Life Like Proto 2000 GP9 II

Scale:
HO Scale


WOWKit used in this installation

WDK-KAT-3

Which includes the following items:

Decoder
Motherboard

AS-MB2-NC

Speaker Kit
Keep Alive®

KA4



Installation

Installation is for a HO-Scale Proto 2000 GP9 II.

With milling of the frame, DXI has been able to utilize a AS-MB2 NC, KA4 Keep Alive® and UNIV-SH4-C WOWSound kit.

HO-Scale Proto 2000 GP9 II shown prior to installation. To start off this install, we must first remove the front and rear coupler screws and their housings. With the couplers removed, squeeze along each side and lift the shell off of the frame. Take care to release the handrails as you lift off the shell so they don't break.
HO-Scale Proto 2000 GP9 II shown prior to installation. To start off this install, we must first remove the front and rear coupler screws and their housings. With the couplers removed, squeeze along each side and lift the shell off of the frame. Take care to release the handrails as you lift off the shell so they don't break.
Shown with the shell off.
Shown with the shell off.
In order for space for the KA4 Keep Alive® in the front, the motor track pick up post must be trimmed as shown by the red bar above left. To allow a space for the motherboard and speaker, the frame must be milled square above the original brush bracket as highlighted above to keep all the components below to original top of the frame.
In order for space for the KA4 Keep Alive® in the front, the motor track pick up post must be trimmed as shown by the red bar above left. To allow a space for the motherboard and speaker, the frame must be milled square above the original brush bracket as highlighted above to keep all the components below to original top of the frame.
The front track pick up trimmed and a new track connection soldered to it as shown above.
The front track pick up trimmed and a new track connection soldered to it as shown above.
With the frame milled, we tapped a screw hole for a #2-56 nylon screw to mount the AS-MB2 NC to the frame. You could also use double sided foam tape to mount this to the frame, being sure to allow routing for the wires. With the AS-MB2 NC in place, using hot melt glue mount the KA4 to the front as shown. With the 35mm X 16mm WOWSound speaker inserted into the UNIV-SH1-C, mount this assembly using the same tape to the frame and solder these leads to the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram.
With the frame milled, we tapped a screw hole for a #2-56 nylon screw to mount the AS-MB2 NC to the frame. You could also use double sided foam tape to mount this to the frame, being sure to allow routing for the wires. With the AS-MB2 NC in place, using hot melt glue mount the KA4 to the front as shown. With the 35mm X 16mm WOWSound speaker inserted into the UNIV-SH1-C, mount this assembly using the same tape to the frame and solder these leads to the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram.
You can now 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. Now you can close up the locomotive and reinstall the coupler assemblies. 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 GP9 II is now WOWSound equipped and ready to roll!
You can now 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. Now you can close up the locomotive and reinstall the coupler assemblies. 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 GP9 II 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