Decoder install in Kato Bullet Train

[skipgear]

Just currious if anybody has any advice or tips for installing DCC in one of the Kato Bullet trains.

My main questions are:

Can the lighting system handle the DCC voltage?

Is there a "light board" style decoder for the power unit or will it be a hardwire install?

What decoder?

Will a second decoder and or third decoder be required for the head and tail lamps because they are not wired to the power car?

I am asking these questions for a customer of ours at the hobbyshop I work at. He is converting to DCC and this is the one train that he has that is not a drop in decoder swap. I have not yet had the train in hand to see how it is laid out. I was hoping that somebody else has already gone through the process before so I can give him some hints.

[TrainsNTractors]

I think something like a Digitrax DZ143 would be a good fit. It will be hard wired. but you can control the head and tail light along with using the other function for the interior lighting. I think you can fade the interior light as an effect and keep the bulbs from melting the plastic if on all the time.

[ednsfan]

tony,

i asked this same question to the Japanese Model Railroaders unitrack group in Washington, DC man do they have a LOT of bullet trains

short answer... three decoders (one for each headlight and one for the motorized car, which is the third car on my Shinkasen 700) will allow the train to be taken apart and moved.

If you wanna run wire from the motorized car to the front/rear headlights, then one decoder will do. but that a lot of wire and a lot of places for shorts to occur

[skipgear]

Thanks for the info. I have a feeling I will be doing the install for him on this one.

Tony

[rogue railroader]

The Bullet Train in question is a Kato # 10-491. Kyushu Shinkansen Series 800, "Tsubame" (Swallow). [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Grey One]

Nice train. I have it as well. Maybe some day will be able to afford a decoder system. yummy. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[skipgear]

I just thought I would post a note that I finished up the decoder install in the Bullet train tonight. I will put together a step by step in a bit. I took pictures of the process.

The power car is fairly easy. There was enough room in one end of the car and the roof to hide the decoder and wires fairly well.

The lead and trailing cars take a little creative rebuilding of the light boards. They have both fwd and rev LEDs on the stock board that are wired in parallel but opposite polarity. There is also an inline resistor to drop the voltage. The reverse LED must be removed, rebent, flipped and soldered back in (one lead only). This preserves the common inline resistor. You also have to wire the front and rear cars different to achieve a forward light on the front car and a rear light on the rear car. It took a little creative thinking but it's not really difficult once you figure it out.

[rogue railroader]

Being the "owner" of the train being discussed. I can tell you it runs great! THANK YOU TONY!! Using the Prodigy Advance System, programmed each decoder then run them together as a consist. This way the directional lighting on the end cars light up as suppose to. WAA HOO Banzi

[Bernard]

Tony,
Well done, I wrote Kato about this same topic and they were vague on the lighting side on installation. If you don't mind me asking, what was the final cost of installing the decoders? It seems like you need three decoders inorder to do the job.
Thanks,
Bernard

[skipgear]

Bernard,
Yes, it takes 3 decoders. Using DZ123's, about $60 in decoders are used. If you are fortunate (or unfortunate as the case may be) to have some old decoders that the motor drive is blown on, they could still be used in the head and tail cars for the lighting controls.

I need to set down and write up instuctions to go with the pictures in my railimages account and post them here.