FGW HST (DCC Fitted) - no lights

[GDG256]

 

I have the Hornby FGW HST (Class 43) - R3478. They were DCC ready and I have installed R8249 decoders in both the power car and the unmotored car.

I cannot get the lights to work at all on either car when on DCC.

The lights work (and continue to work when I double-checked to make sure I had not damaged the connections when taking the body off) when running on normal analogue.

When on DCC, both cars are programmed to the same address (2) and they run really nicely. I have ”reversed” the direction of channel.

I have tried changing various settings and CVs, including CV29, but I simply cannot get the lights to turn on at all. I have reset the decoders (aside from changing the address and to reverse direction of travel).

Please can you help??

I have the Elite and only a rudimentary understanding of how to alter the CVs. 

[hedley_reynolds]

Hi GGG

when you say that you have tried everything including the CV’s this might be a daft question but have you tried the function buttons ie function 0 as pressing this button once switches the lights on and if you press it again it switches them back off   Hedley 

[Howbi]

In DCC mode using the Elite, which F number are you using to turn on the lights?..........I believe it is F0 on the R8249 decoder.......HB

[Chrissaf]

You say you have tried changing CV29. Tell us what values you have tried and what the current value is of CV29.

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Some report that the R8249 decoder does not require 128 speed steps to be enabled in CV29 for directional lights to work, but for many decoders the 128 speed steps (Bit 1) in CV29 does need to be enabled for functional directional lighting. As others have said, you also have to switch the lights 'ON' by sending a F0 command from the Elite.

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CV29 Online calculator.

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Note: CVs and Functions are two completely different things.

[Fishmanoz]

When you say you reversed the direction of travel, you added 1 to CV29 I hope?  If you wrote 1 to it, you turned off 128 speed steps and the lights won’t work.  You need the value to be 3 (no DC Running) or 7 (with DC running) as well as turning them on with F0.

[96RAF]

It would be good if decoders were solid state and fully integrated into a loco with no facility or need for a user to fiddle with them at all, then the repeat questions on the forums would drop dramatically.

 

Umm - sounds a bit like analogue locos. I’ll get my coat.

Rob

[Rog RJ]

Are you sure you have the decoders plugged in to the sockets the right way round?

The orange decoder wire should connect to pin 1 of the socket.

 

If they are reversed, the lights won't work but the loco will run OK.