Lightboard/nose cone revision of KATO NYC E7s

[OldEastRR]

Opening up one of these locos reveals a different lighting configuration -- there's a SMD LED set back on the board and it feeds into a light tube that bends the light to the headlamps and number boards separately. So it seems that the standard decoders for the E8's (no matter the brand) w/ the extended large LED leading far into the nose won't fit. Anybody know of a decoder company coming out with a new board for this arrangement? BTW. the stock E7 board is longer than the old E8/9. Constructed noticeably different. Comments?

[altohorn25]

Opening up one of these locos reveals a different lighting configuration -- there's a SMD LED set back on the board and it feeds into a light tube that bends the light to the headlamps and number boards separately. So it seems that the standard decoders for the E8's (no matter the brand) w/ the extended large LED leading far into the nose won't fit. Anybody know of a decoder company coming out with a new board for this arrangement? BTW. the stock E7 board is longer than the old E8/9. Constructed noticeably different. Comments?

For digitrax, you use the one designed for the Kato F40PH - it's a DN163K0D.  For TCS, use a K0D8-G  It says so right on the Kato website.  Installed these in the E7's yesterday and they fit perfectly.  I did unsolder the rear light on the board since you'll never use it.

http://www.katousa.com/N/20thCentury/index.html

https://www.digitrax.com/products/engine-matrix/decoder/tables/#N

[Wutter]

Opening up one of these locos reveals a different lighting configuration -- there's a SMD LED set back on the board and it feeds into a light tube that bends the light to the headlamps and number boards separately. So it seems that the standard decoders for the E8's (no matter the brand) w/ the extended large LED leading far into the nose won't fit. Anybody know of a decoder company coming out with a new board for this arrangement? BTW. the stock E7 board is longer than the old E8/9. Constructed noticeably different. Comments?

I had some extra TCS K0D8-F so I just unsoldered the front LED, shortened the leads to fit, and resoldered it in place, took about 5min.