Athearn Genesis EMD SD70M Version 2

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 SD70M, using a WOW 121 Diesel Decoder, GEN-MB1 motherboard with Keep Alive® and UNIV-SH1-C WOWSpeaker by TCS.

Athearn Genesis SD70M prior to installation.
Athearn Genesis SD70M prior to installation.
Begin this installation, remove the screws found on each coupler and the coupler boxes as highlighted above in red. Grasp the sides and each end of the shell to gently pull outwards and release it from the frame.
Begin this installation, remove the screws found on each coupler and the coupler boxes as highlighted above in red. Grasp the sides and each end of the shell to gently pull outwards and release it from the frame.
Athearn Genesis SD70M with the shell removed. On this locomotive, the cab is a separate part and must also be removed. Very carefully grasp the sides of the cab, gently squeeze inward and lift it up. Unsolder the wires, taking note of their function, then remove the original lighting board from the frame.
Athearn Genesis SD70M with the shell removed. On this locomotive, the cab is a separate part and must also be removed. Very carefully grasp the sides of the cab, gently squeeze inward and lift it up. Unsolder the wires, taking note of their function, then remove the original lighting board from the frame.
A view of the locomotive with the original lighting board removed.
A view of the locomotive with the original lighting board removed.
A view of the locomotive with the shell completely removed. Trim, tin or lengthen the wires as necessary.
A view of the locomotive with the shell completely removed. Trim, tin or lengthen the wires as necessary.
Attach the new GEN-MB1 onto the frame and solder the track and motor leads in place.
Attach the new GEN-MB1 onto the frame and solder the track and motor leads in place.
With the 35 x 16mm speaker inserted into the UNIV-SH1-C enclosure, using hot melt glue, mount this assembly to the frame. In this installation, we used Kapton tape to secure the track lead wires to minimize movement and prevent shorts. 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.
With the 35 x 16mm speaker inserted into the UNIV-SH1-C enclosure, using hot melt glue, mount this assembly to the frame. In this installation, we used Kapton tape to secure the track lead wires to minimize movement and prevent shorts. 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.
According to the included wire diagram, solder the lighting leads from the shell as well as cab onto the motherboard. 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. Plug in the WOW121 Diesel decoder to the GEN-MB1 motherboard.
According to the included wire diagram, solder the lighting leads from the shell as well as cab onto the motherboard. 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. Plug in the WOW121 Diesel decoder to the GEN-MB1 motherboard.
Lastly, in order to keep the wires neat and prevent possible shorts, lace the wires into a bundle using lacing cord, which is a wax impregnated string used for wire bundling and making harnesses. Reattach the shell and coupler assemblies and your WOWSound equipped Athearn Genesis SD70M locomotive in ready to roll!
Lastly, in order to keep the wires neat and prevent possible shorts, lace the wires into a bundle using lacing cord, which is a wax impregnated string used for wire bundling and making harnesses. Reattach the shell and coupler assemblies and your WOWSound equipped Athearn Genesis SD70M locomotive in 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