The Service Department is frequently asked about fitting decoders to these units.
They don't have sockets, but fitting a hardwired decoder is straightforward.

Requirements

One decoder for motor car. Use any decoder of your choice.
One 'accessory only' function decoder for each unpowered end car.
(ie 2 for Voyagers, 3 car Turbostar and Class 158 1 for 2 car Turbostar and Class 158)

Decoder such as the Lenz LF100XF or TCS 'Fleetlighter' have no motor output but will supply accessory functions for trailer cars or for a locomotive when more functions are required than can provided by the first decoder.

Powered car:

1. Run the power car for at least one hour and satisfy yourself it runs smoothly at all speeds.
2. Work out your chosen location for securing the decoder. A neater installation will result by trimming decoder wires to an appropriate length if there is excess wiring harness to be placed in the unit.
3. Remove the wires between the circuit board and the motor
4. Attach:
   •  the black wire to the black wire side of the circuit board
   •  the red wire to the red wire side of the circuit board
   •  the orange wire to the motor on the side that formerly had the red wire
   •  the grey wire to motor on the side that formerly had the black wire
      (See photograph 1 showing the installation with the motor out of its cradle.)
5. Remove the interference capacitor from the board circuit if it is fitted. The AC nature of the DCC signal on the track side of the decoder will mean that your controller will detect the capacitor as a short circuit and a programming error will result. The DCC decoder contains suppression circuitry.
6. Place the car on a programming track to check the installation and allocate an address following decoder and controller instructions.

Trailer cars

If your chosen accessory function-only decoder offers directional lighting on the yellow and white wires:

• unplug the plug and socket set attach the white and yellow decoder wires to the wires to the lighting unit. The joined wires should be insulated with shrink sleeving.
• attach the red and black decoder wires to the existing red and black lighting wires using the existing plug (Photograph 2)

If you are not totally confident in your ability, do not attempt to fit a decoder

Bachmann Europe Plc accept No Responsibility for any damage caused by
following the above procedure

Back