Life Like Proto 2000 Heritage USRA 0-8-0

Scale:
HO Scale


This installation uses the following decoder:

LL8



This installation of TCS LL8 Decoder is for HO Scale LifeLike Proto 2000 Heritage USRA 0-8-0 and was performed by A.G.

The locomotive is shown as a courtesy of Bob Jensen.

The two upper pictures show the beautiful Life Like Proto 2000 Heritage USRA 0-8-0 with its shell on prior to the LL8 installation.
The two upper pictures show the beautiful Life Like Proto 2000 Heritage USRA 0-8-0 with its shell on prior to the LL8 installation.
Locomotive's tender close-up picture. The LL8 will be installed here.
Locomotive's tender close-up picture. The LL8 will be installed here.
Remove four phillips screws that holds tender's shell and its chassis together. Here is the picture of the original light board after the shell removal where you can clearly see the 8-Pin NMRA socket.
Remove four phillips screws that holds tender's shell and its chassis together. Here is the picture of the original light board after the shell removal where you can clearly see the 8-Pin NMRA socket.
Close-up of the 8Pin NMRA socket.
Close-up of the 8Pin NMRA socket.
Gently remove the PC Board as shown in the picture above.
Gently remove the PC Board as shown in the picture above.
Remove two phillips screws that hold the original light board and chassis together.
Remove two phillips screws that hold the original light board and chassis together.
Remove the original light board.
Remove the original light board.
Install the TCS LL8 as shown above. Here is the picture of the TCS LL8 installed in the locomotive's tender. Make sure Pin #1 of the decoder is lined up with PIn #1 of the PC board. For more information see the manual that came with the decoder.
Install the TCS LL8 as shown above. Here is the picture of the TCS LL8 installed in the locomotive's tender. Make sure Pin #1 of the decoder is lined up with PIn #1 of the PC board. For more information see the manual that came with the decoder.

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