Hi.
I may be able to help.
But I first need to know what make and model sound decoder you're using.
And, of course, which of the many Bachmann On30 locomotives that you're working on.
I also need to know:
Is it factory (Soundtraxx)?
Or after market (TCS , Digitraxx,etc.)?
Is it going to be a sound decoder installation?
Or are you trying to simply reinstall the factory board?
Some pics would also be helpful.
If it's a factory decoder, and you are needing a wiring diagram, it will be extremely hard to figure out which wire goes where.
If you're dealing with broken plug wires, it may be very difficult to figure out the wiring.
The motherboard does have wiring call outs on it,but I've never seen a wiring diagram from Bachmann for one of these little locos.
The only thing they include in the box is a blown parts diagram.
But not wiring.
And most of my On30 locos were brand new, and factory sealed when I received them
To answer some of your questions:
A Keep Alive usually plugs directly into a Soundtraxx TSU-2200,or TSU-1100 decoder.
I'm not sure if any of the open slots on the factory board are labeled for one of those(I do know that TCS includes a built in Keep alive circuit in their complete decoder/motherboard kits such as their TCS DCC WSK-BAC-8 WOWKits that I installed in my ET&WNC #12 4-6-0 a couple of years ago. It doesn't have any call outs for the rear heaglight. Bummer.).
The headlight has call outs on the board that are clearly labeled for it.
As far as most decoders(sound/non-sound) go,they can be joined to an 8 pin JST Plug.
Soundtraxx,TCS,Digitraxx,etc come with instructions to do this.(Soldering is required).
The decoder then can be plugged directly into the original motherboard in the tender.
The Keep Alive is then plugged into the back connection on the decoder,not the motherboard.
My DCC Mogul came with a 21 pin motherboard
And it included an adapter in the tender which allowed it to be converted from 21 pins to an 8 pin interface by using the method I described above.
There isn't a lot of space in the tender of a Bachmann On30 Mogul.
So,I opted to remove the adapter ,and place a TCS 1525 WOW 121 21 pin decoder in the tender.
This required a little modification(removing the screws holding the motherboard down in the tender,and then gently turning it around backwards so that the new decoder would fit!).That,plus a little electrical tape added for insulation.
Here's a link to the decoder I used(if you need a sound decoder for this installation):
https://www.ironplanethobbies.com/product/tcs-wowsound-wow121-steam-1525-21-pin-dcc-decoder/
I've installed decoders in 6 of my On30 locomotives which have ranged to a simple plug and play installation, to a full hard wiring job in a 2-4-4-2,and one of my 4-6-0's.
The latest one I did was the a fore mentioned installation on my 2-6-0 Mogul.
Initially, I didn't have the decoder seated quite right on the motherboard,which caused the headlight not to operate.
Honestly,I was feeling a little frustrated with this little 2-6-0 due to an unrelated issue with the guides on the steam chest.
So,I put it back in its' box,and posted about the issue on this forum.
Nobody had an answer,so I finally decided to look into the issue after a couple of weeks went by(I was by then deep into playing with my new Version 7 Big Hauler 4-6-0 with full DCC and it's Soundtraxx TSU-4400 sound decoder(it's pretty darn great! What with the sound ,and all.).
It took about 2 minutes for me to realize my mistake when I finally took the tender for the Mogul apart to look into repairing the issue.
The TCS 21 pin decoder was not quite all the way seated down on the motherboard.
There was a small gap between it and the motherboard.
I pulled the decoder off to check to make sure that the pins were all straight.
Took a moment to inspect all the wiring.
All was good there.
I then carefully replaced the decoder on the motherboard, put it all back together,and then track tested it.
The head came on immediately!
So that was what the problem had been all along!
Funny how a slight misalignment like that caused such a problem!
Here's a link to the video of the now fully operational locomotive on my desktop test track :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opdtn--q7zk
Let me know if I can help!
