Kato F3A/F3B

Scale:
N Scale


This installation uses the following decoder:

M1



This installation is for N Scale Kato F3A/F3B uses TCS M1 Decoder and was performed by A.G.

This installation was performed on the "B-unit" only. The "A-unit" has the same frame so you can follow these installation instruction but you will have to figure out how to connect the forward light using the blue and the white wire. M1 decoder was used.

Here is the picture of the whole Kato F3A/F3B unit with its shell on.
Here is the picture of the whole Kato F3A/F3B unit with its shell on.
Here is the picture of the F3B's chassis with its shell taken off and original light board installed. Shell removing was very easy and it did not cause any problems.
Here is the picture of the F3B's chassis with its shell taken off and original light board installed. Shell removing was very easy and it did not cause any problems.
Close-up of the F3B's chassis with its original lighting board.
Close-up of the F3B's chassis with its original lighting board.
Gently remove the gray plug and black driver's board (shown in the picture above)
Gently remove the gray plug and black driver's board (shown in the picture above)
Remove the original lighting board.
Remove the original lighting board.
Using Kapton tape, isolate power pick-up from the motor circuit (circled in red).
Using Kapton tape, isolate power pick-up from the motor circuit (circled in red).
Reinstall the original lighting board. Place the gray plug and the black driver board back on the chassis as shown in the picture above.
Reinstall the original lighting board. Place the gray plug and the black driver board back on the chassis as shown in the picture above.
Trim Yellow, Blue, and White wire of the M1 decoder, isolate them and place some solder on the power pick-up rails and the motor tabs (circled in red).
Trim Yellow, Blue, and White wire of the M1 decoder, isolate them and place some solder on the power pick-up rails and the motor tabs (circled in red).
Solder the red decoder's wire to the right rail (right rail is the one on the right hand side when the train is going forward), and the black wire to the left rail as shown in the picture above.
Solder the red decoder's wire to the right rail (right rail is the one on the right hand side when the train is going forward), and the black wire to the left rail as shown in the picture above.
Following the same analogy, solder the gray wire to the left (black side) motor's tab, and solder the orange to the right motor tab (See the picture above for details). Put the shell back and you are ready to run the locomotive.
Following the same analogy, solder the gray wire to the left (black side) motor's tab, and solder the orange to the right motor tab (See the picture above for details). Put the shell back and you are ready to run the locomotive.

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