well i bought an athearn genesis SD70 at trainfest and want to run it on my club’s DCC layout. however when i opened the shell and looked at the innards, i found this series is NOT quick plug-equipped. i dont know how to stick a decoder on! can anyone help me out with this please?
It is a replacement board decoder for the older version genesis models. I buy from Litchfield station so if you go to their website you will see the decoder you need there and how it is installed.
i need a specific decoder? i cant use a digitrax one?
Well, you COULD use a Digitrax decoder, but personally, I’d recommend the TCS A6X. It’s a drop-in replacement for the original board, AND it has a built-in 1.5v regulator, so you don’t have to replace the bulbs with 12v ones or mess with resistors.
well i would use that latter one if it can interface with a digitrax DCC system, which is what my club’s layout uses. and how would i go about installing a digitrax harness? athearn neglected to explain that in the manual
LA,
Decoders are designed to work with any DCC system. Therefore, you can use an NCE or TCS or Lenz decoder with your Digitrax DCC system.
Tom
Lord Atmo, I’m a huge fan of Digitrax products and use them in everything except Athearn Genesis SDXX loco’s. It is such a pain in the rear soldering in resistors for all the lights. I too recommend the TCS A6X decoders, trust me you will be happy with them.
ok then. if they work fine with the system, then i’ll go with the TCS A6X. and i can get those at litchfield station?
lastly, is it fairly easy to install one onto my SD70?
That is the main point of having a standard. If the parts from different vendors didn’t interact what would be the point?
I believe Digitrax makes a DCC decoder with built in resistors… The 165LO. I think it’s made for Proto locomotives, but I’m not sure.
Mark,
Yes, the Digitrax L0s are made specifically for Proto locomotives. Even so, you should be able to use it in other locomotives, as well.
Tom
You can use them in other locomotives, conditionally…
The locomotive in question has to have an NMRA (8-pin) plug. The Digitrax L0’s have the NMRA pins built onto the board. That’s the main reason the A6X is better for Genesis locomotives…it’s a drop-in replacement for the original board.
Good point, Robert. Thanks!
Tom
well it sounds like the A6X is the best option. i will go with that and see what i can do after buying it. i’ll holler again if i cant figure out how to install it.
thanks for the help, guys![:D]
Just be sure to follow the directions to the letter when hooking up the bulbs, Atmo…the A6X actually has both regulated 1.5v AND unregulated outputs for lighting. If you hook up the 1.5v bulbs to the unregulated source, they will light up…for all of about half a second, at which point they’ll burn out. Just don’t ask how I know this. [#oops][:D]
One of our club members bought a Genesis SD70 at Trainfest (couldn’t pass the $45 price). He installed a TCS A6X decoder, and it ran fine on our Digitrax DCC layout. Just make sure you hook up the lighting part correctly, or start to learn some new railroad words when replacing light bulbs. [censored] The ditch lights are real fun.
A NCE DA-SR decoder should also fit in these engines, but they do not have the voltage regulator. Would need to add resistors, or change bulbs. Some DA-SRs have resistors on the board for LED installation.