Athearn SD45

Scale:
HO Scale


This installation uses the following decoder:

MC2



This installation is for Athearn SD45 uses TCS MC2 decoder and was performed by J.F.

Shown with the shell on, prior to decoder installation.
Shown with the shell removed.
Photo shows motor removed. Notice one side of the white plastic motor mount was removed to remove the motor. This can be done by prying it out with a small screw driver. The plastic is some what soft, it will flex and come out. Once the motor is out, the copper tabs on the bottom side of the motor which make connection to the motor frame must be cut off. This will isolate the motor from the frame. See next photo.
This photo shows motor removed from the frame. Copper tabs that were contacting the loco frame are now removed. This is important to electrically isolate the motor from the loco frame. Notice the white plastic motor mount that was removed from the loco frame still attached to the motor.
This photo shows complete installation. Notice the long metal bus bar that run across the top connecting the the trucks and the top of the motor has been removed. The MC2 decoder is glued to the loco frame underneath the left flywheel. It looks tight in this photo but there is actually plenty of room to spare. LED'S were used for the head lights instead of the supplied bulb. Notice the gray wire is soldered to the bottom side of the motor and the orange wire is soldered to the top side of the motor. Black wire is soldered to the bus bar at the front of the loco which is the left side track power pick up. The red wire is soldered to the right side track power pick up. The two right side track power pick ups are connected together with the red jumper wire.
This photo shows close up of MC2 decoder mounted underneath flywheel. A dab of RTV adhesive was used to hold it place.
This photo taken from other side of loco shows close up of MC2 decoder held in place with a dab of RTV adhesive. The decoder is located underneath the fly wheel. There is plenty of room to spare.
This photo shows close up detail of how the Golden White LED was mounted in the headlight. The original black plastic clip was used. Two small holes were drilled thru the back of it to pass the LED leads thru it. The 680 dropping resistor was added. Blue decoder wire goes to the anode of LED, white decoder wire goes to 680 ohm 1/4 watt resistor. The other side of resistor is connected to the cathode of the LED. Notice the Cathode of the LED is the side of the LED that has a flat side to it.
This photo shows How a Golden white LED was glued with RTV adhesive into place for the reverse headlight. A 680 ohm 1/4 watt dropping resistor is series with the yellow lead but is not shown in this photo.

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