FAQ - Making the X03 and X04 motor DCC fitted the proper way.

[Chrissaf]

Moderator message: this post content was originally written by Son of Triangman also known as Margate Richmond and has been replicated on the new forum in this post to prevent it being lost.

Before implementing this DCC conversion. A DC 'Stall Test' should be performed to ensure that the current drawn by the motor can be supported by the chosen DCC decoder specification. These motors can draw up to 1 amp of current.

Brian Lambert's 'Stall Test' guide

Making the X.04 DCC fitted, the proper way!

To make the X.04 motor DCC fitted the first thing to do after removing a loco body is to remove the suppression capacitor. This should NOT be discarded unless it is to be replaced, a certain online auction site has sellers selling proper replacements. Leave the motor/capacitor securing screw and solder tag that the capacitor was fitted to in place.

Next remove the brush holder spring insulation and put in spares bin, fit both springy wire arms with thinner insulation so the pressure on the motor brushes is the same as before. the insulation should go right up to the magnet screw.

You will notice a feed wire with clip from the pickup plate, remove the brass clip and keep to one side as it will be needed.

The motor brush connections should now show as being isolated from the chassis and the original track supply derived from the chassis, a simple multi-meter test will confirm this.

Next acquire another X298 brass brush feed clip of the type that was fitted to the pickup wire feed.

Fit one clip with an orange wire, the other with a grey wire, these will route to the motor output of the chosen decoder to be installed.

Wires can be made longer or shorter depending on where you choose to site the decoder. Optionally, solder the capacitor across the two brush clips leaving room to fit these clips into place on the motor. Insert the brushes so that the insulation is behind them and then insert a brush clip with the attached wire in front of each brush. The orange wired one on the side where the pickup wire feed ran to. Some people solder directly to the brushes but this can cause problems when you need to change the brushes and is best avoided.

Now we come to wiring up the decoder. A beefy decoder such as the Hornby Sapphire will be required to take the higher current required by the older motors such as the X.03 and X.04. Anti-static handling precautions should be observed to ensure decoder has a long life.

Attach Orange wire from decoder to orange wire attached to the brush clip and the grey decoder wire to the grey wire attached to brush clip, using solder. Heatshrink tubing is best used on wiring joints, insulated tape looses it's stickiness over time.

Next solder a Black wire to the solder tag at the back of the motor where the capacitor used to fit and attach to the decoder's black wire and insulated the joint.

Finally attach the red decoder wire to the brown wire running from the pickup plate.

The function wires can be insulated using heat shrink, making sure any bare wires ends aren't touching and finally site decoder.

The brush clips may need to be moved into prefect position and a little tinkering with the motor control wires and capacitor attached to these clips is required, once happy I tend to fix a tiny little double sided self-adhesive pad to the top of the motor and press the wires down onto the pad, with a little superglue to make sure they stay there when the motor gets warm.

One DCC fitted X.04 powered loco, neatly and correctly fitted.

The next article in the series covers Synchrosmoke and can be viewed here:

Making Syncrosmoke locos DCC fitted