I need some advice on installing TCS KA 2 keep alives in my HO engines. I have successfully installed the keep alives in my Athearn GP38-2's and GP 60's with factory installed sound decoders.However, I cannot find any info on where to make the positive and negative connections on the TSU Kt 1000 decoders in my Kato units or the factory installed boards in my Proto 2000 GP30's and GP 50's. Any help or a diagram would be appreciated from anyone who has made these installs.
Thanks
Marty C
Marty C,
I don't know if this will help You out at all...until maybe someone gives you a better answer. A you-tube video of a Atlas GP38 keep-alive install:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVZy32QpPTA
Frank
EDIT: There are also other video's on the right of that site...maybe one of those would help.
One link from a Google search.
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/mainnorth/alive.htm
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.
Frank and Ri,
Thanks for the replies. I had seen those videos and I understand in theory how the hook up works but I cannot find the connection points on the KT or Proto Tsunamis.
Marty C Frank and Ri, Thanks for the replies. I had seen those videos and I understand in theory how the hook up works but I cannot find the connection points on the KT or Proto Tsunamis. Marty C
Again, here is the link I recently posted. Please look at the link. This guy does a lot with DCC. He is very active in the Yahoo SoundTraxx DCC Group and a couple other DCC Groups.
You are looking for the output of the full wave bridge rectifier. All decoders have this rectifier which is usually four diodes.
Call soundtraxx service department - they are very helpful
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
All I get with this link is a bunch of code??
This is for richg1998 's link.
woodone All I get with this link is a bunch of code?? This is for richg1998 's link.
Strange. It works for me. I just tried it again.
He shows how to connect the KA1 and KA2 to different decoders. All kinds of diagrams.
Must be your browser. The link works with Firefox.
I get it with Firefox and Chrome.
Great Pic's and info....RICH.
Take Care!
The negative wire (blue) from the KA2 goes to the same common blue wire as your lighting. The positive lead from the KA2 goes to the anode side of one of the two diodes on the end of the board that is inbound of track power - meaning track power comes into the diode and enters the circuitry on the non-banded side. Don't use the non-banded side of a diode connected straight to track pickup.
There are four square diodes that rectify the voltage into DC. The anode end (positive) is the side without the band marker.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Mark and all,
Thanks or the replies. Mark, I understand wat you re saying and it s true on the Factory installed decoders in the Genesis engines. But the TSU KT 1000 in y Kato's and the tsunami in the Proto's do not have the same configuration. I am awaiting an anwser from the Soundtraxx techs and will update when I get it.
Marty C Mark and all, Thanks or the replies. Mark, I understand wat you re saying and it s true on the Factory installed decoders in the Genesis engines. But the TSU KT 1000 in y Kato's and the tsunami in the Proto's do not have the same configuration. I am awaiting an anwser from the Soundtraxx techs and will update when I get it. Marty C
Just look for the four diodes. Not a big deal. The main filter capacitor will be nearby.
zstripe I get it with Firefox and Chrome. Great Pic's and info....RICH. Take Care! Frank
Go to his Home page and look all around. He has a lot of good info.
There HAS to be a recitfier on the board, which is usually comprised of four diodes in an array. I've tried to find pics online, but none are large enough to identify the components .
Rich,
I have previously studied the webpage you had suggested and it has great info but does not answer my question.
Mark,
I understand and will look on the bottom side for the array as it is not on the visible side
Thanks,
Marty
Post a photo of the decoder. Very easy to do.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Marty C Rich, I have previously studied the webpage you had suggested and it has great info but does not answer my question. Mark, I understand and will look on the bottom side for the array as it is not on the visible side Thanks, Marty
From what I can glean in the smallish online pictures, the four diodes are on the opposite side the LEDs are on - but again, I can't be sure.
If you could post a picture, that would be very helpful.
Your Decoder should look like this:
Click on pic for even more info and diagrams.
Rich1998,
Thanks for the tip.
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I forgot about the five diodes.
Get a Photo Bucket account. Upload your photos there. Then copy and paste the photo into a forum. There are four links you can use. Use the one labeled, IMG.
It will make troubleshooting MUCH easier when using a forum.
http://photobucket.com/
This is the digital age. Take advantage of it.
I have done this with a digital camera and my iPhone and I am not a tech guru. I am 73.
That diagram shows an AT-1000 board. Is that what is in the Proto 2000 engines ? That not what's in the Kato's - the KT-1000 looks completely different.
Strange I cannot find a picture of the interior of a factory sound equipped Proto 2000 GP30. (?)
Thanks everyone . The board in the GP 30 is again completely different from either the AT or the KT. Lets hold off on the guessing until I can get the picture thing going. Rich, thanks for the tip n how to pload thephotos.
Marty C Thanks everyone . The board in the GP 30 is again completely different from either the AT or the KT. Lets hold off on the guessing until I can get the picture thing going. Rich, thanks for the tip n how to pload thephotos. Marty
If you are not into a lot of blah, blah in a discussion thread, some are, posting photos is a big help.
Form what you want for albums in Photo Bucket. It can get addictive and difficult to find photos after a while.
Don't move photos to what might be a better album. Just add the photo to that new album or the photo will go away from where you posted it. Photo Bucket does warn you.
If you find the photo you post here is not very good, just delete it from the forum and up load a better photo. This will come to you quickly.
Right now you cannot delete a discussion but you can modify the discussion and photos.
Just to add, some companies install a proprietary decoder and different looking than the decoders from SoundTraxx.
A photo of a decoder will usually be what users take and upload.
Rich and Mark,
OK here are thr photos of the top and bottom of the TSU KT1000
Marty C Rich and Mark, OK here are thr photos of the top and bottom of the TSU KT1000 Marty C
Ok that is good for a start. The second photo shows what looks like five diodes. Four of those would form the full wave bridge.
Try to enlarge your photos for better resolution. Photo experts here will tell you how to do that. What brand, model camera are you using? Maybe a cell phone or smart phone?
As an example, I use a Nikon CoolPix AW100. 4608 x 1456.pixels. Pretty big but Photo Bucket takes care of them. Never had any issue with photos for Photo Bucket.
I Googled the decoder and found a better photo. Actually found quite a few. The second photo definitely shows the diodes. Four of them will form the bridge. Get an Optivisor and check it out. Follow the traces with an ohm meter. The four diodes will be connected to the left and right rail pickups. Many times components have a prefix. C = caps. D = diodes.
The DC out will go to a couple caps for filtering. They will pretty good size.
If you continue to work at the component level you need both those items in your tool box.
Yes, the five black components in the middle are the diodes as the truck leads attach to the large pads in the middle of the board on either side.
Not sure if it's visible or not, but on each of the pair of diodes on each side of the board (ignore the one in the middle), one end of both will be connected by a common circuit trace from the truck wire pad. These two diodes will be oriented opposite each other with the positive of one and negative of the other connected to the common trace.
At the opposite end away from the common connection is where you pick up the negative (non-banded side). You can pick it up from either pair of diodes.
Damn - this is so hard to explain clearly .... I can point it out in two seconds !
He should have no problem finding the plus and minus connection points.