Bachmann 31-027 Class 166 Turbo 3 car DMU "First Great Western/Link"

[windmills]

I would appreciate finding out how to hard wire Bachmann 31-027 Class 166 Turbo 3 car DMU "First Great Western/Link" to fit decoder chip.

 

Many thanks in anticipation.

[the fuzzler]

Have you checked out the Bachmann website ? Follow Support/Digital and there is a link to a Nigel Burkin article on how to do it.

 

I presume that Bachmann havent put a different mechanism in recently ??

[windmills]

Have you checked out the Bachmann website ? Follow Support/Digital and there is a link to a Nigel Burkin article on how to do it.

 

I presume that Bachmann havent put a different mechanism in recently ??

 

Thanks.............this is exactly what I need. Now to work...!!!!

[Trains4U]

I'm part way through one of these at the moment.

The lighting board has changed since the Nigel Burkin article was published.

 

If/when I figure it out, I'll post some pics.

[ebbwdent]

I'm part way through one of these at the moment.

The lighting board has changed since the Nigel Burkin article was published.

 

If/when I figure it out, I'll post some pics.

 

 

 

Anyone figured this one out yet? Thought i had tonight - until the blue smoke of death appeared from the decoder. The second effort - nothing!! As has been said, the lighting circuit board has changed since the 159 article was published and the original photos are not the clearest anyway.

[Trains4U]

Anyone figured this one out yet? Thought i had tonight - until the blue smoke of death appeared from the decoder. The second effort - nothing!! As has been said, the lighting circuit board has changed since the 159 article was published and the original photos are not the clearest anyway.

 

I'm afraid I've wimped out and I'm installing an Express models lighting kit...

[ebbwdent]

oh dear....... I've put a pair of them in the post to you today for chip fitting!! Blame the (very nice) man who answers the phone!

 

best wishes

[windmills]

As the originator of this query, I was going to follow the earlier instructions rehard wiring this model for DCC....

but now I'm stuck if Nigel Burkin's article no longer applies.

 

Anyone, anywhere......any ideas???

[Trains4U]

oh dear....... I've put a pair of them in the post to you today for chip fitting!! Blame the (very nice) man who answers the phone!

 

best wishes

 

Guess i'd better get practicing on the redundant lighting circuits then...

[ailsa]

Anyone figured this one out yet? Thought i had tonight - until the blue smoke of death appeared from the decoder. The second effort - nothing!! As has been said, the lighting circuit board has changed since the 159 article was published and the original photos are not the clearest anyway.

 

 

I've rewired my 158 and 166 for DCC lighting, and found that the easiest way was to start from scratch, using the lighting PCBs as mounting boards only (all copper tracks cut). I wired the LEDs in series with the resistor between the two. Since the current in a series circuit is constant at all points, the position of the resistor is not critical. I didn't worry about the direction of the lights, as the decoder has no motor attached so I was going to reverse the direction with CV programming. In the event I did not need to as it worked correctly first time! Alternatively you could swap the yellow/white connections.

[ebbwdent]

A very big THANK YOU for this. :icon_thumbsup2:

 

The published article on the 159 makes reference to the +ve and -ve terminals of the LED's. I couldn't find the identification on mine - does it make a difference?

[ailsa]

A very big THANK YOU for this. :icon_thumbsup2:

 

The published article on the 159 makes reference to the +ve and -ve terminals of the LED's. I couldn't find the identification on mine - does it make a difference?

 

Yes it's important that the LEDs are connected the right way round, otherwise there will be no light. Its also crucial that the current be limited by a resistor to avoid 'electronic fireworks'. It's fine to use one resistor for two LEDs as long as they are connected in series - never connect LEDs in parallel unless each has its own resistor.

 

In most LEDs the lamp body is translucent and inside are two 'metal bits'. I don't know what the correct name is for them, but the lead coming from the smaller metal bit is the positive lead, and the lead coming from the larger one is the negative lead. Also the leads are different lengths but that's not much help once you've cut them down to fit them on the PCB!

