Hi, I'm looking for recommendations. I have a Kato N-Scale Mikado (First production) that I would like to have a decoder installed, so I'm looking for someone who will install it and return the loco in a reasonable length of time for a reasonable price. Currently I am trying to get my loco back from a business (I will not say who, that was highly recommended to me) who has had it for over a year. When I first contacted the business it would have a six month turn around due to the work load. When checking on the status at 6 months I am told there is a slight delay, I forgot the reason. At ten months it was about 4 from being worked on and it would be a couple months. Yesterday I get a response to an email and I'm told and I Almost word for word what I was told at the 10 month status check. With any luck I'll get it back soon. It's a good thing that I am not depending on this loco for my layout. So if any of you know of a person who can disassemble a Kato N-Scale Mikado, install a decoder and then reassemble the same and have it work properly, within a reasonable length of time and price, please advise. Thank you Gary P.S. I currently feel that a reassemble length of time is way less then 12 months.
Gary, Top Hobby has a video on Youtube showing his Mikado with sound. Quite impressive. here is the link: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_pMTCGGzMQ"]YouTube - Kato Mike w-Sound.mov[/ame]
Hi Guys, Please note the correction. The Kato Mikado in the post above is not from the TopHobbyTrains shop. We do the Mikado with both the Soundtraxx Tsunami micro, as in the post, as well as the LokSound Micro, however. The video above is from JD Colombo on YouTube. Thanks, Vince
Here is the correct video link to the GS4. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4adEpRnKIk"]YouTube - Top Hobby Trains Custom N Scale[/ame] Here is a new vid of the Kato N Scale E9 in UP [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqRDvJyOEbY"]YouTube - Kato E9 Union Pacific Sound & Light[/ame] We have the GG1 being done now and should be ready next week.
Hey Vince, How are you? I'm glad you posted the video of the Union Pacific loco. I purchased one of these from you for my boyfriend and he loves it! Can't wait to see the GG1 video! Thanks!
It is Home My Mike was returned to its home road today. Much faster then I would have hoped for, considering that it took a year not to get a decoder installed. Now I have to weed through the different replies that I have receive both on the thread and by PM. I want to thank everyone who replied. I will most likely not make my decision until after the first of the year, so if anyone else has recommendations please feel free to submit them. Thanks again, Gary
I have a tutorial for installing Lok-Sound decoder and speaker in a Kato Mikado. This tutorial was published in the July-August 2007 issue of N Scale Magazine. The photo of the Mikado is on the cover of NSM for that issue. You can easily install a sound decoder in your Mikado if you follow the instructions and photo's exactly. The photo's give you a step by step instruction guide for the installation. If you need help along the way, I can walk you through it. I've done over 60 Kato Mikado decoder installations on my fleet of Mikados.
One of the nice things about the Kato Mikado is that the tender is large enough to house the LokSound Micro or the Soundtraxx Micro Tsunami. With some fitting the Tsunami .6" round speaker and capacitor will all fit in neatly. If you do go the route with Powersteamguy1790 be sure to obtain some flexable decoder wire to route between the loco and tender. A golden white LED headlight makes a big difference in the look of the engine also.
No offense to Powersteamguy, but I don't like routing the wires between the tender and the loco. I prefer to use a seperate sound decoder in the tender and a motor control decoder in the loco. I have found this works nicely and you don't have to work about the wires causing derailments as your loco negotiates curves. Eric
Wires or NO wires Eric, With a Tsunami you must install the decoder in the tender. Why use two decoders when one will do the job. Also the Tsunami is the best sounding and best motor control decoder being made today ( IMHO). I have three of the Kato Mikes and all have Tsunami's in them and all have wires between the loco and tender (5 to be exact) and I have never had any derailment problems. I think that one of the things that cause derailments is the use of stiff wire. I use a 29 gauge-51 strand wire for my connections. BTW who's decoders are you using in a install like this. I am always open for new ideas and using differant products.
Eric: I have over 50 Kato Mikados on the steam roster of the JJJ&E. They are all wired with the decoder in the tender. I've never had any problems with derailments because of the wiring. There is a specific way to route the wirng to the tender to prevent derailments from happening. A motor decoder in the boiler and a separate sound decoder in the tender (micro Tsunami or Lok-Sound) makes little sense to me. The extra expense for the decoder in the steamer isn't necessary.
woodone: The ESU Lok Sound micro decoder sound specific for a Mikado gives great sound once all the CV's for sound are adjusted properly. Lok-Sound also has a decoder for a "2-8-2" which is a Mikado but there is a different variation in the sound. This definitely gives you a choice of sound if you have more than one Mikado on a layout.
Using 2 decoders poses an interesting issue with both the Tsunami and the Loksound decoder. The Tsunami through DDE uses the motor load to provide feedback to the sound circuits giving variations in the chuff and other drive dependent sounds. Using the tsunami as a sound only device without connection to the drive motor would negate these variations. The LokSound Micro does not produce exhaust sounds without being connected to the motor. If anyone has a way to set up a LokSound Micro as a sound only decoder I would appreciate a how too.
I never looked into the two differant sound decoders that LocSound has. Did not know they had two. I did install a LocSound unit into one of my Kato Mikes. I was never happy with the results. But I liked the sound so when I went to install the second Mike I found out about the Tsunami decoders. I installed it and was very happy with the sound and motor control. So I took out the LocSound decoder and replaced it with a Tsunami. The LocSound decoder is in a parts box somewhere in my parts bins.
Wow. Touched a nerve here? I don't like the wires between the tender and the loco because it can affect performance. Can you garantee that those wires aren't lifting the the front of the tender up reducing contact? Even using flex wire, there is going to be lateral and verticle stress on the tender. Those forces can cause derailments if they aren't installed right. Besides, it doesn't do anything to improve the looks or the realism of the model. I also like the fact that I can still remove the tender from the loco for maintance if needed. I have used the Digitrax sound only decoders for this install. One thing I really like about the Digitrax is that it is user programable and the sound files are free. There aren't alot of sound files yet but more are being added as users develop them. The steam preloaded on the decoder is generic but I think it fits the Mikado well. Eric
Eric: If you paint the wires black they blend in nicely. In regards to sound I prefer real Mikado sound files not generic "one fits all" sound file. Have fun with sound......
