Buy it with a factory installed sound decoder.
A TCS T1 should fit quite nicely.
Will
Tjsinglei heard some tcs decoders are crap, is this true?
? well I imagine that they have had some bad ones at some time or another, just as I imagine that Digitrax and NCE have had the odd bad one as well, but IMO TCS makes some of the finest decoders available. If by chance you happen to get a defective one, or if you make a mess of the installation and destroy the decoder, TCS will replace it for free. TCS decoders are the ones I like to install, especially when I want good low speed performance. The automatic BEMF they have is really very good for low speed control.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
simon1966Tjsinglei heard some tcs decoders are crap, is this true? ? well I imagine that they have had some bad ones at some time or another, just as I imagine that Digitrax and NCE have had the odd bad one as well, but IMO TCS makes some of the finest decoders available. If by chance you happen to get a defective one, or if you make a mess of the installation and destroy the decoder, TCS will replace it for free. TCS decoders are the ones I like to install, especially when I want good low speed performance. The automatic BEMF they have is really very good for low speed control.
simon1966Tjsinglei heard some tcs decoders are crap, is this true?
I have 5 TCS decoders installed about all of my locos and have never had any trouble with them except for one. What happened with the bad one was that the motor had shorted out and caused the motor control to quit. I sent the bad one to them and they sent me a new one no questions asked.
I have never had a bad one since.
You heard wrong, from whomever told you that. I've installed nearly 100 TCS decoders of all varieties in various models for club members and have never had a bad one. NCE decoders are also an excellent choice.
Get yourself a TCS T1A (a buck cheaper because it has NO harness), pull the little board attched to the 9 pin pigtail, replace with said TCS decoder - you're done.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Will the factory lights work with the T1 or would a DH165IP or DP2x allow the factory lights to work if the T1 doesn't?
The factory lights should work just fine.
This is what the inside should look like (this is a MP15AC, but the SW1500 should be similar) :
The T1 (or other 9-pin decoder) should plug right in, as shown, after the dummy plug is removed. These boards also have a 8-pin plug, if you want to use one that plugs in there. The dummy plug off the 9-pin plug needs to be removed, however. On this one I unsoldered and removed the 8-pin plug to give extra room. It is a tight fit in there.
If the engine has extra lights (SP light package or strobe, for instance), a T4X or T6X (or equivalent) would plug into the 9-pin, and if the engine is wired up right, the extra lights should work.
Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com
Crap? Absolutely not, I've installed several in various locos and with BMEF they are exceptional. Whoever told you they are crap must be pushing another decoder product line. You would be doing yourself a favor by striking off your info source list whoever told you TCS decoders are crap! Only crap involved here is the info you got.
Jon
Thanks Mike. I plugged in a T1 and the lights worked fine. I agree that TCS products are ok. I have only been doing this for 5 months and used the DH123AT to get started and with the exception of a couple of specific decoders for specific locos, I have used the T1 with no problems.
Does the TCS work good in the Bachmann DCC locos. Or Should I use the NCE Bach-Dsl decoders. Or does it evan matter.