 

DCC decoders use a common positive supply for the function outputs, and this is very unhelpfully coloured blue. So the positive side of the LEDs faces the blue wire on the decoder, and the negative leads of the LEDs face towards the yellow and white wires. It's very counter-intuitive for me as usually I think blue = neutral = negative, but with DCC you have to abandon this kind of thinking

[windmills]

Ailsa,

 

Thank you for the very clear information above. I now feel more confident about converting

my 166 for DCC.......maybe I'll get it running for Xmas!!

[windmills]

Success!

 

I've just finished hard wiring my 166 3 car set.....in the end I used as a reference the following website -

 

http://web.archive.org/web/20080104024120/www.electricnose.co.uk/dcc/dccbachmann158.html

 

While this was written for the 158 2 car set and there are several differences in the approach to wiring

in the two models, nonetheless with a bit of experimentation and use of the program track for frequent

testing the guidance given was invaluable. A major point to be aware of is the need not only to remove the

two capacitors from the motor block but also the capacitor hidden under the mini circuit board in each trailer cab.

 

This is my first attempt at hard wiring for DCC....a bit of a challenge, but achievable with careful reading and

application of logic....a steady hand for soldering is a valuable asset too!

 

So now I have a class 166 3 car set which runs with lights working correctly for the direction travelled....hurrah!

[ebbwdent]

Success!

 

I've just finished hard wiring my 166 3 car set.....in the end I used as a reference the following website -

 

http://web.archive.o...achmann158.html

 

While this was written for the 158 2 car set and there are several differences in the approach to wiring

in the two models, nonetheless with a bit of experimentation and use of the program track for frequent

testing the guidance given was invaluable. A major point to be aware of is the need not only to remove the

two capacitors from the motor block but also the capacitor hidden under the mini circuit board in each trailer cab.

 

This is my first attempt at hard wiring for DCC....a bit of a challenge, but achievable with careful reading and

application of logic....a steady hand for soldering is a valuable asset too!

 

So now I have a class 166 3 car set which runs with lights working correctly for the direction travelled....hurrah!

 

 

Nice one windmills! Any chance of posting a photo of the lighting board. I have mine in bits at the moment, so you're giving me the inspiration to crack on with it!

[windmills]

Nice one windmills! Any chance of posting a photo of the lighting board. I have mine in bits at the moment, so you're giving me the inspiration to crack on with it!

 

Will do as soon as I can....at the club we're busy preparing for this Saturday's exhibition.....If I can get some free time tomorrow or Thursday, I'll post some detail.

[ebbwdent]

Will do as soon as I can....at the club we're busy preparing for this Saturday's exhibition.....

 

 

Is that Wigan?

[windmills]

Is that Wigan?

No, Bangor,Co Down......

I've got some photos of the circuit boards.....will try to get time tomorrow to put them here.

Off to the club now....

[windmills]

Hi ebbw,

 

Several photos of the "works" as you requested.......

 

first the driving car......I have followed the electric nose guidelines (ref earlier post above) with the essential additional action, namely removal of the two "hidden" capacitors found under the circuit board at the front of the car (see arrows).....

 

Class 166 driving car

 

As for the trailer cars, again very largely followed electric nose, but again remove the "hidden" capacitor in each car's circuit board (arrowed).....beware though, do not remove the two resistors as shown.

 

Trailer car circuit board....

 

Finally the wiring on the top of the circuit board.....one car as shown, reverse the yellow and white wires on the other trailer car taking them and the blue common positive from the driving car strip board, also not forgetting to remove the capacitor and retain the resistors on the trailer circuit board....

 

Trailing car circuit board top

 

Hope that this all makes sense...?

 

Windmills

[windmills]

PS the above photos display the rough "try and test" stages of DCCing the 166......certainly not the refined finished "product".......Am still completing the finishing stages of this conversion.....will be using fine flexible wire between the cars, joining them by means of plug and socket (again as per electric nose guidelines)....will post pictures on completion sometime next week (I hope).

 

windmills

[ebbwdent]

hi windmills.

 

thanks for your work on this - all very useful. I hard wired a 158 with through wiring, but it was such a pig to do and so unreliable on corners that it got ripped out and replaced with two decoders. However, i might be tempted to use some of the newer conductive couplers. I'll be very interested to read how you get on. Hope the exhibtion went fine.