"Original" bulbs.
Sorry.
Guy
Modeling CNR in the 50's
I replaced the original decoder with the NCE Bach-DSL in a GP-9 and I am very happy with the result. It now runs very smoothly and silently with a nice speed curve. The decoder comes with LEDs to replace the Reginald bulbs. I did the replacement a few months ago following an advice from Randy.
subman Thanks guys. When I looked at the TCS website they had nothing listed for these locos and Bachman customer service sounded like they didn`t know either as they probably wanted to sell me the $20,00 decoder that Randy said. Rich yes the GP9 has a 8pin socket as I tried to replace a good Bachman decoder from another engine into the bad engine & it ran when I replaced the decoder. All my engines have TCS so I will use them based on the recommendations from this post. Bob D
Thanks guys. When I looked at the TCS website they had nothing listed for these locos and Bachman customer service sounded like they didn`t know either as they probably wanted to sell me the $20,00 decoder that Randy said. Rich yes the GP9 has a 8pin socket as I tried to replace a good Bachman decoder from another engine into the bad engine & it ran when I replaced the decoder. All my engines have TCS so I will use them based on the recommendations from this post.
Bob D
I did not expect TCS to have a specific decoder for the locos. I meant, look at what TCS sells. Some might have the 8 pin connector already, some just the wires that you have to solder to an eight pin plug.
If you successfully do this, try sending or at least telling TCS what you did. This will help the MRR community.
I see the Bachmann site locked your thread. Bachmann does not like very much discussion of other company products. Their choice. Kind of like Trains.com locking threads at times. Good fodder for a few Rants.
Some of the Bachmann locos are ready for plug and play and are similar to each other in some ways, at least for the diesels. Most Bachmann locos can use 1 amp decoders.
Standard OP, Operating Procedure.
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.
I have a GP7 that I installed a Soundtraxx decoder into. Once you opperate a sound equiped loco, it's hard to not want sound in all your loco's. If you decide to add sound to the GP7/9 do a search here use GP7 sound install ans in the by user enter bapguy. I told how I did it and posted pictures. Joe
If you do come across a diesel that doesn't have an eight-pin plug, but does have a green lightboard, you can always do a "drop-in" decoder. It's a decoder shaped like the lightboard. You remove the wires going to the lightboard, and attach them to the respective spots on the decoder, which replaces the lightboard. These are good for sound installations. Since the decoder takes up only the same space as the lightboard it's replacing, you just have to find a spot for a speaker & enclosure.
Bob D As long as you surface as many times as you dive you`ll be alive to read these posts.
ba&prr The newer units are. They have a PC board with the 8 pin socket. Joe
The newer units are. They have a PC board with the 8 pin socket. Joe
I as wondering about that. Bachmann is known to change things regularly and not keep up with the online documentation.
I just did a Google search and one fellow in this forum bought a couple Bachmann RS3's that had the eight pin connector on th PC board with DC adapters so you should be able to plug in a TCS quite easily.
Opening up your locos should have been the first step. Then you can see what the situation is.
TCS: either an M1P1 which has an 8 pin connecter or the KAM4Psh whick has the keep alive caps o it. It also has an 8 pin connecter on it.. When you remove the decoder in the loco's now, note where pin 1 is. I believe it is the orange wire. That way, the new deocder gets installed correctly. Joe
Below is a diagram of what seems to be the present GP7/GP9 version. It does not show the 8 pin socket. There are plastic tabs to hold each wire in place on the PC board.
No idea what the inside of yours look like. I did not find the RS3 diagram.
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/dwg/dwgs/H624X-EXPLODEDVIEWII.pdf
Those are all the newer ones that have Bachmann's cheap DCC On-Board decoder installed already. And they dare charge $20 for the decoder seperately if you want to buy more of them.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Many of the Bachmann diesels are not plug and play. Hardwire or get the NCE decoder designed by NCE specifically for Bachmann diesels. Look at the NCE site and TCS site.
A TCS T1 should fit in any of them, or a T4 if you want to wire up ditch lights or anything besides the headlights. An MC2 would be smaller and slightly more expensive. NCE has the Bach-DSL which replaces the entire circuit board, or you can plug in a D13SRP.
I as many others am not happy with the decoders that Bachman supplies with these engines. Could someone please tell me of the replacement decoders that I could use in the above engines. Prefably TCS decoders then NCE. These engines come with an 8 pin plug.
Thanks