Using motor wires to handle lights

[jozasa]

I think I read somewhere that you can use motor wires to handle lights with a special configuration of decoder

This means that you configure the motor to be on or off with a function key, and the speed of the motor is constant (and set by another cv). And then you use the motor wires to attach to the light boards.

 

This would be an advantage when converting a non-dcc-ready train for the lights in the first and last coach. You avoid changing the orientation of the leds in the light board!

Does someone have experience in this setup? Which decoder brand allows for this and what are the CVs that should be adjusted?

 

[chadbag]

2 hours ago, jozasa said:

I think I read somewhere that you can use motor wires to handle lights with a special configuration of decoder

This means that you configure the motor to be on or off with a function key, and the speed of the motor is constant (and set by another cv). And then you use the motor wires to attach to the light boards.

 

This would be an advantage when converting a non-dcc-ready train for the lights in the first and last coach. You avoid changing the orientation of the leds in the light board!

Does someone have experience in this setup? Which decoder brand allows for this and what are the CVs that should be adjusted?

 

 

Yes, some people do that.  Not sure which though a guy in your area @Dani uses an LaisDCC decoder I believe.

 

Or you can use a bipolar function decoder made to do this.  NGDCC in Japan makes some and there are others.

[Martijn Meerts]

As already mentioned, LaisDCC and NGDCC have some motor decoders that have a bipolar function. Lenz silver+ mini also has a bipolar function, but the Lenz is likely quite a bit more expensive.

 

I have no experience with LaisDCC or NGDCC. I heard good things about NGDCC, and I guess the LaisDCC ones are cheap enough to buy a decoder to test with. If it's purely for directional lighting, it won't need a lot of features other than on/off and possibly dimming. In case you use it on older stock, you might need the on/off to not be instant. Lenz makes good decoder, but the silver+ mini is like 30-35 euro I believe, which is a bit hefty when used as a function decoder.

 

[chadbag]

The LaisDCC is usimng a motor decoder with specific settings to make it bipolar. The NGDCC are specifically function only bipolar.  Just to make sure no one is confused 🙂

 

I have some LaisDCC function decoders (non bipolar) but not any  of their motor decoders.  I also have two different NGDCC bipolar function decoders and they work great.

 

[Ochanomizu]

Hello,

 

I use Digitrax motor decoders, such as DZ123, DZ125, DZ126.

 

I set V-start (CV02), V-max (SV05) and V-mid (SV06) all to 100, which give a throttle voltage of about 40%.

 

You can also use the Kato FL12 decoder.  One side has 2 large pads for track power.  The other side has 4 smaller pads for headlight and tail light.  If you wire up the lights the wrong way around, simply swap the red and black track power on the other side.

 

[jozasa]

Thanks all for your suggestions!

 

I finally decided to try the Lenz Silvermini+ for the DCC conversion of my Kato Sunrise Express.  I had a couple around, although it is indeed a bit expensive to use them just for this.

I've never tried any Laisdcc or NGDCC, since they take long delivery time to get them here in Spain

 

For the record, these are the adjustments to be made in the Lenz Silvermini+:

 

Write 16 into CV50 (default zero), this converts the decoder in a "bipolar function decoder"

Write 0 into CV49 (default zero), this makes the decoder motor outputs to respond to Function Zero (typically used for lights)

Write the dimming value into CV120. Default is 255 (no-dimming). I wrote 64, which suited my taste

Wire the decoder with the motor wires to the lightboard (grey and orange cables).

 

Then the lights respond to F0 and depending on the travel direction

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2019 by jozasa