Life Like Proto 1000 RDC

Scale:
HO Scale


This installation uses the following decoder:

T1



This installation of TCS T1 Decoder is for HO Scale Life Like Proto 1000 RDC and was performed by Robert E Petit, Merrillville IN, Duneland DCC.

Begin by removing the shell from the frame. Remove the couplers from both ends, and there are two screws at each end of the frame near the inboard side of the trucks. These are the only screws that need to be removed to separate the body from the frame.
There are three places on the circuit board where there are traces that need to be cut. I usually make two cuts, one on each side of the X. I then remove the foil material to make sure that there is no path for current to sneak pass the cut. I then mount the decoder using a small piece of double stick tape. This model was an RDC-3 with a Baggage/RPO end, and I made sure that the decoder was not visible through the windows. After the decoder is mounted, trim your wires to length. Leaving a little extra, just in case when you strip the wire it breaks off on you. Strip, tin and solder in place. There is only one more thing to do to make your install complete. To make the lamps brighter I soldered a 330 ohm resistor across the resistor (in parallel) on the circuit board. Replace the body shell, and couplers, program your address and you're all set to go!
P1 Orange P2 Yellow P4 Black P5 Grey P6 White P7 Blue P8 Red

Important Soldering Tip

Please do not use any flux either liquid or paste on the mother board. Over time, the acidic properties of liquid or paste flux will begin eating away at the fiberglass PCB and will damage it. Use only Rosin-core solder or no-clean flux approved for electronics use.

TCS recommends the use of Kester "44" Sn63 Pb37, .015" diameter Rosin-core solder. Kester part number 24-6337-0007.

You can order this solder from the following retailers:
Digikey - PN:KE1110-ND
Techni-Tool - PN:488SO6775

Other solder tips

When stripping wire, only strip a tiny little bit of the insulation. Strip no more than a 1/32 of an inch. When the wire gets tinned with solder, the insulation will shrink back more. Try to not expose any more wire than half the length of the solder pad at most. In no case should solder or exposed wire wire ever be outside the boundary of the the solder pad you are attaching a wire to.
Click here for important information on properly Stripping and Tinning wire