Here's a quick summary of how to install a decoder in a Proto 1000 F3. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures, but it's pretty easy to follow.
First, remove the front coupler box so you can remove the shell by prying the sides out slightly. It should lift right off.
You'll see a circuit board in the middle of the chassis. There are a row of diodes and a big fat resistor in the middle of the board. Take snips and cut all of those off the board.
Next, take a sharp xacto knife and cut the three spots marked with an X on the board. Make sure you cut deep -- you are cutting off the flow of current to those spots.
You'll notice several spots on the board marked with designations like P4. That's our map to what color wire goes where.
I used TCS T1 decoders with a harness, but any decoder with a wire harness will work. I replaced the factory bulb with a 12v Miniatronics one.
Here's the soldering guide:
The gray wire is soldered to P5.
The blue wire gets soldered to one lead to the bulb.
The red wire is soldered to P8.
The orange wire is soldered to P1
The green wire is not used and can be cut.
The white and yellow wire get soldered together AND to the other lead to the bulb.
The purple wire is not used and can be cut.
The black wire is soldered to P4.
There's plenty of room above the back truck to simply tape the decoder, though the wiring harness mostly holds it in place above it. I put a piece of electrical tape across the top to help hold it in place and tape down all the wires so they don't get tangled up when the shell goes back on.
That's all there is to it! Now you are ready to program the address and starting running trains.
Soldering tips: I tin all the wire ends -- put a little flux on the wire, touch your iron to the solder to get a little on the end, then touch the wire. This puts a coating of solder on the wire. I do the same thing for all the pads (P4, P2 etc.) -- put a little flux on them, then touch the iron to them after touching the solder. This will leave a little blob of solder on the pad.
Put the tinned wire on the appropriate pad and touch the iron to it briefly -- the solder on both item will melt and then quickly cool to form the connection.
First, remove the front coupler box so you can remove the shell by prying the sides out slightly. It should lift right off.
You'll see a circuit board in the middle of the chassis. There are a row of diodes and a big fat resistor in the middle of the board. Take snips and cut all of those off the board.
Next, take a sharp xacto knife and cut the three spots marked with an X on the board. Make sure you cut deep -- you are cutting off the flow of current to those spots.
You'll notice several spots on the board marked with designations like P4. That's our map to what color wire goes where.
I used TCS T1 decoders with a harness, but any decoder with a wire harness will work. I replaced the factory bulb with a 12v Miniatronics one.
Here's the soldering guide:
The gray wire is soldered to P5.
The blue wire gets soldered to one lead to the bulb.
The red wire is soldered to P8.
The orange wire is soldered to P1
The green wire is not used and can be cut.
The white and yellow wire get soldered together AND to the other lead to the bulb.
The purple wire is not used and can be cut.
The black wire is soldered to P4.
There's plenty of room above the back truck to simply tape the decoder, though the wiring harness mostly holds it in place above it. I put a piece of electrical tape across the top to help hold it in place and tape down all the wires so they don't get tangled up when the shell goes back on.
That's all there is to it! Now you are ready to program the address and starting running trains.
Soldering tips: I tin all the wire ends -- put a little flux on the wire, touch your iron to the solder to get a little on the end, then touch the wire. This puts a coating of solder on the wire. I do the same thing for all the pads (P4, P2 etc.) -- put a little flux on them, then touch the iron to them after touching the solder. This will leave a little blob of solder on the pad.
Put the tinned wire on the appropriate pad and touch the iron to it briefly -- the solder on both item will melt and then quickly cool to form the connection.
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