Very glad to hear that your surgery went well and you're on the road to recovery!
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
I had another delaying issue pop up today. I had ordered two LokSound 5 DCC Micro 'Next 18' decoders for the locomotive tenders but they came without wiring harnesses! I went back to Tony's Trains and they showed the harnesses as being a 'pre-order' with no predicted date of arrival. I wonder why ESU would release their latest decoder without the harness being available. Soldering to the tabs by hand would be nearly impossible.
If anyone happens to know a dealer who has them in stock, please let me know. I'm going to contact LokSound too.
Cheers!!
Dave
Edit: I found two harnesses in England.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
The harnesses for the LokSound Micro decoders are supposed to arrive today. I may get inspired and see if I can hook up the decoders. I haven't done one in a while.
I promise that I will not let this thread die. I will finish the snow train! However, for now, I have become rather seriously preoccupied with making progress on my layout and that's where my focus will be for some time while I sort out all of the myriad of details.
I finally sat down last night to see how well the new micro LokSound decoders fit into the two locomotives' tenders. They will fit okay but I was a bit surprised at how long they are. They are only about 1/8" shorter than a standard LokSound V5 when the wiring harnesses are installed.
This brings up an interesting point. The plug on the wiring harness will fit into the socket on the decoder in two directions. It can be installed with the wires pointing away from the decoder or it can be installed with the wires pointing towards the decoder. All the pictures show the harness pointing away from the decoder, and I very much doubt that the plug is reversable, so why wouldn't the plug be made to fit only one way? If the plug could fit with the wires pointing towards the decoder, the whole assembly would be about 1/4" shorter.
I'm going to ask the question on the ESU forums. Stay tuned.
After I get the new decoders installed I will have to load the custom snow train sounds into both engines. I'm going to refine the sound files a bit before doing so.
Further to the question about whether or not the plug in the LokSound micro decoder is reversible, I received no definitive answers on the Loksound forums so I am just going to let it go. I can fit the decoder on an angle and that will leave enough room for the wires.
I managed to destroy one piece of shrink wrap tubing that came uninstalled with the LokSound micro decoders. I tried to use a hot soldering iron and it came in contact with the tubing thanks to my shaky hands. It instantly created a large hole.
I ordered some shrink wrap tubing from Digi-Key but the walls are quite thick so I am worried about it causing the decoder to overheat. Can I use Kapton tape to wrap the decoder or will it create overheating problems?)
I made a tiny wee bit of progress with the decoder installation on one of the locomotives. I managed to get the decoder insulated and glued into place.
You may recall that I had messed up the heat shrink tube that came uninstalled with the decoder. I decided that the easiest way to insulate the decoder was to wrap it in kapton (sp?) tape so that is what I did. I then used a bit of Glooz-It to secure it in place.
The next step will be to connect all the wires. I haven't installed a decoder in a long while so I will take my time to make sure I get it right.
At least you are doing something, I have done nothing for over a year, just too many real world problems so I haven't felt like it.
WOW!!
75,ooo+ views.
I'll get my butt in gear when I get home from cottage country on Friday.
Thanks everyone!
I actually picked up my soldering iron last night and installed a LokSound Micro decoder in the tender of one of the plow train locomotives. Tonight I will do the one for the other locomotive.
I haven't installed a decoder for who knows how long, but things went very smoothly. I managed to get the wires reasonably well organized, and I didn't glue everything permanently in place. I made that mistake on several previous installations only to discover how difficult it is to remove a wire that is glued down with CA. I guess I'm a slow learner.
I'm waiting for some double sided tape to secure the wiring in place. I need something that is fairly thin because the clearance between the tender shell and the large SSS (Scale Speaker Systems) speaker enclosure is very tight. There isn't enough room to use a foam core tape. I tried using carpet tape but it would not stick to the 3D printed speaker enclosure at all.
I have to program the two decoders with my customized plow sounds. I hope I can remember how to do that. The recording requires a little tuning because there is a very slight pause part way through. It is just long enough to be noticeable and rather annoying.
Pictures and sound video to follow.
Before I could install the second decoder I had to build a set of power pickup trucks for the tender. For those who might be interested, here is how I add power pickup to my trucks:
The first requirement is that the trucks must be made of Delrin. My method will short out the tracks if it were to be used on metal trucks, and Tichy's styrene archbar trucks are too fragile for me to work with.
In addition to the trucks, you will need:
- 0-80 x 1/4" brass bolts with washers and nuts,
- Phosphor bronze wire. I use Tichy 0.015". Anything thinner is too easy to knock out of position and anything thicker can be hard to adjust for the proper tension on the wheels,
- Red and black decoder wire.
The first step is to tap the truck cross members for the 0-80 bolts. Kadee sells a kit with all the necessary bits and the tap. You want the holes to be about half way between the center pivot and the side frames:
Then put the bolts through the truck with the washer next to the bolt head so that both are on the top of the truck. At this point you will need to make sure that the bolt heads clear the bolsters. In some cases a bit of material will need to be removed from the bolsters to clear the bolts. If you don't like the idea of chopping into your prized models my method is not for you.
