Athearn EMD F45

Scale:
N Scale


This installation uses the following decoder:


This installation is for N-Scale Athearn EMD F45, uses TCS K1D4 Digital Decoder, and was performed by TCS.

First remove the shell by carefully pinching it on either side and rocking it back and forth while pulling upwards on it.
First remove the shell by carefully pinching it on either side and rocking it back and forth while pulling upwards on it.
Next press down on the lighting board and slide it towards the front of the locomotive. This may require a bit of force, but it will eventually slide. Once it has slid out of the frame tabs, grip it on either side of the motor housing and pull the lighting board from the locomotive. Unfortunately, this locomotive has small tabs in the reverse end of the frame that will not allow the LED to slide forward into position. That means you will need to file down the two tabs highlighted in the picture below to the left which are found at the rear of the locomotive. When you are done filing it should be as smooth as the picture below to the right.
Next press down on the lighting board and slide it towards the front of the locomotive. This may require a bit of force, but it will eventually slide. Once it has slid out of the frame tabs, grip it on either side of the motor housing and pull the lighting board from the locomotive. Unfortunately, this locomotive has small tabs in the reverse end of the frame that will not allow the LED to slide forward into position. That means you will need to file down the two tabs highlighted in the picture below to the left which are found at the rear of the locomotive. When you are done filing it should be as smooth as the picture below to the right.
Before
Before
After Once the frame has been filed you can reverse the steps for removing the lighting board to slip the decoder in the frame. Remember to slide it toward the rear of the locomotive until all of the tabs make good contact.
After Once the frame has been filed you can reverse the steps for removing the lighting board to slip the decoder in the frame. Remember to slide it toward the rear of the locomotive until all of the tabs make good contact.
Replace the shell and your locomotive is ready to run!
Replace the shell and your locomotive is ready to run!

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