Hornby HST 125 (DCC conversion of dummy car)

[Deadrock52]

Hi Everyone. I have successfully converted a Hornby HST 125 with a CD motor and DCC Chip with Black Cat Technology head lights. Everything works fine on the power car. Can anyone please tell me how to convert the dummy car with a DCC chip. Basically, where do the red and black wires attach to? is it one wire to each bogie i.e red wire to the front bogie and the black wire to the rear bogie thus providing the positive and negative from the rails, then just connect the lights to the appropriate wires on the chip. Any help appreciated

[Jupiter 1707822591]

Yes you have it correct .you will not need a decoder with a motor function .

[96RAF]

No different to doing the other end except you may have to swap the directional lighting wires as fwds is backwards at that end. If your controller and/or chosen decoder accepts programming as a dummy car then fine but if not just give them both the same address at the same time on the programming track.

[Deadrock52]

Thanks for you quick reply. The dummy car end just has 2 bogies and obviously no motor so do I connect the red wire to one bogie and the black one to the other bogie will that make a positive and negative connection to the track.

[Fishmanoz]

Dear Mods, can you please help out Deadrock by:

• adding to her/his title Dummy Car DCC Conversion so users will know what information she/he is looking for
• move this thread to the DCC forum where there will undoubtedly be a number of users who have already done this conversion on what I’m assuming is the old style non-DCC Ready HST originally with Ringfield motor, and
• remove the duplicated attempts to use the blue button to reply (the blue is not a reply to post button)

The suggested red and black attachments will be correct if - the bogies have wheel/axle sets with insulated wheel bushes on one side and electrical connection to the track on the other side from metal wheel to metal axle to metal bogie chassis. If so, then any convenient attachment place on the bogie will work and it will not matter which is connected to red and which to black.

And Rob (RAF) is correct that the light connections to white and yellow will need to be reversed compared to the power car for correct operation.

Moderator note - suggested amendments carried out, although a user can make all those amendments to their own posts.

[Deadrock52]

Thanks all for your valuable input as always. The decoder that is fitted in the power car is a Zen Decoder, can you use any decoder in the dummy car? or does it have to be the same one as the power car, also which decoders do not have the motor function on them.

[Jupiter 1707822591]

Thanks all for your valuable input as always. The decoder that is fitted in the power car is a Zen Decoder, can you use any decoder in the dummy car? or does it have to be the same one as the power car, also which decoders do not have the motor function on them.

 

 

Any decoder will work in the dummy car

Googling DCC function only decoder will get you a list .

I use lais 860011 available on eBay .for around £13 .

[Deadrock52]

Thanks Jupiter. I have looked at these on line and they fit the bill perfectly, not too expensive for what I need it for. I noticed it mentions it won’t work with a Hornby Select controller, does anyone know if this is correct, as this is the controller I have. Thanks

[ColinB]

I think the not working with a Select controller depends on the software level of the Select. If it is a late version I don't think there is an issue. You obviously found a suitable decoder. You can buy a function decoder that doesn't have the motor outputs, but they are more expensive than a normal decoder. So just use a normal one but not connecting the motor wires. As you only want the light functions the LaisDCC is an excellent choice as it is really cheap and really all you want is a glorified software switch dependent on direction of travel..

[Augustus Caesar]

@Deadrock52

I haven't been on the forum in a little while lately and missed this.

In 2013 I fitted a couple of these very same boards to a 125 from the eighties and in that year I uploaded FULL instructions with photographs on how to do this very task you ask about here.

It's pretty fool proof so anyone should be able to follow the document easily and it is 9 pages in length - just so you know.

https://octaviancs.com/hornby125/Fit4FDecandPCBtoHornby125.pdf

Hope this helps.

[Jupiter 1707822591]

Thanks Jupiter. I have looked at these on line and they fit the bill perfectly, not too expensive for what I need it for. I noticed it mentions it won’t work with a Hornsby Select controller, does anyone know if this is correct, as this is the controller I have. Thanks

Rigged up a decoder to a select controller and it works ok