/FB, seperately even though they were originally a set, for $200 each. LOL! Luckily no one bought them - seller relisted 3x at the same price though. hahahaha.
Mike
alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)
This is my installation in a Proto GP9:
If you open yours up and compare, you'll see how much metal I had to cut out. Mostly, it's around the speaker enclosure. (I fabricated a speaker enclosure from styrene so I could custom-shape it.) I used a 1 inch by 1/2 inch oval speaker for this.) I also cut down the metal above the motor to make more room for the decoder, which is fairly large. It's a Tsunami.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Thanks, Randy. Well, not ALL P2K locomotives have Limited Edition on the box, as I have several that don't. I never paid a premium for any of these, Limited Edition or otherwise. I actually have an FA/FB set (gold/brown box) that are MoPac and I'd gladly part with them as a pair for well below what the Ebay guy wanted.
I appreciate your feedback as well as that of others. I think this is a project for a professional. The recently custom painted body is quite unique and worth an investment to do things right. One of the great benefits of this forum is that we help each other avoid making bad choices that otherwise might cost money and add frustration to what should be an easy decision.
Muchas Gracias Amigos
There really isn't a board repalcement for that that would put the wires in the right place, so save some money and get a wired decoder. You can still do the Soundbug, but the speaker problem remains - small oval in a square enclosure in the cab? Or do an all in one decoder, Tsunami or Loksound
Yes - ALL P2K locos say "limited edition' on the box. Which just helps prove who on eBay selling trains actually knows anything about them - you know the type - OMG RARE LIMITED EDITION! Those people have no clue. Recent favorite was the one selling an FA/FB, seperately even though they were originally a set, for $200 each. LOL! Luckily no one bought them - seller relisted 3x at the same price though. hahahaha.
I checked again, and there is a board with clips for the wires, but no plug or place to put one. Also one of the weights is two part--a smaller one about 3/4 inch thick and 1 inch square, held by a screw on top of a second, larger one. It has a blue box. Limited Edition-- although I think the consensus is that that doesn't mean anything.
I think a board replacement decoder would work, but I don't know about any room for even a small speaker. DH165LO and soundbug????
The early SD7's are like that - they ahev a circuit board, but no DCC plug. They do have holes labeled for the DCC color coded wires, and spots marked with an X to cut the circuit traces, but it's just as easy or easier to remove the board and solder the decoder wires to the loco pocikup wires and motor wires. I traced the circuit on one once and drew a schematic of it, and part of it made no sense, one of the resistors supposedly for the headlight wasn't even in the circuit once you cut the "cut here for DCC" traces. That's when I decided to just remove the board completely and avoid trouble.
And other early P2K locos were much the same as the original GP9's, no boards at all, no weight on top of which to palce the decoder, strictly a hard wired proposition plus doing somethign like taping the decoder up in the shell to keep it away from the moving parts. You get it easy with the newer releases - although I still remove the board and wire in my decoders, and replace bulbs with LEDs.
TA462Are you sure your GP9 isn't DCC ready? I've never seen one that wasn't thats why I ask. If you look at the factory board there is a plug that you simply pull up on to remove it from the board.
Are you sure your GP9 isn't DCC ready? I've never seen one that wasn't thats why I ask. If you look at the factory board there is a plug that you simply pull up on to remove it from the board.
Nope, some of the very early Life-Like P2K GP9's and GP18's aren't DCC ready at all.
I have a couple, I forget the vintage, but they don't even have light boards, let alone plugs, space for decoders, or anything else. Strictly hard-wired, with a single groove (almost like a saw kerf) in the top of the weight for the wires and bulbs.
Either you put a tiny, non-sound decoder in the cab or in some cases the high short hood, or you swap the chassis for a newer version as I previously mentioned. I've done both to convert mine.
Then there are the "'tweeners", some later release(s?) that have a recessed area in the top of the weight for the light board, but still no decoder plug. In this case, you can remove the light board and hard-wire in a thin decoder. Still no room for sound, though, unless you mill the frame or again, possibly in the cab or the high short hood. I've got one or two of these as well.
Steve
My GP9 had one of those boards, as I recall. I did one very fast DCC upgrade to a DH123, an earlier non-sound decoder. Unfortunately, if you leave the light board in the engine, you take up most of the space above the motor, and you'll never get a sound decoder into the unit.
So, soldering is probably going to be a requirement. You'd might as well replace the incandescent bulbs with LEDs, too. If nothing else, that should save you the bother of trying to get the engine back together again if you ever have to replace a bulb. LEDs pretty much don't fail. They're also cooler, which could be a consideration in a closed engine shell with a warm decoder.
I would suggest Charleston Digital Trains. Mike does excellent work and is very easy to work with.
Dave
'there's something happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear' Modeling the Hard Knox Valley Railroad in HO scale http://photos.hardknoxvalley.com/
I'm in Austin, Texas and there is no LHS that does this kind of work. I've had a couple of difficult installs (Bachman 3 truck Shay and a Kato NW2) done by a guy in the Dallas area, but they were REALLY expensive. If this were DCC ready with a plug I'd take a shot at it, but as it is likely to involve soldering and unsoldering wires in tiny little places, I'm not there yet.
Besides shipping it to north Texas or Arizona is practically the same amount of packing hassle and money.
I put a Tsunami in one of mine. These engines don't have a lot of empty space, so I had to do a lot of cutting back of the metal weight inside the engine to squeeze in both the decoder and speaker.
Where are you located? I had my LHS do a sound installation in an S1, an even tighter fit. The $35 labor charge was well worth it. I still haven't opened the shell to see how they did it, but I love the sound.
Try Litchfield Station. Excellent work and service, very nice people and good prices.
Good luck!
I once got a good deal on a QSI sound-equipped GP9 (wrong road) and did just such a swap. Now I have a sound-equipped GP9 (right road), and a surplus GP9 (wrong-road) that I can sell to regain some of my investment.
HTH, Steve
Just back from the paint shop is a T&P GP9 in Eagle Blue/Grey colors. Unfortunately, it is not DCC ready, and I'm not ready to take on the project of installing both a motion and sound decoder.
Question is, since I'll be trying to find someone to do the project, is there an obvious choice for the correct decoder, and does anyone have a suggestion for someone to do this specific project?
If there is a forum protocal about recommending/offering/suggesting people or businesses for this kind of thing, I apologize, although it seems I've seen such before.
Send a PM if appropriate.