Williams F Unit PS2 Upgrade

Diesels tend to be easier.

I'm with Barry, diesels tend to be a simple wiring exercise.  Usually, there's plenty of room for the boards and speaker.  I spend most of my time doing fancy lights for them, and detailing the cab if it's not already done.

 

Did I mention I like lots of lights?

What would be different for a Williams is how the couplers match up, and the lack of a harness to at least get the headlight, coupler and possibly markers or cab interior lite in the dummy (run off the reverse or rear outputs).  Normally easier, though some diesel are very tight because of motor placement.  F3 should not be that hard.  G

With modern Williams, the standard MTH electrocouplers drops right in. 

 

As far as lights, you probably have a point.  Since I think the typical Williams bare bulb is low class anyway, preserving the wiring is not a priority for me, it gets replaced anyway.  On the Williams conversions I've done, both PS/2 and TMCC, I start with a chassis with just two motors sticking out.  I clean everything else out, including all the lighting.

 

I believe the f units might be from around 96-99.

Would it make sense to order a steam kit to do this for the tether and extra markers at the expense of the extra coupler?

 

Pete

I'd just get the diesel kit and the extra tether, the tether set is only around $25.  The steam kit assumes the PS/2 board is in the tender, and the tether is wired that way.  IMO that just complicates the installation over just installing it in one and running the rear markers, couplers, and headlights back to the dummy with an extra tether set.

 

As far as coupler compatibility, just look at what's currently there and see if it matches up with an electrocoupler on a Lionel or MTH unit, both have the same design mechanically.

 

Pete, What John Said.  The tether would become an issue with steam kit.  Angled plug, no where to mount the engine PCB, not enough connectors and lights to do a diesel correctly.

 

I would skip the MTH harness (won't have any where to mount), and go with any 4 or 5 pin micro harness.

 

Bring over purple PV and then control for Coupler, Number Board, Headlight (4 total wires needed) and double up headlight/Cab light.  If you need markers, 2 additional wires needed.  One for +5VDC and the other for control.  G

I will defer to you guys as you have a whole lot more experience than I do with PS2 but let me suggest putting the speaker in the dummy unit where you can use a larger driver and proper baffle. I have done a complete TMCC install in a Williams A unit and the speaker ends up getting short changed. You end up with barely enough room for a Williams style flat speaker and baffle.

 

Pete

I used some really tiny 4 pin Miniatronics cables to the tender for my K-Line Porter TMCC upgrade, they might be perfect for the tether here.  You'd hardly see them between the units, they'd look like air brake lines.

 

If you want the full complement of lighting, as George says, just use two of them.  Here's what they look like.  I alternated the gender of the two so it would not be possible to get them crossed.  You just have to mate up the white dots and all is well.

 

Pete, You certainly could add 2 more wires for speakers.  At that point I would look at one of the PS-2 B unit pass through harness and get a 10 pin and mount the Receptacle PCB on the frame with a bracket.  Would require cut out on the shell.  I have done this for a MTH ABA E-8.  Shell already had the notch, and the bracket sat inside the diaphragm for the door.  G

Awesome suggestion John. Looks like this one will be easy. There's no smoke unit in them, no markers either. The only things i'll need to send to the dummy are the headlight and a rear electro coupler. 

In that case, just one of the little connectors will do the job, it'll be almost invisible.

 

Of course, with the A-A Williams units I upgraded, my drill was commissioned to install the missing markers.

 

Cleartracks:  I upgraded, many years ago,  a Williams Baldwin shark, which should be similar to your F7.  I used a minitronics connector to feed ground, couple or power, and light power from the powered unit to the dummy.  Works fine.  Was a relatively easy job, because that locomotive is very roomy.to keep the connections between the unit simple, I left the speaker in the powered units.