Kato EMD SD40-2 Mid with Snoot Nose

Scale:
HO Scale


This installation uses the following decoder:


This installation documentation is for the HO Scale Kato EMD SD40-2 Mid with Snoot Nose. This installation uses the T1P-MH decoder, and was performed by A.G.

TCS recommends using the DP2X decoder for simple plug-and-play installation.

Pictures of Kato EMD SD40-2 Mid Snoot Nose with its shell on.
Pictures of Kato EMD SD40-2 Mid Snoot Nose with its shell on.
Grasping the shell at the center top of both sides (being careful not to crush the grills), lift the shell straight up and off of the chassis. Plug the T1P-SH"Flipped" into the socket so that the orange wire of the decoder goes into pin#1 of the socket.
Grasping the shell at the center top of both sides (being careful not to crush the grills), lift the shell straight up and off of the chassis. Plug the T1P-SH"Flipped" into the socket so that the orange wire of the decoder goes into pin#1 of the socket.
Close-up of the original light board with 8 Pin NMRA plug.
Close-up of the original light board with 8 Pin NMRA plug.
Some black, electrical tape was used to fix the decoder to the chassis so that it does not get into locomotive's drive circuit. Hold the shell in one hand and the chassis in your other hand. Lining up the front of both pieces, lower the shell onto the chassis, keeping the lower edge of the shell parallel with the chassis.
Some black, electrical tape was used to fix the decoder to the chassis so that it does not get into locomotive's drive circuit. Hold the shell in one hand and the chassis in your other hand. Lining up the front of both pieces, lower the shell onto the chassis, keeping the lower edge of the shell parallel with the chassis.

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