Athearn Genesis FP45

Scale:
HO Scale


WOWKit used in this installation

WDK-ATH-3

Which includes the following items:

Decoder
Motherboard

GEN-MB1

Speaker Kit


Installation

This installation is for a HO-Scale Athearn Genesis FP45 using a TCS WOW121-Diesel Decoder, GEN-MB1 motherboard with Keep Alive® and UNIV-SH1-C WOWSpeaker by TCS.

HO Scale Athearn FP45 prior to installation.
HO Scale Athearn FP45 prior to installation.
To begin this installation, remove the coupler screws as highlighted above in red and the couplers.
To begin this installation, remove the coupler screws as highlighted above in red and the couplers.
Next remove the screws located on either side of the locomotive underneath the trucks as highlighted in red above. Gently grasp the shell on either side and lift off.
Next remove the screws located on either side of the locomotive underneath the trucks as highlighted in red above. Gently grasp the shell on either side and lift off.
Shown with the shell removed.
Shown with the shell removed.
Remove the original lighting board from the chassis and the wires from the board.
Remove the original lighting board from the chassis and the wires from the board.
Attach the new GEN-MB1 motherboard onto the existing clips and solder the track and motor connections in to the board.
Attach the new GEN-MB1 motherboard onto the existing clips and solder the track and motor connections in to the board.
Next, solder the speaker wires and lighting connections to the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram and plug in the WOW121 decoder. We have found that LED light output is brightest when shinning directly into the end of the light tube, but in some circumstances they may be placed along the length of the tube as well with satisfactory results. In doing so, white light LED output would be least affected, while non white LED output will be more affected by placement.
Next, solder the speaker wires and lighting connections to the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram and plug in the WOW121 decoder. We have found that LED light output is brightest when shinning directly into the end of the light tube, but in some circumstances they may be placed along the length of the tube as well with satisfactory results. In doing so, white light LED output would be least affected, while non white LED output will be more affected by placement.
Insert the 25mm x 14mm speaker into the UNIV-SH1-C enclosure and using hot melt glue, mount this assembly to the frame as shown above. It might be necessary to slightly sand a small portion of the sides on the speaker enclosure to properly fit between the uprights to ensure a good fit. 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.
Insert the 25mm x 14mm speaker into the UNIV-SH1-C enclosure and using hot melt glue, mount this assembly to the frame as shown above. It might be necessary to slightly sand a small portion of the sides on the speaker enclosure to properly fit between the uprights to ensure a good fit. 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.
You are now ready to reinstall the shell, the bottom screws and couplers to finish the installation. Your WOWsound equipped Athearn Genesis FP45 locomotive is ready to roll!
You are now ready to reinstall the shell, the bottom screws and couplers to finish the installation. Your WOWsound equipped Athearn Genesis FP45 locomotive is 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

Lacing Cord

In order to keep the wires neat and prevent possible shorts, we recommend lacing the wires into a bundle using lacing cord. Lacing cord is a wax impregnated string used for wire bundling and making harnesses. There are many choices of lacing cord available from Digikey www.digikey.com. 
We use part number 802534B BK032-ND