I am based in England and returning to modelling after 35 years, I decided to model a "freelance" US Shortline; partway through I acquired a Digitrax Zephyr and decided to try out this DCC that everyone talks about. Looking around it appeared that the TCS DP5 would fit a KATO RS2 I picked up on eBay UK. The TCS website has some instructions: http://www.tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Installation_Pictures/HO_Scale/Kato/ALCO%20RS2/ALCO%20RS2.html
that make it appear that all one does is remove the body, and fit the decoder. BUT: 1) there was already a wiring harness fitted to where the decoder should go, and 2) what appear to be weights fitted to the chassis are actually fitted (screwed) to the inside of the body shell. I removed the wiring harness and replaced it with the DP5 (Pin 1 in position 1 as instructed) but nothing now happens. Before the DP5 was fitted, the Zephyr put power through the RS2 (using the OO) and of course my DC controller (KATO) also worked the RS2. Now neither do. I tried putting the original wiring harness back in position but that does not work either on the Zephyr or the DC controller.
Any thoughts and advice will be welcome. Many thanks.
I take it your model does not look like the one pictured in the TCS photos. They have changed the design a bit over the years, yours may be a newer edition or an older one. Can you post a picture of what it looks like inside yours? On the version shows on the TCS page, they just used small jumpers directly in the 8 pin socket as a 'dummy plug' so it would run on DC. Sounds like yours has a completely different circuit board arrangement if there was an actual harness attached to the 8 pin plug.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
if this works I will post from Photobucket photos of the RS2 with the decoder in place and of the RS2 with the original wiring harness (not connected) but lying beside the RS2
http://s8.photobucket.com/user/dieselboard/media/RS2.jpg.html
As a PS The original wiring harness led from the socket to the inside roof of the body where it was glued in place alongside one of what I assume to be the weights which I mentioned were screwed to the inside roof of the body. Once the wiring harness had been unplugged and set to one side the board (lighting board?) in mine looked very like the board illustrated in the TCS instructions, except as I said the weights were not situated on the chassis but scewed to the insie roof of the body. (I don't mean the roof of the actual cab but of the body immediately above where they are shown in the TCS illustration)
Cheers
Since you are new here, you might have not seen this link about posting pictures.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/249194.aspx
Good luck.
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.
That seems to have worked, thanks. Photo is bad (I had to use an iPhone, my SLR camera has developed the shakes). The yellow bands are insulating tape I put on, as per instructions. Apart from the positioning of the weights which can just be seen inside the upside down body in front of the loco, once I removed the original wiring harness the lighting board (which I assume is what it is) looked the same as that shown in the TCS instructions. As you see I am using KATO track to minimise soldering (at which I never developed any skill even before arthritis stiffened my finger joints).
I tried to post additional information which has not been uploaded for some reason but meantime I (think) I have worked out that what I thought was a lighting harness is (probably) a defunct Hornby decoder fitted by a previous owner of the RS2. The DP5 will not work under any circumstances (and will be returned for replacement) but when I put the "wiring harness" back and reassembled the RS2 it moved on DC power. Still curious about the "wiring harness" I had a wild hunch and looked to see if I could read a manufacturer's reference and read off the code for an English Hornby decoder! So I will try again when the DP5 is replaced.
So, what I thought was a wiring harness is clearly a decoder (did I say I know nothing about DCC?). The DP5 will not work, but I have removed and refitted the "wiring harness"; this moved on DC and on further investigation began to wonder if it is an old decoder (having found illustrations of some that come with wires, not a simple plug). I discovered on an English web site that Hornby decoders are identified by 048 and "cv08" read as 048, so working on the principle that the wiring harness is really a Hornby decoder I reset this to factory default and it now runs on DCC and on DC (I think I read somewhere that the very early decoders run equally on DC or on DCC!
Cheers!
PS I forgot to mention that just to make things more annoying the Hornby decoder does not work when wired in accordance with the instructions I found online, but works only when the wiring sequence is reversed: I do NOT intend to investigate further.
PPS Can anyone suggest another loco into which I can fit a DP5????
Cheers again