4
Locomotive decoder LE103XF
DIGITAL plus
DO NOT WRAP decoder with electrical tape or shrink wrap!
Doing so will impede air circulation and degrade the performance
of the decoder. Instead, put electrician tape over any part of the
locomotive frame or body that might touch the decoder and use
double sided foam mounting tape to mount the decoder. This will
prevent short circuits without 'suffocating' the decoder.
The existing shrink wrap over a part of the locomotive decoder
protects static sensitive parts and must not be removed. After
disconnecting the wiring from the motor brushes, the brushes
MUST be isolated from the rail pickup. Achieving isolation may
require some different approaches on different locomotives,
perhaps unsoldering wires, placing a thin piece of insulating plastic
between brush terminal and contact spring. In other words, after
isolation, there must be NO electrical contact between the
motor and the rail pickup. If you have a VOM, check for infinite
resistance between the motor and all the wheels. Take special
note that metal contact might occur only when the loco body is
reinstalled.
The LE103XF can not be set up for simultaneous use for 2-rail
pickup and overhead cantenary or trolley operation. If the
locomotive is turned the wrong way, the decoder could get twice
the track voltage which would destroy it!
Wiring Options
There are two wiring options for installing the LE103XF,
depending on how the locomotive is constructed. The two
functions could be connected with their common to the track
voltage as shown in Figure 1, or, use the decoders floating
common as shown in Figure 2. A mixture of both options is also
possible. Note that both Rule 17 and traditional reversing
headlights are supported.
If the bulbs for the headlights are floating (isolated against wheel
pick up and chassis) and connected according to Figure 2, they
will shine brighter compared to the option shown to Figure 1.
Furthermore, the directional headlights will function while
operating on conventional DC layouts.
