Athearn SD70MAC

Scale:
HO Scale


This installation uses the following decoder:

T4X



This installation is for HO-Scale Athearn Genesis SD-70MAC uses TCS T4X Digital Decoder and was performed by J.F.

The latest SD70MAC by Athearn is a very fine model. It is unique in that it has a built in 1.5 voltage regulator to power all the bulbs. It works for both DC and DCC operation.. Decoder installation is very easy. The loco comes supplied with the 9 pin connector already solder into the lighting board. Remove the jumper circuit board supplied with the loco from the connector and plug your TCS decoder directly in. See photo below. No soldering required. From the factory the ditch lights are controlled by button one. To allow for alternately blinking operation follow the instructions below.
The latest SD70MAC by Athearn is a very fine model. It is unique in that it has a built in 1.5 voltage regulator to power all the bulbs. It works for both DC and DCC operation.. Decoder installation is very easy. The loco comes supplied with the 9 pin connector already solder into the lighting board. Remove the jumper circuit board supplied with the loco from the connector and plug your TCS decoder directly in. See photo below. No soldering required. From the factory the ditch lights are controlled by button one. To allow for alternately blinking operation follow the instructions below.
1
1
2
2
There is no need to change bulbs to complete decoder installation. All the light bulbs supplied with the loco use 1.5v bulbs and are powered from a built in 1.5v regulator on the light board. From the factory both ditch lights are hooked together and will operate on and off by using button one. To provide alternately blinking ditch lights, the bulbs must be separated at the point marked F1_N and F1_P. See enlarged photo of circuit board above. One bulb then needs to be hooked to the terminals marked F2_N and F2_P or the holes marked 2X and 2Y. The other bulb remains connected to F1_N and F2_P. Use the T4X or T6X decoder as they support Blinking Ditch lights. All X series decoders have improved ditch light operation by allowing more Change these CV�s to set up your TCS decoder for alternately blinking Ditch lights. CV36=4 CV51=42 CV52=43 Use button one to control on/off of Ditch Lights and button two or five to activate blinking. You can select which button activates the blinking by changing the value in CV124. refer to table 19 in your decoder literature.
There is no need to change bulbs to complete decoder installation. All the light bulbs supplied with the loco use 1.5v bulbs and are powered from a built in 1.5v regulator on the light board. From the factory both ditch lights are hooked together and will operate on and off by using button one. To provide alternately blinking ditch lights, the bulbs must be separated at the point marked F1_N and F1_P. See enlarged photo of circuit board above. One bulb then needs to be hooked to the terminals marked F2_N and F2_P or the holes marked 2X and 2Y. The other bulb remains connected to F1_N and F2_P. Use the T4X or T6X decoder as they support Blinking Ditch lights. All X series decoders have improved ditch light operation by allowing more Change these CV�s to set up your TCS decoder for alternately blinking Ditch lights. CV36=4 CV51=42 CV52=43 Use button one to control on/off of Ditch Lights and button two or five to activate blinking. You can select which button activates the blinking by changing the value in CV124. refer to table 19 in your decoder literature.

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