DCC Decoder Help

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know how to hook up an MRC DCC decoder to a LifeLike Proto 1000 series F3A Locomotive. You see it's got one of those circuit board thingies that you just have to sauter the wires into certain holes and cut where they have an 'X' on the circuit board. Someone PLEASE HELP as my dad and I would would like to get our trains running. Oh, and another thing the holes that you hook the wires up to are labeled like f8 or something like that, so if anyone does know
how to hook this up they can just say which colar into which hole.
Thanks You very much
John

[Anonymous]

Hello John,

The decoder should have come with a set of instructions indicating which wire goes to which pin or solder point. However, if it didn't here's the sequence.

The National Model Railroad Association's Digital Command Control (DCC) socket is configured this way:

1 8
2 7
3 6
4 5

Orange wire (motor feed from right-rail pickup)goes to pin 1.

Gray wire (motor feed from left-rail pickup) goes to pin 5.

Red wire (right-rail power pickup) to pin 8.

Black wire (left-rail power pickup) to pin 4.

White wire (forward headlight) to pin 6.

Yellow wire (rear headlight) to pin 2.

Blue wire (function common) as the return from the yellow and white wires.

I recommend using a 25-watt soldering iron, thin-diameter 60/40 rosin-core solder, and rosin flux for soldering decoders. Make sure the tip of the iron is clean and shiny with solder, without a blob of solder built up on it, and apply the flux with the tip of a toothpick. A little solder ought to do the trick.

I drill a hole at the "X" with a no. 60 drill bit, then widen the hole with the tip of a new no. 11 hobby knife blade until I'm satisfied that the copper circuitry has been severed where needed.

I suggest conecting only the first four wires, then testing the installation. The decoder is pre-set from the factory to address 03, so dial that address into your throttle. Make sure the remaining decoder wires are isolated from one another, and give the locomotive a try. It should move smoothly in forward and reverse.

If not, check the decoder connections, look for any "Xs" you might have missed or ones that aren't completely cut through, make sure the track has power, and try again.

Hope this helps,

Paul Schmidt
Contributing Editor
Trains.com

[Anonymous]

Thank You SOOO Much!! I will try that tonight.
John

[Anonymous]

Yeah my dad and I did what you said but we have a blue wire and a yellow wire left, with a pin 7 and no pin 2. Our loco only has a front light.
Please reply quickly as my dad and I would like to get the lights working.
Thanks
John