Bachmann Richmond 4-4-0

Scale:
HO Scale


WOWKit used in this installation

WSK-BAC-6

Which includes the following items:

Decoder
Motherboard

B-MB4

Speaker Kit


Installation

This installation of TCS MB4 Motherboard, WOW121 steam decoder, and 20mm WOWSpeaker is for the HO Scale Bachmann Spectrum Richmond 4-4-0.
The MB4 includes onboard Keep Alive® to keep you running smoothly over any troublesome track.

Bachmann Spectrum Richmond 4-4-0 prior to TCS B-MB4 and WOW121 Steam decoder install.
Bachmann Spectrum Richmond 4-4-0 prior to TCS B-MB4 and WOW121 Steam decoder install.
Bachmann Spectrum Richmond 4-4-0 prior to TCS B-MB4 and WOW121 Steam decoder install.
Bachmann Spectrum Richmond 4-4-0 prior to TCS B-MB4 and WOW121 Steam decoder install.
First remove the two screws identified above with the red circles from the underside of the tender. With the screws removed, lift the front of the tender shell up and then pull it up and out of the tab slots on the rear of the tender.
First remove the two screws identified above with the red circles from the underside of the tender. With the screws removed, lift the front of the tender shell up and then pull it up and out of the tab slots on the rear of the tender.
With the tender screws removed, we now have access to the factory light board and decoder.
With the tender screws removed, we now have access to the factory light board and decoder.
Next, remove the two screws securing the factory light board to the tender chassis marked with the red circles above. Make sure to save these two screws as they will be used to secure the motherboard to the tender chassis later on.
Next, remove the two screws securing the factory light board to the tender chassis marked with the red circles above. Make sure to save these two screws as they will be used to secure the motherboard to the tender chassis later on.
With the factory light board removed, we can now use those two screws to secure the B-MB4 to the tender chassis. With the motherboard secured to the tender, desolder the wires from the factory light board and solder them to the B-MB4. We suggest doing each wire lead one by one as to avoid losing track of what each lead is for. At this time, we also made our speaker wire connection using a 2 Pin Mini Connector with purple wires (item # 1521) ***Please note: There is little to no standardization of wire colors in Bachmann steam engines. Do not use the colors of the wires on the original board as your wiring guide.***
With the factory light board removed, we can now use those two screws to secure the B-MB4 to the tender chassis. With the motherboard secured to the tender, desolder the wires from the factory light board and solder them to the B-MB4. We suggest doing each wire lead one by one as to avoid losing track of what each lead is for. At this time, we also made our speaker wire connection using a 2 Pin Mini Connector with purple wires (item # 1521) ***Please note: There is little to no standardization of wire colors in Bachmann steam engines. Do not use the colors of the wires on the original board as your wiring guide.***
With our wires all soldered, we can now plug in the WOW121 Steam decoder.
With our wires all soldered, we can now plug in the WOW121 Steam decoder.
With the B-MB4 and WOW121 installed, we can now start fitting and installing the WOWSpeaker. First, remove the coal load from the tender. Do this by pushing the coal load up and out of the tender shell.
With the B-MB4 and WOW121 installed, we can now start fitting and installing the WOWSpeaker. First, remove the coal load from the tender. Do this by pushing the coal load up and out of the tender shell.
Next, we need to drill small holes in the coal to allow the sound to exit the tender. We found that 40+ #68 holes worked best for our 20mm WOWSpeaker (Item #1554). Make sure that the holes you drill are only within the diameter of the speaker you intend to mount because any holes outside the diameter of the speaker will actually reduce the sound produced. Without light shining from behind the coal load, the holes simply disappear into the lumps of coal.
Next, we need to drill small holes in the coal to allow the sound to exit the tender. We found that 40+ #68 holes worked best for our 20mm WOWSpeaker (Item #1554). Make sure that the holes you drill are only within the diameter of the speaker you intend to mount because any holes outside the diameter of the speaker will actually reduce the sound produced. Without light shining from behind the coal load, the holes simply disappear into the lumps of coal.
With the coal load drilled out for the speaker, we can now mount the speaker to the underside of the coal load. In our install, some hot glue works well with securing and sealing the speaker to the coal load. Prior to gluing the speaker inplace, we also attached the other half of our 2 Pin Mini Connector to the speaker. Its best to do this prior to gluing the speaker in place as to avoid accidentily coming into contact with any of the plastic with the soldering iron.
With the coal load drilled out for the speaker, we can now mount the speaker to the underside of the coal load. In our install, some hot glue works well with securing and sealing the speaker to the coal load. Prior to gluing the speaker inplace, we also attached the other half of our 2 Pin Mini Connector to the speaker. Its best to do this prior to gluing the speaker in place as to avoid accidentily coming into contact with any of the plastic with the soldering iron.
Next, feed the speaker wires through the opening in the top of the tender and snap the coal load back into place. Finally, connect the 2 Pin Mini Connector and screw the tender shell back onto the tender chassis. You have now installed a TCS Bachmann Motherboard 4 and WOW121 Steam decoder into your HO-Scale Bachmann Spectrum Richmond 4-4-0.
Next, feed the speaker wires through the opening in the top of the tender and snap the coal load back into place. Finally, connect the 2 Pin Mini Connector and screw the tender shell back onto the tender chassis. You have now installed a TCS Bachmann Motherboard 4 and WOW121 Steam decoder into your HO-Scale Bachmann Spectrum Richmond 4-4-0.

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