Author Topic: Install an ESU58828 on a WVD adapter board into an N scale Kato F3 set  (Read 328 times)

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GGNInNScale

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First, remove the shell, and cut off the little molding pegs at the inside top-rear only, (one nub on each side), and trim off the bit of clear plastic tab on the windows in the rear only.  I glue the windows in after trimming the nubs.

Next, remove the original Kato light board.  Then, I remove the engineer's cab.  Then the bronze strips.  I cut the bronze strips so that they end at the bend curve at the rear.  Next, remove the plastic power tower at the rear.  Next, I solder wires to the WVD speaker tabs (color and polarity are not important here).  Then I carefully solder wires to the top areas of the power connector tower at the rear.  Kapton tape wrap goes onto the bronze strips- two wraps is enough, just ahead of the front bump on the strip.  Then, take a 3mm or smaller off-white LED, and solder it to the WVD board so the LED is in the gap in the frame at the front.  The long leg of the LED goes to the U+ tab, the short leg is ground.  The WVD board has a 1kOhm resistor in series with the LED, which is a bit low, but it works.
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Next, tin the cut ends of the bronze strips, just a little bit of solder.  Then position the two bronze strips in place, then put the WVD board in place- make sure the little center clip is fitted into the board hole.  Then carefully solder each of the motor tabs to the WVD motor contact pads.  This is stable for handling at this point.  Now, sand the plastic power tower flat on the top- this allows for a speaker and 2mm backcase to fit in the rear cavity with NO machining.  Be careful not to sand too much, just get to flat.

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Next, cut the two wires from the rear truck pickup towers, cut them to about 1cm or a bit longer, trim the wire ends and tin them, both sides.  Then position the plastic tower into it's position, and feed the wires UNDER the gap in the center underside of the tower.  Solder the wires to the ends of the bronze strips.  Tuck the "extra" wire into a loop in the open area where the truck towers are located to allow ease of motion of the truck. 
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Check for shorts between the power feeds and the frame (should be an open circuit), and test the motor leads to the frame and to the power tabs on the WVD board, should be OPEN. 

If all is OK, then you can place the 58828 into the socket, and test.  It will be on ID = "3" as received.  Make sure the speaker wires are NOT touching anything.

I make my own backcases to adapt to different locos and speakers.  For this installation, a 11x15mmx2mm backcase fits perfectly.  Glue the 11x15mm speaker to the backcase with CA glue.  Then, solder the two speaker wires to the corner contacts on the speaker.  Then, fit the speaker into position across the opening in the rear, and tape down with a strip of Kapton tape.

It is now fully testable with sound and lights and motion.  NOTE:  there are two ways to position the 58828.  Either way will work.  I prefer the long end to the rear to avoid possible contact to the power tabs.  I do not like using too much Kapton tape to hold things together as the electronics may overheat.  However, this will require coding the engine to run in "reverse".  It makes no difference to the operation.  To place the engineer's cab, you may need to trim a bit of the underside of the cab at the rear, and bend the LED leads down to allow the cab to lock in place (really small pins on the sides).

Put the shell on and download the ESU sound file of choice.

With the B unit, there is no LED, but everything else is the same.  I put sound in both units just for fun.  Have fun!

« Last Edit: October 30, 2024, 01:16:23 PM by GGNInNScale »

peteski

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You can file down the LED's resin housing quite a bit so it clears the cab's interior.  File the top and bottom of the LEDs flat.  Might be enough to just file down the collar at the back of the LED.
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GGNInNScale

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Hi  Thanks.  Actually, just a bit of relief on the end of the cab interior and bending the LED was more than sufficient.  I do shape the LEDs when needed- there is plenty of plastic around the active semiconductor.