I just bought several Digitrax decoders to install in the Athearn F7’s I have. They offer a “Plug & Play” decoder # DH123AT for Athearn BB locos. I paid about $25 each for them.
I installed two of the decoders over the weekend. The one regret I have is that the decoders are referred to as “Plug and Play” and cost $5. more than the standard DH123 decoder. I ended up not using the plugs because each wire has a separate connection to the respective connections on the loco’s chassis / motor. Also two wires became unattached to the plugs while handling the harness. It’s not an 8 pin plug that you plug in and go kind of thing.
Hi Bill, Just another idea… I use a product called liquid tape to insulate those pesky bare places on connectors. It even comes in various colors. I found mine at Ace Hardware.
Nice job, Bill! Good work on the photos documenting what you did.
Only bit of advice I’d give you is when you get the chance, get some yellow or orange Tamiya model paint and dip the LED in it to subdue that bright blue-white LED glow and make it a more realistic amber color [:)] See the following link for more info:
Now you see one reason I hard wire all my decoders, neatness and flexability. One thing I do to all athearns that come through is clip off the contacts sticking up from the trucks that the old brass strip would have slipped underneath for pickup. That big piece of metal moving around in the loco is a waste of space, plus if you arent careful it could potentially grab a wire. Also lose that light bracket on the front of the engine, again its wasting space there. So for power pickup I pull the sideframes off the trucks and expose the metal piece that holds the wheels and bearings. This plate contacts all of the bearings, and the piece sticking up would be connected to it. So power can be neatly, easily and discreetly picked up here. You have to use flexible wire so the trucks swivel freely, and make a small solder to the metal plate, as long as you didnt put a huge glob of solder there when you put the sideframes back on you cant see anything there. Do the same on all 4 trucks. Drill 2 small holes for each truck, one on either side of the opening in the frame. Run the wires this way to make sure they dont bind or kink on a sharp curve. Then of course you connect both left sides and both right sides and run your pickup wires to the decoder from there. I do this to eliminate the space using parts that you dont need, and also to get rid of wires hanging over driveline parts, which can be a nightmare if they hang too low.