Intermountain ES44DC

Scale:
HO Scale


WOWKit used in this installation

WDK-INT-2

Which includes the following items:

Decoder
Motherboard

IB-MB2

Speaker Kit
Accessories


Installation

This installation is for a HO-Scale Intermountain ES44DC using a TCS WOW121-Diesel decoder, IB-MB2 with Keep Alive® 
and 28mm WOWSpeaker by TCS.

HO-Scale Intermountain ES44DC prior to installation.
HO-Scale Intermountain ES44DC prior to installation.
To remove the shell, we must first remove the front and rear couplers screws as highlighted in red above, the couplers and their housings.
To remove the shell, we must first remove the front and rear couplers screws as highlighted in red above, the couplers and their housings.
With the couplers and their housings removed, the shell can be lifted up and off of the locomotives chassis. Above is a view of the chassis with the shell removed. Remove and set aside the 4 screws as highlighted in red above holding the original lighting board.
With the couplers and their housings removed, the shell can be lifted up and off of the locomotives chassis. Above is a view of the chassis with the shell removed. Remove and set aside the 4 screws as highlighted in red above holding the original lighting board.
Cut and remove the zip-ties that hold the wires in place and identify the wiring layout to be sure to reconnect it properly to the new board.
Cut and remove the zip-ties that hold the wires in place and identify the wiring layout to be sure to reconnect it properly to the new board.
Wire the 28mm round speaker and then mount it into the original speaker enclosure found in the rear of the shell. Using the original screws, attach the IB-MB2 motherboard to the chassis and plug the original connectors into the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram.
Wire the 28mm round speaker and then mount it into the original speaker enclosure found in the rear of the shell. Using the original screws, attach the IB-MB2 motherboard to the chassis and plug the original connectors into the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram.
Plug in the WOW121 diesel decoder.
Plug in the WOW121 diesel decoder.
Lastly, in order to keep the wires neat and prevent possible shorts, lace the wires into a bundle using lacing cord. Your HO-Scale Intermountain ES44DC is now WOWSound equipped and ready to roll!
Lastly, in order to keep the wires neat and prevent possible shorts, lace the wires into a bundle using lacing cord. Your HO-Scale Intermountain ES44DC is now WOWSound equipped and 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