Author Topic: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)  (Read 2494 times)

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Cajonpassfan

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Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« on: March 29, 2018, 12:07:30 AM »
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Okay, I need to get educated.
I have (several :facepalm:) Bachmann 2-10-2' I'd like to convert to DCC sound. The loco has a six-pin harness (female) which I believe is the small NEM 651 type (?) and I'd like to leave it alone. Two wires each for pickup, motor and headlight. In theory...

Question #1: I'm having a bit of trouble tracking down the loco wires, and I'd rather not disassemble it unless necessary. Four (!) wires go to the headlight board (WTH?) two disappear inside the frame (either motor power or pickup). This doesn't appear to be the standard "pinout" as shown in NMRA specs? Does anyone know how the Bachmann loco pins are wired?

Question #2: once I figure out #1, I need to obtain the 6-pin male side of the connector, preferably already wired, to install in the tender and connect the decoder, caps and speaker. Do any of you fine gentlemen have a suggestion as to where I may buy these? (I could cannibalize the Bachmann tender board, but that just seems wrong).

Knowledgeable suggestions and advice always appreciated!
Otto K.

peteski

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carlso

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2018, 12:09:27 PM »
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Otto,

This image is the wiring set up out of a B'man EM-1. I know your 2-10-2 is not a two engine loco as the EM-1 is but the wiring will most likely be the same.

In this jpeg you can see the "board" that was in the boiler with the all black leads to their plug. On the green board is a right (R) pickup connection and another further up the board. In looking at back side these two are connected together so their must be one for each engine. The same applies to the left side (L) pickup. The other wires are self explanatory and I think you can read the lettering in this picture. I think it is strange that the wiring is not NMRA standard colors, but that is just B'man.



Otto I hope this sheds some light and even tho this is from the EM-1, I would believe the 2-10-2 is basically the same. BTW, I wired an ESU Loksound Micro according to the green board connections (hard wired) and it worked fine. Can't answer the female plug issue.

Regards and always have fun,
Carl
Carl Sowell
El Paso, Texas

Cajonpassfan

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2018, 12:18:34 PM »
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Thanks Pete, appreciated! Unfortunately, all the photos in the first link appear to be gone :(
Your tender wiring diagram is amazing. This tender has a different board, see pic. Power between tender and loco is connected via two drawbar copper wires.

My 2-10-2 Bachmann loco mechanism is getting a new boiler and an entirely new tender. My intent is to retain the loco (female) side of the harness as is, and create the tender side (male) pins and wire them properly lest I smoke a decoder, and I still don't fully understand how the loco side is wired. There is a L and R pin, in addition to the separate drawbar connections? That doesn't make sense to me...
Otto
« Last Edit: March 29, 2018, 12:22:37 PM by Cajonpassfan »

Cajonpassfan

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2018, 12:21:15 PM »
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Otto,

This image is the wiring set up out of a B'man EM-1. I know your 2-10-2 is not a two engine loco as the EM-1 is but the wiring will most likely be the same.

In this jpeg you can see the "board" that was in the boiler with the all black leads to their plug. On the green board is a right (R) pickup connection and another further up the board. In looking at back side these two are connected together so their must be one for each engine. The same applies to the left side (L) pickup. The other wires are self explanatory and I think you can read the lettering in this picture. I think it is strange that the wiring is not NMRA standard colors, but that is just B'man.



Otto I hope this sheds some light and even tho this is from the EM-1, I would believe the 2-10-2 is basically the same. BTW, I wired an ESU Loksound Micro according to the green board connections (hard wired) and it worked fine. Can't answer the female plug issue.

Regards and always have fun,
Carl
Thanks Carl, I missed your post earlier.
You can see its a different board, and the colors aren't standard.
Yea, Bachmann...
Otto
« Last Edit: March 29, 2018, 12:24:21 PM by Cajonpassfan »

nickelplate759

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2018, 12:52:04 PM »
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Thanks Pete, appreciated! Unfortunately, all the photos in the first link appear to be gone :(
Your tender wiring diagram is amazing. This tender has a different board, see pic. Power between tender and loco is connected via two drawbar copper wires.

