# REVO install in a Bachmann 4-4-0



## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Ok,

I don't believe it but I must be the first person to need to access the board on a 4-4-0. It was easier than I was making it out to be. Remove the smokebox front by pulling it slightly. Then there are two screws, loosen them. The board has slots and with a bit of wiggling, the board will slide out of the front. 

In my case, I had already taken the locomotive apart. There is a motor contacts board under the boiler that is held on with one large screw. I had already removed that, so all the wires pulled out easily. 

Now, I have more questions.

Bachmann has a 4 wire connector and a 2 wire connector running back to the tender. The two wire connector leads directly from the motor. The four wire connector appears to have power pick up from the tender trucks and the other two wires also come from the motor. The wires from the motor do not connect to anything in the tender, just a little board. 

I am installing the aristo non-plug and play board in this engine. 

But I am puzzled by the need for all these wires. If I can, I'd like to remove the entire Bachmann board and simply use the aristo board. Doesn't seem like it will be a problem to do that. I just lose the flickering firebox.

Why does the board have motor outputs that lead back to the tender and go no where? I can't see a reason for that. Seems like all I really need are two wires from the tender, power pick up. I hook the REVO reciever board to the incoming power and run the Bachmann board in parallel with the REVO board. If I do that, I can keep the flickering firebox and the smoke unit. In fact, it might be a good way to run that smoke unit since it will be getting full track power. 

Anyone do one of these yet?

Mark


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## NavyTech (Aug 2, 2008)

The wires from the motor going to the tender could be for decoder use. I know that the QSI sound decoder also controls the motor and I need to add a couple wires to my motor on my Big Hauler to accommodate it as well 

http://users.eastlink.ca/~brownscountry/index/Big_Hauler.html


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

You know, it might be simpler to install the reciever in the tender. Then I would have a use for the 8 wires going to the locomotive. Two for the Bachmann Board, two for the headlight and two for the motor. the motor wires are already in place, I just cut the leads to the bachmann board. 

I'd still send main power to the bachmann board to control the firebox and the smoke unit. 

I guess this would make installing sound in the locomotive a lot easier in the future. At the present time, I have no sound board to install.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Mark, on mine, the 2-wire lead is for the chuff trigger, not the motor. The four-wire plug ran rail power forward to the locomotive, and I believe directional back-up light back to the light on the tender. But that's just what it is stock. It can be whatever you need it to be. 

With the Revolution installed in the tender, you'll need two wires between the loco and tender for the motor leads, two for track pick-ups, and two for the front headlight. What I would do: 

Isolate the motor leads and run them back to the tender via the plug that had previously been used for the chuff contacts (since you're not using sound at the moment). That disconnects the motor from the stock Bachmann board. Keep the stock Bachmann board, so it can run the smoke unit and firebox. Since it's tied directly to the rails, both will always be on so long as there's power to the rails. (Well, the smoke unit will be if you've got the switch thrown in the front of the smokebox.) I like having some kind of indication that there's power to the locomotive, and the firebox is a good way to do that. Disconnect the headlight from the stock board and run both wires back via the two wires on the 4-pin plug that aren't the track power connection. In the tender, connect the power from the rails to the Revolution, the motor leads to the motor leads, and the front and rear lights to the appropriate spots on the Aristo board. 

If you decide to later add sound, you've got a few options. Simplest would be to use voltage-controlled chuff, since no trigger would be necessary. Second would be to put magnets on one of the tender wheels. On the 4-4-0, I'd do two magnets on each wheel, since the wheels are close to half the driver diameter. It won't be perfectly quartered, but it will be "close enough" for most. Those two options would mean no extra wires between the loco and tender. If you wanted to use the locomotive's chuff contacts on the rear axle, then you'd need to run an additional two wires between the loco and tender. It's not a big deal to do that, but it is an extra plug. 

Later, 

K


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Kevin,

Maybe the two wire connector is for the chuff, but it is kind of weird since they are the same color as the motor leads. 

Your solution seems like it might work best for me. There's not a whole lot of space in the boiler for the revo and all the stuff.


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