#40 Part 2: Fitting a Stay Alive Capacitor Unit to a Hornby TTS Sound Decoder

This is Part 2 of an in-depth two-part series looking at home-made stay alive devices. In this video, we look at adding a stay alive/keep alive unit to Hornby's TTS sound decoder.

If you wished to add a stay alive unit to Hornby's R8249 decoder, the steps would be similar (although the negative leg would have to be soldered directly to the negative side of the rectifier).

We made the stay alive unit in the previous video (Part 1 - Making a Stay Alive Capacitor Unit), and if you've not seen that video, you can watch it here:    • #39 Part 1: How to make a Stay Alive ...  

Please note: the steps covered in this video do require a steady hand and competence with a soldering iron. Working with DCC decoders and tiny surface-mount components leaves little margin for error and it is very easy to permanently damage sensitive electronics if you are not extremely careful.


+ Video Contents +

00:00 - Introduction
00:20 - A quick recap
01:20 - Examining the decoder
06:08 - Soldering it all together
14:52 - Testing the solder work
16:10 - Fitting it all into the chassis
18:05 - A word about CV settings
19:08 - Testing the stay alive unit
20:53 - Conclusions


+ Components +

You can buy items used in this video tutorial using the affiliate links below. Using these links helps to support the channel and is very much appreciated.

Hornby TTS decoders (Amazon): https://amzn.to/2PbRM9x
Hornby TTS sound decoders (eBay): https://ebay.to/2S1P4Ca
Capacitors (15,000 uF 25v): https://ebay.to/2AljFnF
Resistors (100 ohm 1/4w): https://amzn.to/2yzLtDx
Decoder wire (red & black): https://ebay.to/2NR9fj1
Decoder wire (Multipack): https://ebay.to/2PGEYoK
Diodes (1N4001 50v 1A): https://ebay.to/2CXBifB
Diodes (1N4001 50v 1A):: https://amzn.to/2ODFqYo
Heat Shrink (multipack): https://amzn.to/2PdO0N5
Heat Shrink (various sizes): https://ebay.to/2EvWI54
Kapton tape (10mm x 30m): https://amzn.to/2OBEpjB
Kapton tape (various sizes): https://ebay.to/2R2H2aU
Liquid Flux Topnik No Clean (Amazon): https://amzn.to/2Al6HpP
Liquid Flux Topnik No Clean (eBay): https://ebay.to/2CXy7EO
0.3mm Lead/Tin solder: https://amzn.to/2NT7pOy
0.3mm Lead/Tin solder: https://ebay.to/2S6Jpe0
Hakko Soldering Station: https://amzn.to/2CVLzca
Blue silicone electronics mat: https://amzn.to/2Pbv7ug
A2 green cutting mat: https://amzn.to/2P8aKy3
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#StrathpefferJunction #HornbyTTS #StayAlive #KeepAlive

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+ Disclaimer +

This project does require a steady hand and competence with a soldering iron. Working with DCC decoders and tiny surface-mount components leaves little margin for error and it is very easy to permanently damage sensitive electronics if you are not very careful. If you choose to follow any of the steps or suggestions outlined in the video, you do so at your own risk and any damage or injury to yourself, your models, your equipment or others is your own responsibility.