N Athearn Challenger repair and LokSound install
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- čas přidán 14. 03. 2022
- Athearn N scale Challenger that came in for contact issues and glitchy sound. After waaaay too much work, it left with an ESU LokSound V5 micro decoder installed, replacement lighting and a bunch tweaking.
Most of this video is just bits and snippets I was working on where I grabbed my phone and recorded that have been spliced together. The last few minutes are the typical 'proof of life' video.
If anything, this provides an understanding of 'how' the model is assembled. From what I understand, this run came out in 2010 timeframe or so, which makes sense with the date code on the Soundtraxx Tsunami decoder I replaced.
Besides repairing the contacts, while I had the unit in various states of disrepair, I cleaned and lubricated moving surfaces. Front grain of wheat bulb was replaced with a 0402 warm LED and wired back. Dismantling that front articulated truck and getting it all put back together was fuuuunnnn....
ESU LokSound V5 micro was programmed with S0556 UP Challenger sound file. I traced where each wire went back to the loco with a voltmeter on diode mode. Then the usual rail right- red, rail left- black, motor bottom-gray, motor top-orange.
Tender frame weights machined down to clear an ESU double sugarcube setup. Rear LED was from a scrap Kato light board mounted on a small speaker housing box I had laying around. A small resistor block was also wired in for the forward LED.
Reassembly went slow as every few steps the unit got re-tested, because every step is a pain to take back apart. Finally, all back together. Made a few tweaks to the sound file adjusting some levels here and there and Viola!
Anywhoo...not my normal cup of tea as this thing was a time pit.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to send me a message over on facebook or shoot me an email.
dufordmodelworks
kelley@dufordmodelworks.com
Hopefully you learned something, and if not, hopefully you found my narration and walkthrough entertaining.
Thanks for watching and have a fantastic day!
Wow Kelly, Excellent. You clearly enjoy doing what you do so well! I am hoping that the new release of the Challenger from Athearn will incorporate many of your ideas! Keep up the good work and thank you for being so inspirational!
I have to tell you Lyndon. I bought this off of eBay. It was listed new in the box. Well when Kelley got a hold of it, found out that it’s new old stock! This engine was from 2009 it’s a 14 year old engine. Listed as new!! Bottom line, buyer beware. It should’ve been listed as new old stock. Not as new in the box. False and misleading advertising , my personal humble opinion.
@@stevemattana7195 Oh wow Steve, that is what I am always afraid of. I hope you posted a bad review for the seller! I am glad that Kelly fixed it up. He's the best at figuring out how to make things work! I hope you have the new released City of Los Angeles Cars to go with it, they'd look great behind it. Cheers. Lyndon
Oh I know, I do know better. But one would think when you see “new”
The skeptical side kind of goes down and you’re positive instance take over because deep inside you really want this product! Lol. Do you know what I’m talking about you’re a train nut just like I am! When I see something I have to have , I want it right now not in 15 minutes! Well it works I’ve learned an expensive lesson. Life is good once again! Have a beautiful day my friend
Sounds and runs nice, good job. Bob
Thanks a lot for the useful video. Good idea to repurpose a Kato board for the tender. One thing I do differently. Instead of wiring the blue wire to the headlight I connect it to one of the pickups in the locomotive. This saves one jumper wire to the tender.
I just bought a 2007 run of the challenger. I wonder how much time you spent on this conversion.
Good lord, Kato's design for the centipede tender is SO much simpler and easy to work with... Athearn really over complicated this thing for no real gain.