I recently purchased an Atlas Master Series (Silver) Alco S2 in HO scale. The loco is DCC-ready, so I thought this would be a good first project. I am installing a ESU LokSound Select Micro and found a speaker and enclosure that fit the loco. It has been pretty straightforward so far, because the loco has an 8 pin connector. And I know the 2 brown wires go to the speaker. I am having trouble trying to figure out what to do with the violet colored wire. In the diagrams, it shows the wire attached to the front led, but the led is already wired from the board with black and red wires, and they are shrink-tubed.
What do I do with the violet wire and what does it actually do if attached to the front led? And does it get attached to the red wire side or black wire side? I'm sure I'm missing something here, but I don't want to mess up my first install... Thanks in advance!
Neal,
The purple wires are usually used for special-effects lighting - e.g. ditch lighting. So, you don't have to do anything with them. You can choose to trim them short, or leave them as is.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Thanks Tom! I think I will just trim the wire short and call it good!
Hi NealR:
I would suggest that you not cut the purple wire short. At some point in the future you might find yourself wanting to add lighting details. Just roll it up and slide it into a bit of shrink tubing. Make sure the end of the wire is insulated.
In fact, I would suggest not cutting any wires too short unless the decoder has a detachable (replaceable) wiring harness. On a few occassions I have had to go back into a locomotive because of one problem or another. Having a bit of extra wire made reinstalling the decoders a lot easier. That assumes that you have the space of course.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
It's very easy to remove a wire from the plugs. There is a tiny flat piece of metal on the end of the wire inside the plug, that if depressed will allow you to slide the wire out of the plug. This wire can then be reinstalled later, or they make great wires for other projects.
Joe
josephbw It's very easy to remove a wire from the plugs. There is a tiny flat piece of metal on the end of the wire inside the plug, that if depressed will allow you to slide the wire out of the plug. This wire can then be reinstalled later, or they make great wires for other projects. Joe
8-pin plug - wires are soldered to the plug and they are also soldered to the decoder.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Mark R.8-pin plug - wires are soldered to the plug and they are also soldered to the decoder.
Hi Mark:
When I referred to "detachable" wiring harnesses I was thinking of decoders like some of the Digitrax ones that have a plug and socket that allows the harness to be unplugged. The ones I have with plugs are non sound if that makes any difference.
How is the 'new' business coming along?