Atlas VO-1000 TCS drop in decoder install

[Lemosteam]

I have Tuscan PRR Vo-1000. Spookshow's site identifies two unique manufacturers that Atlas used to make them, Ajin, and later a China unit. Mine is the China unit.

The TCS website has install instructions for you guessed it, only the Ajin version.

If anyone has installed a TCS drop in into the China version, is there anything I shoukd do differently from the Ajin version as shown in the instructions?

Thanks in advance!

[Lemosteam]

I did look a Johns Loksound install and I must have looked too quickly.  Seems he used the China version of the model, and I can see how he isolated the motor tabs.  Thanks for looking anyway.

Sometimes the obvious is right on your screen!

[woodone]

Not sure has to who’s install you first looked at. On the TCS install it did show a black frame indicating the model shown was a China version. I think you already figured that out ! Some times we have to read between the lines to get the meaning .
One thing I never liked was the way the contact is being made between the motor contact leads and the decoder.
Just me, but I would add a very short jumper wire and solder those connections. Something else- I use a very short piece of 0.08 heat shrink over the motor leads, you have to stretch the heat shrink so it will slide over the motor tabs. Once you have in place , a short blast of heat from your heat gun will lock in place.

[Lemosteam]

Not sure has to who’s install you first looked at. On the TCS install it did show a black frame indicating the model shown was a China version. I think you already figured that out ! Some times we have to read between the lines to get the meaning .
One thing I never liked was the way the contact is being made between the motor contact leads and the decoder.
Just me, but I would add a very short jumper wire and solder those connections. Something else- I use a very short piece of 0.08 heat shrink over the motor leads, you have to stretch the heat shrink so it will slide over the motor tabs. Once you have in place , a short blast of heat from your heat gun will lock in place.

@woodone Spookshow shows the Korea (Ajin) to be the shiny black chassis (left below).

http://www.spookshow.net/loco/atlasvo1000.html:

"Identifying different versions is pretty simple - just look at the box and see what it says vis'a'vis the country of origin. No box? Well, pull the shell. Ajin frames are cast from a very strange shiny black metal, whereas the Chinese-made ones are cast using the more familiar flat gray/silver metal."



The dull chassis is China, on the right above, which is the model I have, (my box has the same insert)  EXCEPT my OEM board has SMD LED not the large ones.

@jdcolombo appears to have used the china one here on a Loksound install: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=31637.0


The TCS install definitely uses the black frame (TCS Image):

[nstars]

John,

I have done installs on both versions and there is no difference. It's the same procedure. As a matter of fact I replaced the factory decoder by the TCS decoder on my tuscan version. FYI the brown chassis is the earlier version and the silver version the late version.

Marc

[Lemosteam]

Thanks @nstars !  I was able to get it done.  I just wanted to make sure there was nothing different between the two that could fry the decoder.