NYC H-10B 2-8-2 decoder install (cont)
Phase II:
LED checks, wiring harness, decoder/speaker in tender, decoderpro.
LED checks; Each LED was checked to see if lighting and properly positioned plus a check for any shorts between LED and brass housing. A LED checker or a low voltage (3-4 volts) can be used by touching one of the LED wires to the brass to see if the light goes out. The two LED's in the marker lights were shorting: fortunately, since the canopy glue is soft, I was able to move the LED's with a tooth pick and remove the short and add some more canopy glue. The back of the wires leading out of the brass was secured with some carpenters glue. Tender and cab light also checked.
Schematic I use for all my steam engines. The tender has which components get connected to the colored wires. Eight wires go from the tender to the engine. Four of the eight go to the boiler for LED's.
Eight wire harness, tender side, complete. Decoder kept separate until all soldering is completed to prevent any unwanted power surges. Heat shrink used for each 4 wire set to look like water hoses between tender and engine plus protecting the wires.
Tender side done.
I use PFM speakers and they need two capacitors to work properly. All other brand of speakers do not require this. The green case is the keep alive.
Tender light: blue wire to red and yellow to black wire.
Decoder black wire to tender ground.
One rat's nest complete on the tender side!
Connectors are very small: 8 wires in a 3/8" space.
The engine side of the connector. A very fine soldering tip and 1/16" heat shrink tubing used.
Heat shrink, again, for protection and routing to either boiler or frame. Boiler: blue: hot, green: marker lights, white: headlight and cab, pink: running board lights. Frame: red: ground, fire box light, Red: fire box light, orange/gray: motor.
Fire box only 3MM size LED used; all other LED's are 0402.
Frame side wires connected. Boiler done, later.
Testing via decoderpro.
Engine and tender on test track.
Decoderpro won't work without your DCC system active.
Select Decoderpro. Panelpro is for the LCC signalling system and dispatcher's panel schematic on the monitor.
Engine roster appears.
To load new decoder/engine select programming track in lower right hand corner...
then select NEW LOCO in the upper left hand corner.
Can then select which decoder you have on the next screen. Then click 'read type from decoder'
Screen to the right pops up and then select 'open comprehensive programmer' to get detailed screen...
located in lower right hand corner.
Fill in details on screen. I input the 'ID', road number, manufacturer and then click 'save to roster'. DCC address will be inputted on following screen. Will get 'OK' at bottom of screen and then click on 'basic' (upper left hand corner)....
'save to roster'
The 'basic' screen. Click on 'long' and input engine address and then click on 'write full sheet'. Engine decoder will be updated and bottom of screen will say OK if all went well.
'write full sheet'
Bottom of screen will say OK.
Click on X to get back to roster screen which will now show new engine.
The engine is then taken to the layout and tested to make sure the decoder is working, address correct and motor direction is correct. Bypassing using decoderpro and going directly to this step may destroy your decoder if you made a mistake on connecting the wires.
