Remotoring the Mantua General
Part 3 - Wiring a DCC Decoder
Basic decoder wiring is pretty simple. For the Digitrax DZ123
there are two wires that connect to the track and 2 wires that connect
to the motor. Additional wires can be optionally be connected to head or
tail lights.
One of the wires that connects to the track connects to the frame of the
engine. The other connects to the frame of the tender. The
black wire should be connected to the frame is connected to the left
track rail. The red wire should be connected to the appropriate
frame that is connected to the right rail. The wire connected to
the locomotive frame can be connected with the drawbar screw. I
drilled and tapped a #6 hole in the tender to attach that wire.
The two wires that connect to the motor are simply soldered to the tabs
on the motor. You can use a DC power supply to determine which tab
should be connected to the orange wire which would be the positive
input when the locomotive when it is moving forward.
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