Manufacturer
Train Control Systems
P.O. Box 341
Blooming Glen, PA 18911
www.tcsdcc.com
Comments: This drop-in Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder from Train Control Systems fits the Kato N scale SD70ACe, GG1, and SD40. The TCS K1D4-NC decoder controls motor and lighting functions and has two light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Installation instructions are on the TCS Web site. On my first attempt to install the decoder, it didn’t make contact with the frame, so it didn’t function. After removing the decoder, I added solder to the front contacts to increase their thickness and installed it again. When that also didn’t work, I added a shim made of .030″ styrene under the front of the board to wedge the front contacts tightly against the frame. The decoder now works perfectly.
I was especially impressed with the decoder’s excellent slow speed control. In speed step 1 the SD70ACe crept smoothly at less than 1 scale mph. The top speed was 200 scale mph, much too fast to be prototypical. I set CV5 (top voltage) to 90, and now the model runs at a much more realistic 75 scale mph top speed.
I programmed the decoder on the main as well as a programming track without difficulty.
Although installation took a little extra effort, the K1D4-NC decoder is a great choice for converting a Kato N scale SD70ACe to DCC.
