Does anyone know how to install a DCC decoder into a non-DCC Intermountain Railways F7 locomotive? I removed the body shell and it doesn’t have an 8 pin connector and the wires aren’t even color coded.
Thanks in advance.
JoeC
Hi Joe,
Welcome to DCC. I just started 6 months ago at age 70. You can do it.
Start by downloading the installation manual from Soundtraxx and DCC info from the NMRA web site. These have all the info you can use and then some and the basics work for any decoder. You will need a small Volt Ohm meter available at Harbor Freight for under $10. See their website.
Tear the loco down and cut all the wires to isolate every thing from the track power to lighting and motor. If you leave a length of wire on each end you can just solder the decoder wires to them. I recommend hard wiring rather than trying to solder in an eight pin connector; I tried both and connectors are difficullt to solder to without damaging them. A 25 Watt soldering iron and rosen core solder is all you need plus some small heat shrink tubing. There are articles on this in Model Railroader articles. If you lose track of where a wire is going as it disappears into hiding places use the ohm meter to trace one end to other wires until you get zero ohms. In a few cases the frame is part of the ground to the motor and you may have to insulate the motor using thin plastic and plastic screws. Once you find where a wire goes you can color code it with a little model paint to keep from losing it again.
Sound is a bit more complcated but the above manual from Soundtraxx covers it for both steam and diesel locos.
Don’t get discouraged, just start and soon you will have it running.
Good luck, Tarp.
Ditto my answer to your other thread. And the Intermountain F7 doesn’t ground the motor to the frame, so you only have to deal with the wires.
Thanks much Tarp!!
JoeC