Life Like Proto 2000 PA Locomotive

Scale:
HO Scale


WOWKit used in this installation

Kit Coming Soon

Which includes the following items:



DXI Installation

This was performed by our friends from DCC Xpress installations. 
They offer high quality WOWSound installations for a flat rate complete with free return shipping! 
You can find them at: www.dxinstalls.com

This installation is for a HO-Scale Life Like Proto 2000 PA Locomotive using a TCS WOW121-Diesel Decoder, B-MB4 Motherboard with built in Keep Alive® and UNIV-SH1-C WOWSpeaker kit.

HO-Scale Life Like Proto 2000 PA Locomotive shown prior to installation. To start off this install, we must first remove the front and rear coupler screws and their housings. With the couplers removed, while gently pulling outwards at each end and along each side of the frame, lift the shell off of the frame. Take care to release the handrails and ladders as you lift off the shell so they don't break.
Shown with the shell off. Remove the two screws highlighted above in red and remove the original lighting board and all the wiring connected to it. Carefully disconnect the front headlight assembly and remove and discard the original 1.5 V bulb. For this installation, it will be replaced with a LED inserted into the original housing.
With the original lighting board removed, Tap and drill new screw mounting holes to align with the mounting hole locations on the B-MB4 motherboard. Using small nylon spacers, mount the B-MB4 to the frame as shown above. Next, with the 35mm X 16mm WOWsound speaker inserted into the UNIV-SH1-C enclosure, using double sided foam tape, mount this assembly into the existing hole facing up. If your speaker enclosure installation covers the portholes on the enclosure, we recommend adding new port hole(s) similar to the original porting. Be sure that the new portholes are the same size and amount of the original and are vented freely into the locomotive We have found introducing a port of the correct size greatly increases the volume and sound quality of the installation. Too much or too little porting decreases the sound quality. Solder the motor, track, speaker and lighting wires to the B-MB4 according to the included wiring diagram. In this installation, it was necessary to add in a 1/4w 1k resistor to the front LED lead. This connection was insulated using small lengths of TCS 3/64" shrink tubing. TCS motherboards include on board current limit resistors for LED use. There is no need to apply external resistors for LED use. You can now plug in your WOW121 decoder. Now you can close up the locomotive and reinstall the coupler assemblies. Be sure to be mindful of wire routing and reassembly of the shell as to not damage or foul the installation. Your Life Like Proto 2000 PA Locomotive is now WOWSound equipped and ready to roll!

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