Can anyone please advise what are the correct specifications of a TCS sound decoder for a Kato EMD SD70 MAC 37-6381 BN #9580 locomotive?
Have you checked the TCS web site to see if they list that engine?
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Yes, I already tried that, but the TCS website is a difficult tool to search and I ended up not being able to find the solution I needed.
N scale or HO? What specs are you looking for? Size, or sound set?
Pete.
Hi, Pete! Excuse me, I forgot to inform you that my scale is HO and that I am interested in acquiring a decoder with TCS sound for the loco (TCS wow sound), but I don't know which model is suitable for it.
According to the TCS website you need a WDK-KAT1.
Pete
I have one of those engines. It should have a 8-pin DCC receptacle in it, so a WOW-101 decoder would work with a standard 9-pin to 8-pin harness. It comes with several EMD prime mover sounds. You will need to add a speaker and enclosure. If your engine has a 21-pin receptacle, you would get a WOW-121 decoder.
You really would only need the WDK-KAT1 if you wanted to remove the existing lightboard and replace it with the TCS one with their "keep alive" technology, but you can add a keep alive to a 101 or buy a WOW-101KA...but in my experience, you shouldn't have electrical pick-up issues with the Kato SD-70.
Pete, agradeço por fazer essa pesquisa para mim. Confesso que não consegui obter essa informação no site deles. Obrigado.
wjstix, thanks for the help. I don't own any TCS decoder. But I heard their Wow series is fantastic, hence my interest in it. However, because it is more modern and my loco is much older, I didn't know, until then, if I could put one of these decoders in it.
If the engine has a DCC receptacle/plug, you can plug in any make of decoder (TCS, Digitrax, NCE, etc.) that you want. If it doesn't have a plug, you can wire in a harness yourself. The age of the engine doesn't matter, I have pre-DCC engines from the 1980s that I converted to DCC.
On this page, scrolling down to Kato SD70MAC, it says DP2X
Edit OOPS this is not the Wow sound
If you click on Kato SD70MAC you will go to this page https://drupal.tcsdcc.com/installation/ho-scale/1349
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Fosc Pete, agradeço por fazer essa pesquisa para mim. Confesso que não consegui obter essa informação no site deles. Obrigado.
Sorry. I don't know Spanish.
wrench567 Fosc Pete, agradeço por fazer essa pesquisa para mim. Confesso que não consegui obter essa informação no site deles. Obrigado. Sorry. I don't know Spanish. Pete.
Fosc
BigDaddy On this page, scrolling down to Kato SD70MAC, it says DP2X Edit OOPS this is not the Wow sound If you click on Kato SD70MAC you will go to this page https://drupal.tcsdcc.com/installation/ho-scale/1349
It would work the same, just plug the WowSound decoder into the 8-pin receptacle using a standard 9-pin to 8-pin harness. There's room towards the rear of the engine body to add a 1/2" by 1" speaker and enclosure.
FoscHowever, because it is more modern and my loco is much older, I didn't know, until then, if I could put one of these decoders in it.
Hi Fosc,
There is nothing preventing you from putting a DCC sound decoder in an older locomotive provided that the locomotive is running smoothly. Some older locomotives can have issues with hardened grease or dried out bearings which will interfere with their operation and cause them to draw more power than the decoder can tolerate. If a locomotive isn't running smoothly, putting DCC into it won't correct that problem.
Ideally, you should perform an amperage draw test on any locomotive that you want to put a decoder into before starting the conversion. It doesn't take long. You will need a section of straight track and an older 'transformer style' train set power pack, and an amp meter. The meter doesn't need to be high end!
Follow the meter instruction manual to set the system up and then hold your locomotive on the tracks, apply full power and push down until the wheels stop spinning. At that point the meter will tell you what the maximum locomotive current draw is. Most decoders will tolerate a draw of 1 amp. Some of the smaller decoders have a max. draw of .75 amps. Do the amp draw test quickly! It is not wise to hold the engine in a stalled position for more than a couple of seconds.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good advice especially with say an old Mantua or Athearn engine with an open-frame motor, but you really don't need to do it with a Kato engine. They are noted for their smooth performing can motors and overall super-hi quality build. As mentioned I have the SD70 and it's a fantastic engine, any decoder designed for use in HO engines that you can plug into it will work.