Help needed with Tomix Hello Kitty Digitrax DZ123 installation

[bc6]

This is my first attempt at installing a decoder in a Tomix motor car and it hasn't been a smooth installation so I'm reaching out for help. I've read lots of stuff on JNS, YouTube and Google and I feel like they are all missing steps in the installation process.

 

I started with the basics meaning the Digitrax manual and completed those steps until I was told that I needed to isolate the motor from which I'm not sure if I'm doing correctly. 

 

If someone could check my I would appreciate the help. I can post pictures on my blog or here whichever is more convenient for you. Im willing to do just about anything within reason to get this train running on dcc, Thanks for your attention.

[cteno4]

For someone to help you will need to outline what you have done with pictures and some questions specific to where you are stuck.

 

what is it you think you are not doing in isolating the motor? Isolating the motor just means breaking the current path on both sides of the motor to reroute them through the decoder. This break does not have to be right at the motor. Many times the motor has contact strips that press onto contact power strips in the chassis and this is where you can break the current path with an insulator (like some Kaplan tape or sliver of styrene) and connect the decoder leads directly to the motor and the chassis power strips then. This is part of the “art” to decoder installs to find the cleanest way to break the current paths to isolate the motor and where best to attach the dcc leads to motor and chassis power strips once the motor is “isolated” as chassis designs differ a bit even with the same brand.

 

probably best to post it all here to keep the conversation in one spot as folks referring to stuff on your blog from here will get messy fast.

 

jeff

[chadbag]

There are pics somewhere here on the forum of this installation  being done.  Not with a Digitrax decoder but decoder is irrelevant to the basic steps.  I took a quick look in my history to see if I could find it but didn't but look in Tomix related or Tomix 500 related DCC posts from early 2019.

 

I don't want to take mine apart right now as it is packed away but looking at some old pics I think I used Kapton tape to isolate the big steel electrical bus strips from the springs underneath that bring power from the track.  I soldered my power lines on the decoder to those springs.  Then the decoder output I soldered to the big metal strip -- this is from memory.  

 

See if you can find the old posts about this.

 

[cteno4]

Here it is

 

 

[bc6]

This is what Ive done so far is this correct?

If close ups are needed please let me know. 

 

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by bc6

[cteno4]

Looks right,

 

you have isolated the motor with tape preventing its contacts to the chassis power strip

 

decoder inputs soldered to the chassis power strips. 
 

decoder outputs soldered to the motor contacts.

 

but what are the solder there on the center of the power strips for? Did you try to solder the decoder input there first? If so and just extra solder blobs I would heat or file those blobs off as they are right where the motor contacts press and may make the fit tight and push up on the interior seat frame.

 

jeff

[bc6]

Thanks you for your observations.

 

Thats awesome.

 

Yup lots of Kapton tape

 

Per the Digitrax manual. 

 

As I've seen in several Digitrax installation pictures.

 

Yeah those are just blobs of solder that are connected to anything. (I'll get rid of the blobs asap)

[cteno4]

Don’t need gobs of Kaplan tape really if it’s decent thickness tape, one piece across the strips should do you. Don’t want things getting too thick as you may have trouble seating the top seat strip onto the chassis bottom. If it pushes up and the top plate is not seated well you can make poor contact with the bogie pickups at the end. If it does not seat well look at tanking off some of the tape.

 

you will also need to remove the ends of the the Kaplan tape as you have covered up where the chassis wipes contact the chassis power strips. 
 

you really only need about a 1/2” piece on the center of the wipes where the motor pickups would contact the strips.

 

jeff

[bc6]

Thanks I know I overdid it with the tape lol. 

 

Doh no wonder it didnt work there's no track power pick up 😲

 

Got yah I'll remedy that. 

 

SUCCESS ITS ALIVE!!!!!!!!

 

Now to tidy up the wires and put the body back on. 

 

Thanks so much saving me from shooting myself in the foot, Now I'm off to do my Tomix Dr. Yellow lol.  😁

Edited June 30, 2023 by bc6

[cteno4]

Great! 
 

yea best to do the minimum to insulate as all the current tolerances are with nothing in there. So a single layer of tape just on the metal strips and nothing else if you can to make things fit cleanly.

 

jeff

[bc6]

Thanks again I'll remember that on my next installation, Im so used to overdoing it sometimes its a hard habit to break. 

[chadbag]

(I didn't realize it but my first post here was of the non-motor car showing a function decoder -- I totally spaced out and then realized it when I looked again -- this is of the same sort of Shinkansen from Tomix but is a 700 -- same basic idea)

 

So that is a lot more "complicated" than mine.

 

I went into my photo album tonight and ran across the pics I took while doing it.   Mine is a RailStar 700 from Tomix but the body is basically the same as the Kitty Chan.  I couldn't find the Kitty Chan motor car conversion I did but it was basically the same.  I only found the non motor end car conversion pics from the actual Hello Kitty 500.

 

I have a billion pics in my raw album and they're not organized or labeled so I was lucky to be able to run across them.  I have put the  most relevant here.  

 

The low down is I tapped the track power on the power bus which are isolated from the motor inputs, which are those springs.  The output of the decoder is then soldered to the springs which feed the motor.  I think that is how it goes by looking at the pic -- this is my 2nd or 3rd edit to change my description of how it works since it was several years ago and I'm working from deciphering my photos.  If anyone uses this description, please use a meter to confirm the power path at each segment.

 

I tried to make it as clean as possible.   I have both the Rail Star 700 and the Hello Kitty 500 done.  I routed the wires and put the decoder where I did in order to not have them show through the windows and make it clean.

 

The decoder I used was from D&H but any normal decoder would work like your Digitrax.

 

Mine is not apart -- does this use a brass power bar (long strips) or a steel one?  The end cars use steel for their power bus to feed the light boards.   BTW, those power busses made from "Tomix steel" are almost impossible to solder to...  Until you use this:  The H&N Superior #30 flux.  Using that made it easy peasy.

 

https://hnflux.com/page35.html

 

(I have no personal interest in H&N except as a very satisfied customer)

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by chadbag
fix the power path description as it was backwards

[bc6]

Chad nice photos I like how you attached the wires to the springs I'm going to have to do that.