I just bought the dcc adaptor board for the rtr locos but i am planning on installing it in this kit. i am planning on installing a tsu-1000 into the board. my question is how would i keep the use of the bulb shroud and wiper clip while converting it to dcc?
Installing a DCC adapter board is a waste of time and money – just hard wire a 9-pin JST harness into the loco. I never use the Athearn “fire in the cab” bulb or clip – I remove them and use a Golden Glow LED for the headlight.
Whenever I upgrade the lighting on my Athearns, I always remove the boards on them for two reasons.
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The lighting outputs are 1.5 volts. I upgrade to LEDs which require about 3 volts.
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Space. There isn’t much room. In fact, yesterday I got an Athearn like you are explaining, but in the RTR line. I couldn’t place the decoder on top of the motor because the board won’t allow the body to fit on it properly.
I have written many a post on how to install and modify an Athearn for DCC. A quick search will yield results you are looking for.
David B
I have also tried removing the shell per instruction. it is hard to remove and i don’t want to break it. what can i do