Athearn C44-9 Dash 9

Scale:
HO Scale


This installation uses the following decoder:

T1



This installation is for HO-Scale Athearn C44-9 "Dash 9" uses TCS T1 digital decoder and was performed by a TCS Customer.

First remove the couplers and lift off the shell. Next remove the metal bar which connects the trucks. Now remove the copper bar from the top of the motor. Next slowly rock the motor back and forth until it comes out. Remove the bar from the bottom of the motor, clip off the fingers which contacted the frame, solder the orange wire to the underside of the copper bar and attach it to the top of the motor as shown below. Next kapton tape over both the underside of the steel bar, and the top side of the copper bar, as shown below, to prevent a short.
First remove the couplers and lift off the shell. Next remove the metal bar which connects the trucks. Now remove the copper bar from the top of the motor. Next slowly rock the motor back and forth until it comes out. Remove the bar from the bottom of the motor, clip off the fingers which contacted the frame, solder the orange wire to the underside of the copper bar and attach it to the top of the motor as shown below. Next kapton tape over both the underside of the steel bar, and the top side of the copper bar, as shown below, to prevent a short.
Now attach the gray wire to the bar from the top of the motor, and attach the bar to the bottom of the motor, as shown below. You can now reattach the motor to the frame.
Now attach the gray wire to the bar from the top of the motor, and attach the bar to the bottom of the motor, as shown below. You can now reattach the motor to the frame.
Now reattach the steel bar to the top of the motor and solder the red track pickup wire to it as shown below.
Now reattach the steel bar to the top of the motor and solder the red track pickup wire to it as shown below.
Next, to connect the black wire to the frame, we drilled and tapped the frame to insert a screw and washer for the black wire as demonstrated below.
Next, to connect the black wire to the frame, we drilled and tapped the frame to insert a screw and washer for the black wire as demonstrated below.
Now attach two wires to the blue wire coming off the decoder. We are going to use a surface mount LED to light the reverse light, and a 3mm through hole LED to light the forward light. Follow the steps below to connect the lights. In the next section we will use a 2-Pin Connector (for ease of installation), a Golden White surface mount LED, and a Gold White 3mm LED. For the rear light attach the yellow wire to the white lead on the 2 pin connector, and one of the blue wires, to the black lead on the two pin connector. Tape the two pin connector to the steel bar as shown below.
Now attach two wires to the blue wire coming off the decoder. We are going to use a surface mount LED to light the reverse light, and a 3mm through hole LED to light the forward light. Follow the steps below to connect the lights. In the next section we will use a 2-Pin Connector (for ease of installation), a Golden White surface mount LED, and a Gold White 3mm LED. For the rear light attach the yellow wire to the white lead on the 2 pin connector, and one of the blue wires, to the black lead on the two pin connector. Tape the two pin connector to the steel bar as shown below.
Attach the opposing side of the 2 pin connector to a 680 ohm 1/4 watt resistor and to the surface mount LED on the inside of the shell as shown.
Attach the opposing side of the 2 pin connector to a 680 ohm 1/4 watt resistor and to the surface mount LED on the inside of the shell as shown.
Connector shown in shell.
Connector shown in shell.
For the forward light attach the anode of a 3mm LED to a 680 ohm 1/4 watt resistor to the remaining blue wire. Then the white wire to the cathode of the LED. Mount it in the light housing as show below. Wrap the outside of the LED in electrical tape to avoid lighting up the cab.
For the forward light attach the anode of a 3mm LED to a 680 ohm 1/4 watt resistor to the remaining blue wire. Then the white wire to the cathode of the LED. Mount it in the light housing as show below. Wrap the outside of the LED in electrical tape to avoid lighting up the cab.
Finally, tape the decoder atop the steel bar and make sure the wires will not come in contact with the flywheel.
Finally, tape the decoder atop the steel bar and make sure the wires will not come in contact with the flywheel.
Reattach the shell and you are ready to run your locomotive.
Reattach the shell and you are ready to run your locomotive.

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