I have two Kato GE P42 DC N Scale that I would like to upgrade to ESU decoders and speakers. I have one Kato GE P42 that came with an ESU decoder and speaker installed and I would like to use the same items, but I cannot tell what they are.
The information that came with the locomotive says it is a LokProgrammer 5 Micro decoder. When I open the locomotive and compare the decoder to what is available at the ESU website, it appears to be a 58941. However, when I use the ESU LokProgrammer it tells me that the decoder is a Nano. Hence my confusion. And I have no idea what the speaker is.
What decoder and speaker would you recommend for a Kato N Scale GE P42?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I believe ESU 58941 is a Loksound 5 micro decoder “widebody” specifically designed to be used in specific Kato USA N-scale engines. You can buy blank ones and use your LokProgrammer to add sound files to it. If it’s another Kato P42 engine, it should fit fine. Although they call this a “micro”, it may have the same internal set-up as their nano decoders - but just be a different shape. Programming would be the same.
ESU makes “sugar cube” small speakers and enclosures, which I suspect is what your Kato sound-equipped engine has.
If there’s instructions / diagram sheets included with the sound engine, it might specify the decoder used. Otherwise, you could contact Kato and ask them. Last resort, just use the largest one that will fit in your engine.