Author Topic: USA Trains PA-2 install  (Read 40468 times)

Railman1959

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USA Trains PA-2 install
« on: January 30, 2023, 10:09:18 AM »
This is my wiring set-up for USA Trains PA-2. The Railpro decoder is in the middle and each end has a wiring buss for the lights. The wiring connectors are from Amazon, WAGO 221 Lever-Nuts, and work for 24-12 AWG wire. These are quicker and easier to revise than soldered connections.Wiring PA_2.jpegWiring.jpeg

CPRail

  • Conductor
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Re: USA Trains PA-2 install
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2023, 10:41:40 AM »
Wish I had room like that in HO installs! G-Scale is BIG!
Ian Lisakowski
Modelling CP Rail & VIA in the early 80's

gregeusa

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Re: USA Trains PA-2 install
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2023, 11:58:59 AM »
be sure to read this thread about electrical interference/noise from the fan by this other member (if you have problems)

https://rpug.pdc.ca/index.php/topic,1469.msg10734.html#msg10734

Greg
Lots of tips and techniques on my site: www.elmassian.com contact me greg@elmassian.com

jordanhd87

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Re: USA Trains PA-2 install
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2023, 01:08:39 PM »
Even though you have the heatsink, I would still recommend orienting your board with the heatsink facing up verses on its side. You definitely have the room for it in these locomotives. This will give you better heat dissipation (be sure to update the firmware to v 1.05 as well to reduce future liklihood of overheating). I would also recommend mounting the module up a bit higher. This helps a lot with communications range. You can fashion a little box out of styrene or balsa wood and set the mounting bracket on top of that. The locomotives I've mounted up higher have noticeably better range than the ones I mounted right to the chassis frame. If you leave the fan hooked up I'm curious if you will experience the same issues I did (as per the thread Greg pointed out). Per Tim Ring, with the v1.05 update we should not need fans. The heatsink should provide enough heat dissipation (again, per Tim). My experience on this is TBD as is has not been hot enough here for me to test this claim since the update came out.