Next step is to form the contact wires. I use a pair of small round jaw pliers to bend a 180 degree loop about 1 1/4" from the end of the wire. Slide the loop under the washer and you will be able to see where you need to bend the wire 90 degrees so it will contact the wheel tread. Sorry about the blurry picture:
Once you have bent the wire so it will rest on the wheel treads, clip the wire off even with the ends of the sideframes:
The next step is to solder the decoder wires to the pickup wires. In order to avoid melting the truck, you will want to remove the pickup wires. I solder the decoder wire to one of the contact wires that touch the wheel tread about 1/8" from the bend in the contact wire. The wire has to clear both the truck cross member and the wheel. make sure the decoder wires point upwards:
Once the contact wires are lined up, install the nuts and tighten them. Doing that can be a bit tricky because the contact wires tend to want to move out of place. I add a drop of CA to the nuts to make sure they won't come loose.
The last step is to adjust the tension on the contact wires. The wheels will not roll freely but there shouldn't be a lot of resistance.
Great job on the trucks Dave. Very clean.
For securing wires in a tender or loco, I use silicone, which can be easily removed if needed.
Simon
snjroyFor securing wires in a tender or loco, I use silicone, which can be easily removed if needed.
Hi Simon,
My problem is that I'm too impatient. I don't like to have to wait for hours while the glue sets. I am currently using tiny amounts of Glooz-It to hold the decoders and the wires. It sticks to the Scale Speaker Systems enclosures fairly well but it can be peeled off if needed.
Simon & Dave,
I would highly recommend twisting and braiding wires to keep them under control. It's not that difficult to learn and the wires remain supple enough to move around but stay in place. Here's a simple tutorial for a three-wire braid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxJY4lna5q0
For two-wires I just twist them together to achieve a semi-compact twist.
For added assurance where wires are close to drive trains, a piece of Kapton tape does the trick. Kapton tape also works very well for securing decoders when space is a premium...and when it's not.
HTH,
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Why not use a couple of spots of low-temperature hot glue to 'tack' the wiring in place while the silicone or whatever is curing?
Hi Tom,
tstageI would highly recommend twisting and braiding wires to keep them under control.
On one of the tenders the clearance between the Scale Speaker System speaker and the shell is very small on the top and on both sides. There is just enough space to accommodate the thickness of one layer of decoder wires. If I were to twist them, the shell would not fit down all the way without pinching the wires.
tstageKapton tape also works very well for securing decoders when space is a premium...and when it's not.
Unfortunately Kapton tape will not stick to the speaker enclosures, nor will any other tape I have tried. The enclosures feel like Delrin. They are very slippery. Glooz-It will stick and it can be peeled off fairly easily. CA will stick but I don't want to go that route anymore.
The second tender has a lot more space inside so braiding or twisting the wires is an option. I'm also considering CAing a piece of heat shrink tubing to the side of the speaker enclosure and using it as a conduit. I won't shrink the tubing tight onto the wires so they can still be slid out if necessary.
Dave,
The SSS baffles are probably ABS, as JT designs and 3D prints those himself. Gorilla Silicone adhesive should work for that and starts the cure in 30-45 min. I use it for attatching any flat weights in my rolling stock.
You might also try the Testors Clear Parts Cement. That's cured when it changes from white to clear.
I have a couple of bottles of the Testors Clear Parts Cement. I will give it a try.
Thanks,
This is the second tender decoder installed. It is one of the cleaner wiring jobs that I have done:
I still have to figure out which terminals the blue and white wires should be soldered to. It annoys me that the locomotive manufacturers use all black wires to connect to the tender. Why can't they use colour coded wires inside the locomotive and just paint them black where they are visible?
The tender has been shortened so I still have some cosmetic work to do.
I can't get the headlight to work on one of the snow plow train locomotives. The problem started when I managed to mess up the original plugs between the locomotive and the tender. My clumsy handling caused one of the wires to break off of the plug in the locomotive. My attempt to repair the damage only caused more problems. I ended up having to hard wire the connections coming out of the locomotive. That in turn required that I install a set of connectors in the tender. Here is the set up:
Fast forward to the present. All the wires in the locomotive are black. I have figured out which wires are for power pickup and which wires are for motor control. That leaves two wires coming from the locomotive. Logic would suggest that those two wires would be for the headlight (there is no reverse light on the tender). I hooked up the blue and white wires from the decoder to the the two unidentified black wires but the headlight did not work. I reversed the white and blue wires thinking that I might have the polarity wrong, but the light still did not work. Next, I applied power directly to the two wires using a 1K resistor, but the headlight did not come on regardless of the polarity of the power input.
The locomotive is a Bachmann 4-6-0.
Any suggestions?
I have run into yet another problem. My computer no longer recognizes my LokProgrammer. I started a thread in the Electronics and DCC section. If you have any suggestions please post them here:
https://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/t/296598.aspx
[Link removed by moderator]
I'm rather annoyed that my LokProgrammer isn't working. I did a brief test of the decoder and Scale Sound Systems speaker and the sound just blew me away! It is so 'full' and robust that it is hard to describe. Once I solve the programming problem I will make a video of the new speaker in action and post it beside the old speaker. I can hardly wait!
