Atlas C420 Phase 1 High Nose

Scale:
HO Scale


WOWKit used in this installation

WDK-ATL-7

Which includes the following items:

Decoder
Motherboard

AS-MB2-NC

Speaker Kit
Keep Alive®

KA4



Installation

This installation is for a HO-Scale Atlas C420 Ph1 high nose using a TCS WOW121 Decoder, AS-MB2-NC Motherboard with a KA4 Keep Alive® and UNIV-SH4-C WOWSpeaker kit by TCS. 

HO-Scale Atlas C420 Ph1 high nose prior to installation.
HO-Scale Atlas C420 Ph1 high nose prior to installation.
To start off this install, we must first remove the front and rear coupler screws as indicated above in red and their housings. With the couplers removed gently apply outwards on each end and along the shell and lift the shell off of the frame. Take care with the handrails as you lift off the shell off so they don't break.
To start off this install, we must first remove the front and rear coupler screws as indicated above in red and their housings. With the couplers removed gently apply outwards on each end and along the shell and lift the shell off of the frame. Take care with the handrails as you lift off the shell off so they don't break.
The locomotive with the shell removed. At this point, remove the wires from the original lighting board and release it from the frame.
The locomotive with the shell removed. At this point, remove the wires from the original lighting board and release it from the frame.
Shown with the lighting board removed. Next, trim and tin or lengthen the wires as necessary for reconnection. Attach the AS-MB2-NC to the frame using the mounting holes and solder the track and motor leads according to the included wiring guide.
Shown with the lighting board removed. Next, trim and tin or lengthen the wires as necessary for reconnection. Attach the AS-MB2-NC to the frame using the mounting holes and solder the track and motor leads according to the included wiring guide.
Shown with the AS-MB2-NC installed.
Shown with the AS-MB2-NC installed.
Using double sided foam tape, secure the KA4 with Keep Alive™ to the front of the rear weight as shown and solder the connections to the motherboard.
Using double sided foam tape, secure the KA4 with Keep Alive™ to the front of the rear weight as shown and solder the connections to the motherboard.
Insert the 25mm x 14mm speaker into the UNIV-SH4-C enclosure and for this installation, to allow the speaker to fit onto the frame, we cut a small notch in the front bottom. As the speaker enclosure will be visible inside the cab, we also painted it black to minimize it's appearance in the final installation.
Insert the 25mm x 14mm speaker into the UNIV-SH4-C enclosure and for this installation, to allow the speaker to fit onto the frame, we cut a small notch in the front bottom. As the speaker enclosure will be visible inside the cab, we also painted it black to minimize it's appearance in the final installation.
Using the same double sided foam tape, mount the speaker assembly to the frame as shown, taking care to route the wires to avoid potential pinches that could in the future lead to shorts. 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.
Using the same double sided foam tape, mount the speaker assembly to the frame as shown, taking care to route the wires to avoid potential pinches that could in the future lead to shorts. 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.
Next we soldered the original LED lights to the AK-MB2-NC. We have found that LED light output is brightest when shinning directly into the end of the light tube, but in some circumstances they may be placed along the length of the tube as well with satisfactory results. In doing so, white light LED output would be least affected, while non white LED output will be more affected by placement. You can now plug in you WOW121 decoder.
Next we soldered the original LED lights to the AK-MB2-NC. We have found that LED light output is brightest when shinning directly into the end of the light tube, but in some circumstances they may be placed along the length of the tube as well with satisfactory results. In doing so, white light LED output would be least affected, while non white LED output will be more affected by placement. You can now plug in you WOW121 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

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