Walthers EMD F40PH

Scale:
HO Scale


WOWKit used in this installation

WDK-BAC-3

Which includes the following items:

Decoder
Motherboard

AS-MB2-NC

Speaker Kit
Keep Alive®

KA3



Installation

This installation is for a HO Scale Walthers EMD F40PH using a TCS WOW121 Diesel Decoder, AS-MB2 NC Motherboard, KA3 Keep Alive® 
and UNIV-SH1-C WOWSpeaker kit.

HO-Scale Walthers EMD F40PH shown prior to installation.
HO-Scale Walthers EMD F40PH shown prior to installation.
To start off this install, we must first remove the front coupler screw highlighted above and it's housing. Next, remove the four additional screws shown in red above located at the corners underneath the frame. With these removed, while gently pulling outwards at each end and along each side of the frame, lift the shell off of the frame. Take care to release the handrails as you lift off the shell so they don't break.
To start off this install, we must first remove the front coupler screw highlighted above and it's housing. Next, remove the four additional screws shown in red above located at the corners underneath the frame. With these removed, while gently pulling outwards at each end and along each side of the frame, lift the shell off of the frame. Take care to release the handrails as you lift off the shell so they don't break.
The Walthers EMD F40PH shown with the shell off. Remove the four screws highlighted above in red and the wires from the original lighting board then remove the board from the chassis. In this installation, we chose to convert the lighting from the original bulbs to LEDs, so at this point we removed the bulbs and discarded them.
The Walthers EMD F40PH shown with the shell off. Remove the four screws highlighted above in red and the wires from the original lighting board then remove the board from the chassis. In this installation, we chose to convert the lighting from the original bulbs to LEDs, so at this point we removed the bulbs and discarded them.
With the original lighting board removed, trim, tin or lengthen the wires as necessary.
With the original lighting board removed, trim, tin or lengthen the wires as necessary.
Using double sided foam tape, secure the motor mount to the top of the motor centered front to back.
Using double sided foam tape, secure the motor mount to the top of the motor centered front to back.
Attach the AS-MB2 NC to the motor mount using double-sided foam tape. Solder the motor and track pickup wires to it according to the included wiring diagram.
Attach the AS-MB2 NC to the motor mount using double-sided foam tape. Solder the motor and track pickup wires to it according to the included wiring diagram.
With the 35mm X 16mm WOWSound speaker inserted into the UNIV-SH1-C enclosure, using hot melt glue, securely mount this assembly face down into the rear of the frame. Be sure to place it at a height so that the truck does not touch the face of the speaker. Solder the leads to the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram. 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. 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.
With the 35mm X 16mm WOWSound speaker inserted into the UNIV-SH1-C enclosure, using hot melt glue, securely mount this assembly face down into the rear of the frame. Be sure to place it at a height so that the truck does not touch the face of the speaker. Solder the leads to the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram. 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. 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.
Using a small amount of hot melt glue, mount the KA3 Keep Alive® to the front of the frame as shown above and solder these leads to the AS-MB2 NC according to the included wiring diagram.
Using a small amount of hot melt glue, mount the KA3 Keep Alive® to the front of the frame as shown above and solder these leads to the AS-MB2 NC according to the included wiring diagram.
Using a small dab of hot melt glue, insert the newly assembled front and rear LEDs into the original mounts with the face placed against the shell lens as shown above. 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. TCS motherboards include on board current limit resistors for LED use. There is no need to apply external resistors for LED use.
Using a small dab of hot melt glue, insert the newly assembled front and rear LEDs into the original mounts with the face placed against the shell lens as shown above. 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. TCS motherboards include on board current limit resistors for LED use. There is no need to apply external resistors for LED use.
With the LEDs in place, solder the front and rear lighting leads to the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram.
With the LEDs in place, solder the front and rear lighting leads to the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram.
You can now plug in your WOW121 decoder. Lastly, in order to keep the wires neat and prevent possible shorts, lace the wires into a bundle using lacing cord. Now you can close up the locomotive and reinstall the coupler assemblies. Be sure to be mindful of wire routing and reassembly of the shell as to not damage or foul the installation. Your Walthers EMD F40PH is now WOWSound equipped and ready to roll!
You can now plug in your WOW121 decoder. Lastly, in order to keep the wires neat and prevent possible shorts, lace the wires into a bundle using lacing cord. Now you can close up the locomotive and reinstall the coupler assemblies. Be sure to be mindful of wire routing and reassembly of the shell as to not damage or foul the installation. Your Walthers EMD F40PH 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

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