The LokProgrammer problem has been solved. All it required was telling the LokProgrammer which USB Com Port to use.
hon30critterThat leaves two wires coming from the locomotive. Logic would suggest that those two wires would be for the headlight (there is no reverse light on the tender). I hooked up the blue and white wires from the decoder to the the two unidentified black wires but the headlight did not work. I reversed the white and blue wires thinking that I might have the polarity wrong, but the light still did not work. Next, I applied power directly to the two wires using a 1K resistor, but the headlight did not come on regardless of the polarity of the power input. The locomotive is a Bachmann 4-6-0. Any suggestions? Cheers!! Dave
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
PruittMaybe the headlight is burned out?
Hi Mark,
I'm exploring that possibility as we speak. The problem is getting at the LED to test it. The headlight is mounted on the top of the smoke box and there is a light bar that runs down into the smoke box. The LED is located behind the smoke box and seeing the LED is easy. The front of the smoke box just pops off. However getting to the LED isn't easy at all. The LED is surrounded on three sides by the weight in the boiler. In order to get at the LED, the front of the locomotive has to come apart. I don't want to risk doing that. I am afraid that I will break something or I won't be able to get it back together properly.
I see two possible approaches. One is to ignore the original LED and just install a new one inside the smoke box directly below the headlight. I would use part of the light bar between the new LED and the headlight. I will have to find a route for the wires but I don't think that would be too difficult. There is a gap in the top of the boiler that runs all the way to the back plate on the firebox. I just have to figure out how to get the wires through the firebox and down to the wiring harness that connects the locomotive and the tender.
The second approach would be to remove part of the weight so that the original LED can be pulled out. The problem here is that the weight has to be cut/ground away while it is still in the locomotive and that will surely result in a locomotive full of metal filings. Somehow that seems risky to me.
I think I'll try the first approach.
Those of you who have been following this thread will know that it has very much been a case of 'one step forward, two steps back'.
Well, here we go again. I finally got the LokProgrammer issue sorted out and that allowed me to load my custom snow plow train sound files into the new decoder. I am using a Scale Sound Systems speaker and, based on how it sounded in the decoder test using the generic sounds that LokSound decoders come with, I though my custom sound files would sound fantastic! NOT!! The speakers play exactly what is fed into them. My sound files, which had sounded reasonably good with the first speaker, now sounded horrible. Where the poor quality of the original speaker hid most of the defects, the SSS speaker makes them loud and clear!
The files will require a lot of work to get the volume, treble and bass correct. That's going to take some time. I'm basically back to square one. I'm actually not too upset. I'm learning a lot and its fun.
I'm going to take a little break from the snow train project so I can concentrate on a couple of other things that are going on in my life.
On the positive side I have been spending hours on my son and daughter-in-law's new kitchen. We are at the point where we have to make a myriad of decisions about all the little details, and we have to finalize some big decisions as well. I am enjoying helping them make those choices but I am spending several hours almost every day do the research and find examples for them to consider.
On the negative side, the cost of the kitchen has far exceeded our original budget. We were rather naive when we first set out what we thought we could do the kitchen for.
To add to my stress, my recent knee replacement has gone sour and I am once again feeling a great deal of pain in my right knee. This has put me into a bit of a slump mentally to the point where, when I sit down at my workbench, I just don't feel like doing anything. It is also preventing me from working on the garage improvements or constructing the benchwork for the yard. I am really unhappy about that.
We are also waiting for an inheritance. It is being held up by the Canada Revenue Agency. It is a sizable amount of money and the longer the CRA delays the process, the more stressed I become.
I will resume the snow train project once the other things have settled and I have been able to calm down a bit.
I apologise if my sabatical will disappoint anyone.
No worries Dave. Take care of yourself physically and mentally. The trains will come when it's time. We'll be here to cheer you on when it happens.
Wishing you well.
Mike
Do what you have to do, Dave.
A quick comment/recommendation on your earlier post below...
hon30critter I managed to destroy one piece of shrink wrap tubing that came uninstalled with the LokSound micro decoders. I tried to use a hot soldering iron and it came in contact with the tubing thanks to my shaky hands. It instantly created a large hole.
I don't know if you already do this, Dave. Use the barrel of your soldering iron for shrinking heat shrink:
It's not as hot as the tip but you can use it to physically make contact with the heat shrink without fear of melting a hole in it. Just keep the barrel moving back 'n forth over the heat shrink- shaky hands and all.
Dave, so sorry to hear of your health issues. The kitchen issues are not important -- take care of your health. Thinking of you.
tstageI don't know if you already do this, Dave. Use the barrel of your soldering iron for shrinking heat shrink:
I have never thought about doing that. It's a good idea. Thanks.
I replaced the spoiled heat shrink tubing with Kapton tape. For the second decoder I used my paint srtipper heat gun at a moderate distance and it worked perfectly.