Life Like Proto 2000 2-8-8-2 S1

Scale:
HO Scale


This installation uses the following decoder:


This installation is for a HO-Scale Life Like Proto 2000 2-8-8-2 S1 using a TCS WOW101-Steam Decoder, KA3 Keep Alive® and 30mm WOWSpeaker kit.

HO-Scale Life Like Proto 2000 2-8-8-2 S1 shown prior to installation.
HO-Scale Life Like Proto 2000 2-8-8-2 S1 shown prior to installation.
To start off this install, we must first remove the coal tender shell. On the two rear corners is a small rectangular hole highlighted in red above. Very carefully insert a small flat blade into the hole, prying outwards and gently lift the shell from the frame. Take care with the shell and ladders, etc. as you lift off the shell so they don't break.
To start off this install, we must first remove the coal tender shell. On the two rear corners is a small rectangular hole highlighted in red above. Very carefully insert a small flat blade into the hole, prying outwards and gently lift the shell from the frame. Take care with the shell and ladders, etc. as you lift off the shell so they don't break.
Tender with the shell removed.
Tender with the shell removed.
Remove this srew to allow the decoder to seat properly.
Remove this srew to allow the decoder to seat properly.
Using double sided foam tape, attach the WOW 101 Steam decoder to the top of the lighting board along with the KA3 Keep Alive®. Plug the KA3 into the WOW101, keeping the blue and black/white power and purple speaker wires on the KA3 plug, but clip off the pink, brown and tan wire as these will not be used in this installation. .Solder the speaker wires coming from the KA3 to the 30mm WOWSound speaker. With a very small amount of hot melt glue, secure the 30mm WOWSound speaker into the UNIV-SH2-C enclosure and then mount this assembly to the frame edges as shown above with two small tabs of double sided foam tape. 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.NOTE: You must be very careful to avoid getting glue on the speaker cone. Glue on the speaker will ultimately cause it to produce no sound and fail.Now you can close up the tender. Put a gentle loop into the wires and be sure to be mindful of wire routing and reassembly of the shell as to not damage or foul the installation. Your Life Like Proto 2000 2-8-8-2 S1 is now WOWSound equipped and ready to roll!
Using double sided foam tape, attach the WOW 101 Steam decoder to the top of the lighting board along with the KA3 Keep Alive®. Plug the KA3 into the WOW101, keeping the blue and black/white power and purple speaker wires on the KA3 plug, but clip off the pink, brown and tan wire as these will not be used in this installation. .Solder the speaker wires coming from the KA3 to the 30mm WOWSound speaker. With a very small amount of hot melt glue, secure the 30mm WOWSound speaker into the UNIV-SH2-C enclosure and then mount this assembly to the frame edges as shown above with two small tabs of double sided foam tape. 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.NOTE: You must be very careful to avoid getting glue on the speaker cone. Glue on the speaker will ultimately cause it to produce no sound and fail.Now you can close up the tender. Put a gentle loop into the wires and be sure to be mindful of wire routing and reassembly of the shell as to not damage or foul the installation. Your Life Like Proto 2000 2-8-8-2 S1 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