how do you install a decoder in a Bachman Spectrum sd45? thanks, Robert

-- Robert J. Kazanovicz (vze3gxtr@aol.com), September 20, 2003

Answers

I just recently converted an SD-45. It was much easier than expected. Used a TCS T-1 decoder, but a harness is a harness as far as wiring goes. Orange wire goes to the bottom of the motor and grey to the top. I soldered the wires near the spring cap and snipped off all of the extra metal to prevent contact with the frame since its live. Added a small piece of tape over the metal caps to ensure no shorts to the frame. I soldered the red wire to the left side and black to right side of the metal contact bars on the rear trucks. You have to remove the lighting board as it takes up room needed for the decoder. I cut the board just behind the resistors and soldered the lighting wires to the remaining sections of the light board. White and yellow wires to the resistor side of the boards. Blue to the other side and wired in series. This allowed me to screw the parts of the light board back into the shell and retained the light covers to prevent lighting up the cab. You could also throw away the light board and make new lights out of led's. The split frame allowed me to run the wires through the frame spacing and this keeps the wires from snagging during shell placement. The decoder is simply taped to the top of the frame slightly in front of the motor. Runs great.

-- Dan Ferrick (dtferrick@msn.com), January 04, 2004.