This is just my second hardwiring job. This can motor is my first. Only this older IHC loco doesn’t have color-coded wiring. Nor does it seem to have enough wires.
There are just two soldering points on the can motor. Each is connected to what must be the pick up wires from both the drivers’ and the tender’s wipers. Ques: Do I cut these and connect them to the red and black wires from the decoder?
The motor is definately contacting the frame. Ques: Once I isolate this, to what do I connect the orange and gray wires fo the decoder?
I was surprised to see that the front and rear wipers in the tender contact wheels on both tracks even though one is supposed to be the positive and the other the negative pickup. I guess this doesn’t matter as the motor derives only the correct pulse from the wire regardless.
Am I correct in this thnking?
Actually, looking at a general decoder install diagram I see it says the gray and orange wires connect to the motor, not the pick up wires as are presently connected on this loco. The diag. also shows the right rail pickup usually connected to the loco frame and the left rail pickup usually connected to the tender frame. Yet this IHC definately has the pickup wires running to the motor. That’s what has me confused.
IHC locos aren’t my speciality, but I think I have the answers you’re looking for.
You can cut the wires from the motor, or you can just de-solder them.
You need to figure out which wire goes to the right (or left) side pickups. You might need to take the loco apart further to find out which wire goes where.
Once you have that straightened out, wire in the RED and BLACK decoder wires.
The ORANGE and GREY wires then get soldered to the terminals on the motor (IIRC, ORANGE is +)
WHITE BLUE wire goes to (head)light -
BLUE WHITE wire is function/light common +
GREEN wire is rear light -
YELLOW is F3-
VIOLET is F4-
As for the tender pickups, there might be a mini “bus” in there so that all the right wheels and all the left wheels only feed a pair of wires between the loco and tender, as opposed to having 4 or more.
if you look very closely you will probably find that the wheels on one side of the front truck are insulated and don’t conduct electriciy from the track to the pickup . the wheels on the opposite side of the rear truck will be reversed . for example the front truck will pick up from the right hand rail , the rear truck will pick up from the left side . this works fine until you accidentally put a truck on the wrong way and both trucks try to pick up from the same side . in some cases it’s not even necessary to remove the truck , it will spin in place
Thanks. Well, ok, if I cut the pickup wires to the motor and wire the orange and grey from the decoder to the motor in their place, do you mean I should connect the red and black from the decoder to the two pickup wires that formerly went to the motor? (I know that I have to figure out which leads are positive and negative as well. I’m good on all the lighting and sound wires, thanks.)
The BLUE wire is the common (+), NOT THE WHITE WIRE. If you use the WHITE wire as the common, you will have major issues.
The White (front), Yellow (rear), Green (f3) and Violet (f4) go to the (-)ve
This is how you hardwire a decoder…
Desolder the wires going from the frame to the motor.
Solder the Grey and Orange wires from the decoder to the motor.
Solder the Red and Black wires from the decoder to the frame leads
Connect the lights…if using Leds, the long leed to the Led is the +ive (Blue) side and the short is the -ive (White, Yellow, Green, Violet). Use proper resistors to reduce the voltage from 12v (ask when you are buying the Leds). For regular bulbs, +ive and -ive doesnt matter.
Before testing loco, visually inspect to make sure that THE LEADS FROM THE FRAME ARE NOT TOUCHING THE MOTOR…if they do, then you have NO
Thanks, guys…I do know what all the colour-coded wires mean, but I still need to know…
if I cut the pickup wires to the motor and wire the orange and grey from the decoder to the motor in their place, do you mean I should connect the red and black from the decoder to the two pickup wires that formerly went to the motor? (I know that I have to figure out which leads are positive and negative as well. I’m good on all the lighting and sound wires, thanks.)
Yes, what did go to the motor becomes red and black to the decoder. Figure out which went to the right hand rails and hook it to red. Then hook the orange to the side of the motor that was hooked to the right side, grey to the side that was the left. Before you do this make sure that neither of the contacts at the motor are hooked to any wheels (obviously after you snip!).
The BLUE wire is the common (+), NOT THE WHITE WIRE. If you use the WHITE wire as the common, you will have major issues.
The White (front), Yellow (rear), Green (f3) and Violet (f4) go to the (-)ve
This is how you hardwire a decoder…
Desolder the wires going from the frame to the motor.
Solder the Grey and Orange wires from the decoder to the motor.
Solder the Red and Black wires from the decoder to the frame leads
Connect the lights…if using Leds, the long leed to the Led is the +ive (Blue) side and the short is the -ive (White, Yellow, Green, Violet). Use proper resistors to reduce the voltage from 12v (ask when you are buying the Leds). For regular bulbs, +ive and -ive doesnt matter.
Before testing loco, visually inspect to make sure that THE LEADS FROM THE FRAME ARE NOT TOUCHING THE MOTOR…if