DCC retainers clips

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conrail92

Member
Ok the retainers that game with the Loco the slots in them seem to be too small to fit on my digitrax decoder, Is there anyway to fix this? Also where can i buy addtional retainers? because i need a couple becuase i lost two for another engine.
 
jbaakko

jbaakko

Diesel Detail Freak
Hummm, not sure, I have not yet tried to add a decoder to my SD75M's. I'd assume you may be able to find them available online, but Athearn doesn't offer parts like they used too (ended when Horizon took over).

If nothing, use some double sided foam tape...
 
R

roundhouse

Member
"Wire" retainers?

conrail92 said:
Ok the retainers that came with the Loco the slots in them seem to be too small to fit on my digitrax decoder, Is there anyway to fix this? Also where can i buy addtional retainers? because i need a couple becuase i lost two for another engine.
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Are you talking about the plastic "boots" that hold the wires to the contacts on the tabs of the circuit board? If so, you could just solder the wires instead... :confused:
 
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conrail92

Member
YA i guess theres more then one name to call them, I guess i could but i would have to send it too a LHS to have it done because im to great at soldering and i would probly screw it up :p
 
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roundhouse

Member
Soldering-challenged

conrail92 said:
i would have to send it too a LHS to have it done because i'm not too great at soldering and i would probably screw it up
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In all honesty, I used to be that way as well. However, it's a matter of having the right tools and materials, and once you have those, you can become soldering-literate! :D

Anyway, the stuff that turned me around are:
1. A rechargeable (wireless) soldering iron with interchangeable tips
2. The right solder - buy from Miniatronics and you can't go wrong.

With this combo, I don't bother with flux any more, and I'm not intimidated by soldering even the finest of connections, either!

Don't buy one of those "cool heat" irons - they're garbage! :mad:
 
S

sushob

Entrepreneurial Teen
conrail92 said:
how well do they work, and how much they run??

Edit: i see there only about15-20 $ are they any good?
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They're designed for doing electronics/wires, so yes, they work well for those applications. Just don't expect to do any heavy-duty soldering with them.
 
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sushob

Entrepreneurial Teen
conrail92 said:
Will they work for things like soldering wire to track and soldering track together also ?
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Might be okay with wire-to-track, but I don't know if you can get enough heat out of it for track-to-track. I haven't tried it. If you try larger items like that, you will find yourself replacing the batteries often. The temperature of the pen decreases as soon as the batteries start to go.
 
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roundhouse

Member
Be careful of the tip!

jbaakko said:
Hehe, why not? My dad sent me one, he got free from some promotion thingy, havn't yet tested it.
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When you do try it, be VERY careful with the carbon tip! It is very easy to chip if you get too rough with it... which is probably what you'll do because it's so inconsistent in how it works!
 
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speent

Member
I had one of those junky cool soldering irons too, and I took it back. Get yourself a good old fashioned plug-n soldering iron, then you don't have to worry about batteries.
 
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