Akihabara Station » Digitrax

Kato 651系 DCC Pt 1: Upgrading Interior Lights

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:06:26 +0000

Kato 10-173 651系 'Super Hitachi'

So, you have just purchaed Kato 10-173 651系 (651-series) “Super Hitachi”, and want to know how to convert it to DCC. I’ve just begun this process myself; here is part one (of many!) of my report.

The 651系 is factory-fitted with interior lighting, a nice touch. But, being [...]

New DCC Page: Decoders for DCC-Ready Kato Locomotives

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:04:04 +0000

Trying to figure out what to put in your Kato EF65 or DD51? Click through, and perhaps I can assist you. [...]

New DCC Page: Decoders for MU Motor Cars

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:13:26 +0000

Still looking for the perfect decoder for your shinkansen (bullet train) or commuter train? Click through: I’ve got what you’re looking for. [...]

Kato EM13 and FL12 DCC Decoders: E4 Shinkansen

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:00:13 +0000

The Kato EM13 and FL12 drop-in decoders, when used in Kato “DCC Friendly” models, are basic but fairly nice, and dead-simple to install. In this post, I demonstrate how to install them into Kato’s E4 shinkansen (bullet train). In a previous post, I installed these decoders into a Kato E231-500.

Installing the FL12 [...]

Kato EM13 and FL12 DCC Decoders: E231-500 Yamanote Line

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:03:48 +0000

Stack of EM13 and FL12 decoders

The Kato EM13 and FL12 drop-in decoders, when used in Kato “DCC Friendly” models, are basic but fairly nice, and dead-simple to install. In this post, I demonstrate how to install them into Kato’s E231-500 Yamanote Line. In a later post, I’ll show how to install them [...]

Kato EF66 for Sale

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:35:19 +0000

For the curious, I’ve decided that my EF66 doesn’t really fit the theme of the rest of my collection. Having a theme—nothing that doesn’t pass through Ueno or Omiya Stations, in my case—really helps limit the desire to just buy anything and everything. And, well, an EF66 in JNR Sleeper Express livery doesn’t fit [...]

Spreadsheets and DCC

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:19:37 +0000

Update 16 April 2009: I’ve added a link to the TCS spreadsheet.

I don’t have any kind of fancy programmer for my DCC decoders. I have only a Digitrax Zephyr, and the will to enter dozens of CVs by hand. I don’t have the money to do more than that. I am willing to [...]

New DCC Page: Decoders for MU Cab Cars

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:34:03 +0000

Trying to select a decoder for your shinkansen (bullet train) or commuter train? Click through, and see: I'm here to help. [...]

DCC and End Cars: The No-Cut Conversion

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:17:13 +0000

OSHI25-901 circuit board

This is the lightboard from the OSHI 25-901 dining car from the Tomix 92950 “Yumekukan” set. This board sits in a fitted pocket in the galley of the dining car. There are three SMD LEDs (the three white boxes on the left); three long lightpipes run from the LEDs to [...]

Tomix DE10 DCC Pt 3: Wiring

D.E. Goodman-Wilson — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:28:02 +0000

Read Part 1 of this article.

Read Part 2 of this article.

As a preface let me say this: The results of this install are mixed. On one hand, I got everything to fit, with room to spare! Which is excellent news. I also learned a lot, which is also excellent news. However, several [...]