My 2-10-2 Bachmann loco mechanism is getting a new boiler and an entirely new tender. My intent is to retain the loco (female) side of the harness as is, and create the tender side (male) pins and wire them properly lest I smoke a decoder, and I still don't fully understand how the loco side is wired. There is a L and R pin, in addition to the separate drawbar connections? That doesn't make sense to me...
Otto
This seems pretty straightforward, but I'm only going by the picture.

Looking at the picture, the Left side is the left side of the tender, the Right side is the right side of the tender.  Looking at the labels on the 6-pin male plug, I see this:

L  M  L  L+  M+  R

I'm guessing the first L should be Left side power pickup - you can check that with a continuity tester.  The R should be Right side power pickup.
I'm guessing that M and M+ are the motor, and the middle two pins (L and L+) are the headlight.  It should be pretty easy to test - just hook up a low-voltage DC source to M and M+ and see if the motor turns.
George
NKPH&TS #3628

I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.

RBrodzinsky

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #6 on: March 29, 2018, 01:42:11 PM »
+1
Otto, George is correct.  The 6 pin plug is (from tender left to right) Black - Grey - White - Blue - Orange - Red  for decoder colors

The drawbar vs wires is just more paths, doesn't hurt.  There are also the tender wheel pick ups.   As to the first photo of the light board in the loco -- two of the wires are simply the two track L/R wires.  The board picks them up from the frame.  For steamer track pickup, redundancy is everything (and then keep alive).

I did a 2-10-2 conversion just two years ago (this was one of my first LokSounds).  Not sure if I posted it here on TRW, but I did post photos over on TB http://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/bachmann-2-10-2-sound-install.90880/page-2
Rick Brodzinsky
Chief Engineer - JACALAR Railroad
Silicon Valley FreeMo-N

Cajonpassfan

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2018, 06:50:39 PM »
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George, Rick, thank you, that's very helpful. I truly appreciate your advice and feedback. I guess I don't really need the loco wiring diagram, as long as I know where the tender pins go. It never occurred to me the four wire light board could be where power comes off the split frame; ingenious actually. Also the double power connections between tender and loco threw me off...interesting belt and suspenders" solution.
Regards, Otto K.

daniel_leavitt2000

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #8 on: March 30, 2018, 06:26:15 PM »
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I like the Bachmann plug and have been using it in all my tender replacement projects. The plug is available off ebay at a good price:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.TRS0&_nkw=182933580018&_sacat=0

It does take a bit of practice to solder the leads, but if you start at the center and work your way out, it's not too bad. I also use heat shrink tubing on each lead.
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Cajonpassfan

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2018, 08:17:50 PM »
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It says it's a six-pin, but I'm only seeing five...?
And, I need the male side for the new tender...
Otto

daniel_leavitt2000

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2018, 09:05:33 PM »
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The first photo in the listing is incorrect. The rest have 6 pins. I have bought from them before and they are indeed 6 pins.

As for male connectors:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1x40P-50P-2x40P-50P-Male-Female-SMD-Pin-Header-Connector-1-27mm-Golden-Breakable/253189221348?hash=item3af340ebe4:m:mvNMUhs-GBzEYIwaALTLUyQ
Select the male straight 1x40. These are sectional and can be broken off into smaller segments.
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Cajonpassfan

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #11 on: March 31, 2018, 12:00:56 PM »
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Thanks Daniel!
Otto

Maletrain

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #12 on: April 07, 2018, 09:56:14 AM »
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Will these same parts work with the old Walthers Heritage locos that are "DCC ready", or with the QSI decoders?

daniel_leavitt2000

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #13 on: April 07, 2018, 09:04:04 PM »
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My Walthers 0-8-0 does have the same plug, so the eBay parts will work. I do not know the pin-out of the Walthers harness. It would be really interesting if they were fully compatible with the Bachmann boards.

I really wish Walthers had that narrow coal bunker tender available separately.
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Cajonpassfan

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Re: Bachmann 6 pin loco/tender interface (N scale)
« Reply #14 on: April 07, 2018, 11:31:44 PM »
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My Walthers 0-8-0 does have the same plug, so the eBay parts will work. I do not know the pin-out of the Walthers harness. It would be really interesting if they were fully compatible with the Bachmann boards.

I really wish Walthers had that narrow coal bunker tender available separately.

Yea, I really wish Walthers would do a lot of things in N scale... :facepalm:
Otto K.