I Own a atheran sd40-2 older model is there anyway possible to add a decoder to it? im slowy but shortly converting my model railroad to dcc and was wodnering how i could go about doing this, if there is a way.
conrail92,
How old is “old”? Is this an Athearn Blue Box? For the most part, there should be a way to install a decoder in your SD40-2. On older locomotives, you sometimes have to isolate the motor from the frame before installing the decoder. Most of the newer locomotives now usually come “DCC-ready”.
Tom
its bluebox old and theres no wiring in it rly so i wasnt sure on how about i do this
Athearn BB old or new are an easy conversion. Isolating the motor from the frame and the trucks is the key.
Take off the metal band that runs from the front to rear trucks. It will not be reused. Pull the motor out of the socket. Snip off the two contact fingers from the bottom of the motors copper plate that wraps on the bottom of the motor.
Oh heck it would be easier to go to this link below. Its a short article from Model Railroader, with pictures, to show how to do the conversion better than I can write it out.
This article is shown for a specific decoder they used, but the proceedure and wire colors are the same regardless of make of decoder.
http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/002/386vdfwa.asp
You’ll need to isolate the motor from the frame then. I’ll let the DCC experts jump in on this one…
Tom
thnx for the info, i was always fond of this locomotive and didnt want to put it on a shelf to collect dust because it wasnt DCC compatible
There are some nice pictures of a typical DCC install in a traditional BB on the TCS web site http://www.tcsdcc.com/decoderpics/Athearn%20SD45/athearn_sd45.htm
Digitrax makes a harness so you can install a decoder without soldering.
The only thing to be a little careful of is the motor. When you open the shell up take a look at the motor. If it is a Can motor like the one in the TCS example all is fine. If it is an open frame motor, the current draw may be quite high. So you would want to be careful not to install a decoder with a low current level.
There is another link to a basic Athearn instal here
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/ath_pa1.htm
that helps because i dont own a solder witch i should get. just never did