Mike!
I may be able to help.
But I first need to know what make and model sound decoder you're using.
And, of course, which of the many Bachmann On30 locomotives that you're working on.
I also need to know:
Is it factory (Soundtraxx)?
Or after market (TCS , Digitraxx,etc.)?
Is it going to be a sound decoder installation?
Or are you trying to simply reinstall the factory board?
Some pics would also be helpful.
If it's a factory decoder, and you are needing a wiring diagram, it will be extremely hard to figure out which wire goes where.
If you're dealing with broken plug wires, it may be very difficult to figure out the wiring.
The motherboard does have wiring call outs on it,but I've never seen a wiring diagram from Bachmann for one of these little locos.
The only thing they include in the box is a blown parts diagram.
But not wiring.
And most of my On30 locos were brand new, and factory sealed when I received them
To answer some of your questions:
A Keep Alive usually plugs directly into a Soundtraxx TSU-2200,or TSU-1100 decoder.
I'm not sure if any of the open slots on the factory board are labeled for one of those(I do know that TCS includes a built in Keep alive circuit in their complete decoder/motherboard kits such as their TCS DCC WSK-BAC-8 WOWKits that I installed in my ET&WNC #12 4-6-0 a couple of years ago. It doesn't have any call outs for the rear heaglight. Bummer.).
The headlight has call outs on the board that are clearly labeled for it.
As far as most decoders(sound/non-sound) go,they can be joined to an 8 pin JST Plug.
Soundtraxx,TCS,Digitraxx,etc come with instructions to do this.(Soldering is required).
The decoder then can be plugged directly into the original motherboard in the tender.
The Keep Alive is then plugged into the back connection on the decoder,not the motherboard.
My DCC Mogul came with a 21 pin motherboard
And it included an adapter in the tender which allowed it to be converted from 21 pins to an 8 pin interface by using the method I described above.
There isn't a lot of space in the tender of a Bachmann On30 Mogul.
So,I opted to remove the adapter ,and place a TCS 1525 WOW 121 21 pin decoder in the tender.
This required a little modification(removing the screws holding the motherboard down in the tender,and then gently turning it around backwards so that the new decoder would fit!).That,plus a little electrical tape added for insulation.
Here's a link to the decoder I used(if you need a sound decoder for this installation):
https://www.ironplanethobbies.com/product/tcs-wowsound-wow121-steam-1525-21-pin-dcc-decoder/
I've installed decoders in 6 of my On30 locomotives which have ranged to a simple plug and play installation, to a full hard wiring job in a 2-4-4-2,and one of my 4-6-0's.
The latest one I did was the a fore mentioned installation on my 2-6-0 Mogul.
Initially, I didn't have the decoder seated quite right on the motherboard,which caused the headlight not to operate.
Honestly,I was feeling a little frustrated with this little 2-6-0 due to an unrelated issue with the guides on the steam chest.
So,I put it back in its' box,and posted about the issue on this forum.
Nobody had an answer,so I finally decided to look into the issue after a couple of weeks went by(I was by then deep into playing with my new Version 7 Big Hauler 4-6-0 with full DCC and it's Soundtraxx TSU-4400 sound decoder(it's pretty darn great! What with the sound ,and all.).
It took about 2 minutes for me to realize my mistake when I finally took the tender for the Mogul apart to look into repairing the issue.
The TCS 21 pin decoder was not quite all the way seated down on the motherboard.
There was a small gap between it and the motherboard.
I pulled the decoder off to check to make sure that the pins were all straight.
Took a moment to inspect all the wiring.
All was good there.
I then carefully replaced the decoder on the motherboard, put it all back together,and then track tested it.
The head came on immediately!
So that was what the problem had been all along!
Funny how a slight misalignment like that caused such a problem!
Here's a link to the video of the now fully operational locomotive on my desktop test track :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opdtn--q7zk
Let me know if I can help!
Mike!