Rich.
I eliminated the 8 pin plug altogether on my two S1 locos and I also did a few S1 and S3 locos for club members. I wired in a TCS MC2 decoders. The orange wire goes right to the lower motor brush for long hood forward. For a cab forward the grey wire would go to the lower brush. Anyway you wire it make sure the lugs and the wires for the motor do not touch the frame. If a wheel hits the frame then the decoder goes poof.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
Here are some photos.
The first one shows the top of the motor with the gray wire soldered to the lug. I noticed some bare wire when I snapped the photo. I wonder if that is part or all of the shorting problem.
The second photo shows the bottom of the motor with the yellow wire ( I didn't have any orange wire when I did this work initially) soldered to the side of the brass nut. I did not solder it to the lug. Maybe I should have.
According to the instructions for the fix on the link that Pete provided, the lower motor brush is grounded to the frame by means of a wire lug attached to it which is bent so as to contact the loco frame. (You can see than lug bent outward in the photos.)
To successfully isolate the motor:
1) Remove the lug on the orange wire from the frame.
2) Cut the lug on the lower brush so that it doesn't touch the frame and solder an orange wire to it.
3) Place a small square of insulating tape into the well in the loco frame where the lower brush holder sits.
4) Run the new orange wire up to the Lifelike 8-pin plug and replace the existing orange wire.
After reading these instructions, I wonder if my mistake was wiring to the brass nut instead of the lug. If I wire to the lug, I believe that the instructions call for trimming the lug so it no longer touches the frame. Could that be the problem?
Alsp, I will replace the frayed gray motor wire.
Any thoughts, advice, comments?
Rich
Alton Junction
locoi1sa Rich. The idea is to not ground the motor brushes. I believe the S3 is the same as the S1 setup. http://www.tonystrains.com/tonystips/2001/120601.htm It is best to not have a hot frame for motor or truck pickups. I always use 3M quality elctrical tape to insulate the frame from the motor. Pete
The idea is to not ground the motor brushes. I believe the S3 is the same as the S1 setup. http://www.tonystrains.com/tonystips/2001/120601.htm
It is best to not have a hot frame for motor or truck pickups. I always use 3M quality elctrical tape to insulate the frame from the motor.
Pete, thanks for that link. That is precisely the issue.
I am not totally clear in following the instructions on the link for the proper fix. So, maybe the best course of action is to post some photos which I will do.
mobilman44 Rich, A photo would probably help. Also, is this a "generic" Life Like loco or one of their Proto locos?
Rich,
A photo would probably help. Also, is this a "generic" Life Like loco or one of their Proto locos?
I will try to take some photos a little later.
This is a Proto 2000, as shown in the following link:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/433-30970
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
I have an early version of the Life Like S3.
In that early version, the orange motor wire was attached to the frame near the headlight.
To avoid a short in case the wheels touched the opposite rail as a result of a derailment, it was suggested by my LHS guy to redirect the orange wire to the motor and then insulate the motor pickup.
I did that and never had a problem until today. The S3 derailed on a double slip and the wheels touched the opposite rail. That little stunt fried the decoder. I put it on my decoder tester to verify that it was dead. It was.
So, apparently, long ago I did not properly redirect the wire and properly ground it. The way I ground it was to solder the orange wire to the brass nut on the underside of the motor, and then I placed electrical tape over the soldered wire to insulate it.
If it would help, I could post a photo.
Does anyone recall from experience how to properly ground the loco?