Bowser C-636

Scale:
HO Scale


WOWKit used in this installation

WDK-BOW-3

Which includes the following items:

Decoder
Speaker Kit
Keep Alive®

KA4

Accessories


Installation

This installation is for a HO-Scale Bowser C-636 using a TCS WOW121-Diesel Decoder and INT-SH1 WOWSpeaker Kit.

HO-Scale Bowser C-636 prior to installation.
HO-Scale Bowser C-636 prior to installation.
To start off this install, we must first remove the front and rear couplers as highlighted above and their housings. Once that is complete, the shell will lift off of the chassis.
To start off this install, we must first remove the front and rear couplers as highlighted above and their housings. Once that is complete, the shell will lift off of the chassis.
With the shell off, we can now remove the original light board. Next connect the KA4 Keep Alive. In order to install the KA4 we need to attach the black/white wire to the bottom of the light board. First disconnect the wire harnesses from the board. Once the wire harnesses are loose, the factory light board can easily be unscrewed from the motor mount.
With the shell off, we can now remove the original light board. Next connect the KA4 Keep Alive. In order to install the KA4 we need to attach the black/white wire to the bottom of the light board. First disconnect the wire harnesses from the board. Once the wire harnesses are loose, the factory light board can easily be unscrewed from the motor mount.
Be sure to strip and tin the black/white wire and keep the exposed wire very short. Trim it as needed before soldering it to the R4 resistor. The exposed wire should not be any longer then the width of the resistor. Any wire protruding beyond the solder pad of the resistor will lead to shorts and likely a failed decoder installation. Use only rosin core solder for this wire attachment as mentioned at the top of this installation. It is very important to tin the wire and the R4 solder pad before attempting to solder the wire to the R4 resistor solder pad. Failing to do this will result in a problematic and messy solder joint.
Be sure to strip and tin the black/white wire and keep the exposed wire very short. Trim it as needed before soldering it to the R4 resistor. The exposed wire should not be any longer then the width of the resistor. Any wire protruding beyond the solder pad of the resistor will lead to shorts and likely a failed decoder installation. Use only rosin core solder for this wire attachment as mentioned at the top of this installation. It is very important to tin the wire and the R4 solder pad before attempting to solder the wire to the R4 resistor solder pad. Failing to do this will result in a problematic and messy solder joint.
With the the ground wire connected, replace the original lighting board and screw it back down to the plastic holder. Now solder the blue lead from the KA4 Keep Alive® to the 12v+ Common hole from the 8-pin NMRA plug as shown below.
With the the ground wire connected, replace the original lighting board and screw it back down to the plastic holder. Now solder the blue lead from the KA4 Keep Alive® to the 12v+ Common hole from the 8-pin NMRA plug as shown below.
Next remove the two factory provided speaker enclosures. Each speaker enclosure has 4 screws, but we only need to save 2 (total) for our speaker enclosure.
Next remove the two factory provided speaker enclosures. Each speaker enclosure has 4 screws, but we only need to save 2 (total) for our speaker enclosure.
With the speaker housings removed the wires that were routed below them will require some taming. Apply Kapton tape to the frame and wires to keep the wires from shifting into the drive train.
With the speaker housings removed the wires that were routed below them will require some taming. Apply Kapton tape to the frame and wires to keep the wires from shifting into the drive train.
Next, prepare the speaker housing by lacing the wires from the 2-Pin JST speaker connection through the speaker enclosure and attaching them to the 35mm x 16mm WOWSpeaker. Note: You will also need a JST Speaker Connector (Item # 1660) to connect your speaker to this connectorized motherboard.
Next, prepare the speaker housing by lacing the wires from the 2-Pin JST speaker connection through the speaker enclosure and attaching them to the 35mm x 16mm WOWSpeaker. Note: You will also need a JST Speaker Connector (Item # 1660) to connect your speaker to this connectorized motherboard.
Screw down the speaker housing and mount the KA4 Keep Alive® to the frame using a small piece of double sided foam tape. With the Keep Alive® installed and the speaker mounted, remove the 21-Pin dummy plug from the lighting board.
Screw down the speaker housing and mount the KA4 Keep Alive® to the frame using a small piece of double sided foam tape. With the Keep Alive® installed and the speaker mounted, remove the 21-Pin dummy plug from the lighting board.
Plug the WOW121-Diesel decoder into the 21-Pin connector on the lighting board.
Plug the WOW121-Diesel decoder into the 21-Pin connector on the lighting board.
Replace the shell and the couplers and your Bowser C-636 with WOWSound is now ready to run! Be sure to be mindful of wire routing during reassembly of the shell as to not damage or foul the installation.
Replace the shell and the couplers and your Bowser C-636 with WOWSound is now ready to run! Be sure to be mindful of wire routing during reassembly of the shell as to not damage or foul the installation.

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