Atlas EMD GP39-2 Ph. 2

Scale:
HO Scale


WOWKit used in this installation

WDK-ATL-3

Which includes the following items:

Decoder
Motherboard

AK-MB1

Speaker Kit


Installation

This installation is for a HO Scale Atlas GP39-2 Ph2 using WOW121 Diesel Decoder, AK-MB1 with Keep Alive® and UNIV-SH1-C WOWSpeaker kit by TCS.

Atlas GP39-2 Ph2 prior to installation.
Atlas GP39-2 Ph2 prior to installation.
Begin this installation by removing the screws on each coupler and removing the coupler boxes. Grasp the sides and each end of the shell and gentle pull out to release and lift it from the frame.
Begin this installation by removing the screws on each coupler and removing the coupler boxes. Grasp the sides and each end of the shell and gentle pull out to release and lift it from the frame.
The Atlas GP39-2 Ph2 with its shell removed. Remove the wires and remove the board from the frame, taking note of the wiring layout for reinstallation.
The Atlas GP39-2 Ph2 with its shell removed. Remove the wires and remove the board from the frame, taking note of the wiring layout for reinstallation.
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.
Attach the new AK-MB1 motherboard.
Attach the new AK-MB1 motherboard.
Solder the motor and track leads to the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram. We secured these leads using Kapton tape to eliminate movement and prevent potential shorts. We reused the original LED's in this installation. If you do not remove the resistors in series your lights will not activate. TCS motherboards all include on board current limit resistors for LED use. There is no need to apply external resistors for LED use.
Solder the motor and track leads to the motherboard according to the included wiring diagram. We secured these leads using Kapton tape to eliminate movement and prevent potential shorts. We reused the original LED's in this installation. If you do not remove the resistors in series your lights will not activate. TCS motherboards all include on board current limit resistors for LED use. There is no need to apply external resistors for LED use.
With the 35mm x 16mm speaker inserted into the UNIV-SH1-C enclosure, using double sided foam tape, securely mount this assembly into the top of the shell as shown. 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.
With the 35mm x 16mm speaker inserted into the UNIV-SH1-C enclosure, using double sided foam tape, securely mount this assembly into the top of the shell as shown. 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.

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