Hornby 4 pin decoder sockets

[81F]

I have just purchased 5 4 pin DCC decoders with a view to hard wiring them into some non DCC fitted locos. However, can anyone tell me if the 4 pin plug fitted to the socket is a standard electronic component and if so what is the equivalent socket as I would be helpful; if the decoders were removable?

Note I have seen hornby mounting plates on eBay but I am looking for something on a wire loom

Many thanks for any help

[Brew Man]

From memory I think they are Dupont style connectors which, if so are easily obtainable. Trouble is you might have to buy 500 of them.

[Chrissaf]

They are indeed Dupont connectors and readily available in small quantity orders.

Search "Dupont connector" on ebay and you will get lots of hits.

Note that the connector housing is common to both the female (socket as used on the decoder) and the male (male pins as used on the loco harness). Therefore you have to order the female sockets or male pins separately to the common housing. The housings come in a multitude of different ways from 1 way to about 20 ways.

However you are after prewired 4 pin male connectors. These are much harder to find as most people (me included) usually terminate their own wires on these Dupont connectors. I have however found a pre-terminated 4 pin male connector you can use. They come as a pack of 10, with a male 4 pin connector at one end and a 4 way socket connector at the other. Cut off the female end and you have a 4 pin male wired connector you can use. Cut the supplied harness nearer the middle, if you can, and you will also have 10 pre-wired female housings that might be found a use for at a later date. The ebay link is below.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363269651256?

Move quickly, there is only one pack left in stock on the link above. The product as supplied is meant to be used as a four way extension harness.

Note, the inner two pins go to the motor and the outer two pins go to the wheel pickups.

Edit (in light of Colin's suggestion below): On the 6 pin connector the innermost two pins are the wheel pickups, the two pins together at one end are the motor pins, whilst the two pins at the other end of the 6 way connector are function pins. Note also, that on the 6 pin decoders, the 6 decoder pins are male and not female as used on the 4 pin connector. This prevents 4 pin decoders being used on 6 pin harnesses.

[ColinB]

If you are going to all the trouble to add a socket to the loco why not wire it to 6 pin. It is quite easy to convert the 4 pin Hornby decoders to 6 pin. It then means you can use any 6 pin decoder in your loco. They even make sound decoders that work on 6 pin. I did that to a Hornby Pannier that had a 4 pin decoder. I think you will also find 6 pin decoders are cheaper than the 4 pin versions.

[Chrissaf]

Colin,

81F's opening statement was that he has already purchased five 4 pin decoders. You and I could easily convert the 4 pin decoders to 6 pins using Dupont parts, but this does require a level of ability that may not be in 81F's comfort zone (hence his request for pre-wired connectors). So a rather expensive option to now buy 6 pin decoders to replace them if 81F is not interested in changing the decoder 4 pin female to 6 pin male connectors. Even assuming he could send the 4 pin decoders back for a refund, 81F would have to fund the return postage costs as it is not a Warranty return. Then there is the inconvenince factor to add to the potential costs.

[Brew Man]

Yes, they look like they will do the trick.

[Howbi]

@81F.......I simply use Bread Board link wires to plug into the 4 pin socket as shown....

[ColinB]

You don't have to send the decoders back. Chrissaf, he had already said he wanted sockets so he could wire them into the loco, so that indicates to me a level of wiring ability. As to to the Hornby decoders you just cut off the 4 pin plugs and replace them with a 6 pin one. I did exactly that. It just means two of the pins are not populated. I saw in the earlier post that is what you had written. The other advantage of the 6 pin is that there are readily available 6 pin DC headers if you want to convert back to DC.

[Chrissaf]

There is a distinct difference between wiring a pre-wired socket into a loco and terminating wires on the Dupont terminal pins to construct a 6 pin male plug. It is down to 81F to assess what his capability is. I'm not çonvinced that terminating Dupont connectors is a road that 81F would want to go down. If he does, then that is fine, but give 81F a chance to reply and confirm first. I've terminated loads of Dupont plugs and sockets, and they can be very fiddly, even with the official Dupont terminal crimping tool (which I invested in).

In terms of my different historical replies indicating a wire your own connector response. In writing those replies I try as far as I can to assess the target OPs capability and tailor my response accordingly.

I also try to answer OP questions as written.

PS - The cut-off female 4 pin sockets (if my suggested ebay product was used and 4 pin decoders retained) could be used as DC Bypass plates.

[Howbi]

I don't see the point of 6 pin decoders, they have 2 redundant pins which can't be used without an additional PCB to provide the positive feed for the functions to work.

[81F]

Many thanks for all the advice. I have just purchased the last ones suggested by Chrissaf. I should be able to chop of the part I do not want and solder the respective wires to the appropriate terminals within the locomotives (Lima Diesels and a Tenshodo bogie which I will need to modify first).

For the record, I am partially sighted so trying to solder small wires to terminals that are close together can be problematic so changing the original plugs to six pin would have been tricky if not impossible for me.

Regards

Steve

[Chrissaf]

Thank you for confirming that my solution is the one you want to pursue.

I was aware of your sight issues from a previous post of yours, which is why I was of the opinion (correctly) that terminating pins was not something you would want to do. I didn't mention your sight issue in this thread as I felt it was not for me to comment on unless you raised it first, which you now have.

[ColinB]

6 pin decoders are used extensively for N gauge so basically you will always be able to get them. Hornby from what I gather are the only people that make 4 pin decoders. As to the extra two pins they are used for front and rear lighting. I have used 6 pin sockets on all my split chassis Bachmann locos where I wanted a socket but the 8 pin one was too big. If you hadn't noticed by now, I tend to use Zimo decoders mostly and their 6 pin one has a higher current rating than the Hornby ones. One of my Hornby locos came with the 4 pin arrangement, I didn't want to make a separate DC adapter for it, so it was easier to just change the loco end to accept a six pin decoder and put a new decoder on the Hornby decoder.