Yes, I outdid myself. 6 decoders for this old ICE 3 model, including sound of course!
Fun with gadgets…
Yes, my layout is still in construction. It hasn’t moved in months in facts, I am having fun with converting my trains instead.
Minitrix 12793 – ICE 3 and additional coaches
This particular Minitrix ICE 3 was from a starter set. It was very basic (no headlights, no interior furniture…). I had bought 3 extra coaches (also minimalistic). However, the model behaved extremely well, way better than some expensive “finescale” models from Minitrix or Fleischmann.
Motor car
Coach
The DCC conversion plan
So, here is what I decided to add:
- Motor car: Sound decoder (inside the central “Bord-Restaurant” car)
- Driving coaches: Headlights + interior lighting + driver cab. 550uF capacitor for flicker-free operation.
- Coaches: Interior lighting. 440uF capacitor
The whole thing was done here and there over a year. In order to get all of this working, at minimal cost, I came up with an exotic mix of different decoders and brands:
The conversion plan for each coach
Conversion pictures
Make sure to have a look at the video above. Questions about the conversion beyond the pictures below? Don’t hesitate to ask in the comment section.
Coaches
Coach and custom board
Custom led board
Testing the interior lighting
Custom LED board done, with Tams FD-R Basic decoder
Driving cabs
SMD leds for headlights
Custom lighting board with FH05A decoder
Doehler & Haass FH05A function decoder
Testing the led boards
Testing the led boards
Motor car
Original NEM 651 interface
with ESU Loksound Micro v4
Loudspeaker
Final result
My headlights blick when it rides over my track. How did you make it so it would not blick?
Hi Chris,
I always use decoders that support connecting one or several capacitors to bridge the gap during small power cuts (points, dirty tracks…).
It’s actually quite easy to understand but too complex to explain here, there are many resources online about this!