Bachmann 2-8-8-4 EM1 Steam

Scale:
HO Scale


WOWKit used in this installation

WSK-BAC-3

Which includes the following items:

Decoder
Motherboard

B-MB3

Speaker Kit


Installation

This installation documentation is for the HO-Scale Bachmann 2-8-8-4 EM1. This installation uses a TCS WOW121 Steam Decoder, B-MB3 Motherboard with built in Keep Alive®, and 28mm WOWSpeaker.

Shown prior to installation.
Shown prior to installation.
The Bachmann 2-8-8-4 EM1 shown with the shell off. To remove the tender shell, unscrew each of the four screws located in each corner of the tender on the underside. With all four screws removed, the shell will lift off. Remove the wires from the original lighting board along with the screw at each end and remove it from the chassis. Trace and label your wires as necessary for reuse later. Set aside one screw for reuse.
The Bachmann 2-8-8-4 EM1 shown with the shell off. To remove the tender shell, unscrew each of the four screws located in each corner of the tender on the underside. With all four screws removed, the shell will lift off. Remove the wires from the original lighting board along with the screw at each end and remove it from the chassis. Trace and label your wires as necessary for reuse later. Set aside one screw for reuse.
Shown with the original lighting board removed. Trim, lengthen, and tin the wire leads as needed.
Shown with the original lighting board removed. Trim, lengthen, and tin the wire leads as needed.
Temporarily remove the rear weights and free the rear LED wires. With the wires loose, reinstall the weights.
Temporarily remove the rear weights and free the rear LED wires. With the wires loose, reinstall the weights.
Unsolder the rear LED on the new motherboard, as this will not be needed in this installation. The original LED is in place and we will be simply wiring this to the new board.
Unsolder the rear LED on the new motherboard, as this will not be needed in this installation. The original LED is in place and we will be simply wiring this to the new board.
Using the saved screw, mount the B-MB3 as shown, feeding the rear track pickup through the board as shown.
Using the saved screw, mount the B-MB3 as shown, feeding the rear track pickup through the board as shown.
Solder the leads form the original LED to the motherboard along with the tender's right and left track pickups according to the wiring diagram.
Solder the leads form the original LED to the motherboard along with the tender's right and left track pickups according to the wiring diagram.
Tracing the wire lead functions from the original positions, solder the existing wiring harness onto the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram.
Tracing the wire lead functions from the original positions, solder the existing wiring harness onto the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram.
In order to keep the wires neat and prevent possible shorts, lace the wires into a bundle using lacing cord, 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
In order to keep the wires neat and prevent possible shorts, lace the wires into a bundle using lacing cord, 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
With this complete, take the 28mm speaker and using hot melt glue, mount the speaker into the speaker opening facing downwards. The rear of the speaker is ported to allow the sound out, that resonates inside the tender shell to further enhance the sound. 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 shell. Be sure to be mindful of wire routing and reassembly of the shell as to not damage or foul the installation. Your Bachmann 2-8-8-4 EM1 is now WOWSound equipped and ready to roll!
With this complete, take the 28mm speaker and using hot melt glue, mount the speaker into the speaker opening facing downwards. The rear of the speaker is ported to allow the sound out, that resonates inside the tender shell to further enhance the sound. 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 shell. Be sure to be mindful of wire routing and reassembly of the shell as to not damage or foul the installation. Your Bachmann 2-8-8-4 EM1 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