NMRA 8 pin plugs

This is a small warning about using the DC shorting strips supplied with any DCC-comparable engine.

These are NOT an 8-pin plug as they have shorting strips connecting the motor and lights directly to the track, and if used without removing ALL these connections, it will destroy your decoder.

An 8-pin plug is just that, 8-pins with NO connections. I strip all the wires on the decoder about 4 mm, and then all the wires are tinned with the iron tip at about 325 deg C to reduce the pullback of the PVC insulation.

Apply a small amount of solder onto the tip, then touch the tip to the wire end, and finally touch the 60-40 resin solder, allowing the solder to flow up the bare wire. Finally, trim the soldered end to about 1 to 1.5 mm.

Fit the plug into any 8-pin socket, I use my decoder tester for this task. This prevents the plug from damaging itself when the wires are added. If it is, an 8-pin IC socket fill the holes with solder before attempting to attach any wires. A PCB wire type has a pool of solder as part of its assembly.

Start with the orange, complete the lower and then the upper row. Check against the diagram the check again...!

NMRA 8 pin wiring pattern