Hardwiring A LifeLike SW1200

[BobRunty]

Got a couple of these I'm working on and would really like to hardwire the truck pickups to the chassis and get rid of those flimsy tabs on the plastic walkways. Soldering fine decoder wire to the truck pickups is no problem but I can't decide on a simple way to attach those wires to the chassis short of drilling and tapping some holes and attaching them with some 00-90 screws. Could probably get away with four attachment points, I'm thinking two for the rear truck and two for the front truck and decoder leads. An exhaustive internet search has not yielded much other than replacing the original contacts with something a bit more robust, but I have come across a couple of mentions of individuals hardwiring the trucks. No photos or descriptions though.
Anyone have anything to share?

Bob

[randgust]

You're still going to have to come up with a way of attaching the wires to the frame sides, or getting them through to the top light boards.  No room to jam by shell.  I'd probably try to drill and tap a 00-90 screw underneath someplace so I could still take off the trucks as my own preferred approach, but I have the drill and taps, too.

It's been a while since I tore one apart, but I don't think that the pickup tabs on the trucks actually transmit anything down to the end-axles in terms of weight (unlike either Atlas or Kato).  So in this case, soldering directly to the ends of the tabs shouldn't have an ill effect on pickup as long as you take them out to work on them (don't melt the truck sideframes).

Also, go easy on yourself and put a tiny kink or loop in the wire so that is the point of flex is not at the solder joint.  You'll still periodically break off wires at a solder joint, it just won't be anywhere near as often.

My choice of wire is always to either steal stuff of existing light bulb leads, or to use the ultrafine stranded flex wire.    I'd give you a catalog number but Walthers just screwed up their website and my 'stock reorder wishlist' is gone, so I'll trash them in passing.

[Jim Starbuck]

I cut up the stock light board and solder the red and black decoder wires to it. [ Guests cannot view attachments ]
I've been around a dozen or so of these and done several hardwired installs. I've also never had issue with the pickup tabs when they're adjusted right. Maybe just got lucky.
If you drill and tap hardwire points on the bottom of the chassis, the light board trick will solve feeding the decoder.
A TCS Z2 or a DIgitrax DZ126t will lay on top of what's left of the board.
Another thing I do is drill holes in the frame to route the motor leads back. This isn't critical but makes for a very clean install. It's the only frame mod I make.
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
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There's room under the decoder then for a resistor and I glue a micro SMD LED right into the shell.

Jim

[peteski]

I love the clean decoder install Jim!  Very clever wire routing.  How do you wire the cab headlight?

[Jim Starbuck]

Unclip the cab light housing and drill a hole between the tab latch holes big enough to glue a micro SMD LED in from the back side. There's enough wall thickness at the back of the cab to make the LED flush on the inside. I tape the magnet wire leads to the cab roof and route the wire down into the shell and to the front. The cab weight will slide back into the cab with no problem. (gotta love magnet wire).
I reuse the 1/8w resistor from the stock light board and another from a scrap board.
The resistors glue under the decoder. Solder each of the anode + magnet leads to the blue wire and the cathode - magnet leads to their respective resistors and yellow and white wires. The decoder wiring remains quite short and compact. I leave a couple inches of slack in the magnet wire leads and fold them up on top of the mech when the shell goes back on.
This arrangement gives independent lighting control/ dimming however you want to program the functions.

[peteski]

Thanks Jim!

[nkalanaga]

Instead of trying to tap a blind hole, or drill all the way through the frame, you could do like I did on my ancient Minitrix Fs, when I added jumpers between the units.  I jammed pieces of 1/32 inch brass rod into holes just big enough to force them in, then soldered the wires to them.  They never worked loose, and ran for years without losing contact, so it should work on your switcher.

[BobRunty]

Some great ideas there, guys. That's a very clean install Jim. I may go with something like that and also solder the front truck wires to the pc board along with the red and black decoder wires. The rear truck wires would still have to be attached to the chassis somehow and I like the brass rod idea. Not a big fan of tapping blind holes in that alloy that they use for frames, especially with the cheaper hobby taps I have that seem more suited for plastic.
I have a pretty good supply of "clippings" from Loksound Select Micro decoders that are about the finest stranded wire I've found. Not sure what guage they are, but smaller and more flexible than anything else I've found commercially. I plan to solder to the truck pickups, notch the chassis to give them a channel run in, and then attach to chassis. A little slack should be enough, not much truck swing needed. And several HO locos are wired this way.
Was all set to go with TCS Z2 decoders but then ESU announced the Nano Lokpilot which is a tiny little thing and being a fanboy of ESU I may wait for them. Latest I've heard in 3rd quarter delivery this year.

Bob

[peteski]

The absolute best wire I found for flexible connections like this is . . . Super-flexible Wire from http://www.ngineering.com/accessories.htm . It is expensive, but it is worth it. And since only few inches are needed for each install, it will last a while (and the cost will be about a 25 cents per model). Unlike the average stranded wires of that side which only have about 7 strands, this wire uses very fine wires with lost of strands.  That is what makes it so flexible.

Most small decoders utilized 30 or 32 AWG stranded wire leads.

[BobRunty]

Thanks Peteski. I think I might have some of that Ngineering wire around somewhere from a previous order I had with them.  Here is the wire ESU uses available separately from them. 36 ga. And it's pretty small stuff. http://www.esu.eu/en/products/accessories/thin-cables-cable-harness/

Bob

[peteski]

Here is the wire ESU uses available separately from them. 36 ga. And it's pretty small stuff. http://www.esu.eu/en/products/accessories/thin-cables-cable-harness/

Thanks Bob. That is a good size for wiring up functions like headlights or ditch lights.  Is it available in U.S.?

[BobRunty]

MB Klein has it in stock, Pete.

Bob

[peteski]

Thanks again Bob!

[nscaler711]

There is this option now too... 
http://www.tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Products/Decoders/N-Scale/MicroTrains_DropIn/MicroTrains.html
http://www.tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Installation_Pictures/N_Scale/Micro%20Trains/SW1500_MT1500.html

Seems like a much easier installation than hard wiring the whole thing. 

As for the pick up strips... I've got something in mind thatd replace the tabs, but requires drilling, tapping, filing, and a bit of cutting the mech and brass sheet...

[newt749]

Do you mean to tell me that the TCS MT1500 decoder will fit in the SW9/1200? That would make the whole job a lot easier.

Rob
New Brunswick, Canada