Decoder required for dummy cars lights

[DADnALEX]

My son got an Hitachi 800 5 car set for Christmas. (DCC ready).

We added a Loksound 8 pin sound decoder to the loco. Works a treat. However, the lights on the dummy car don't work as there's no decoder yet. My question is what decoder do I need to have the lights working?

This is what's in the dummy car. Do I need a Locksound one for it to work, or can any decoder work.

The limited instructions say about CV29 and setting it in reverse. I can manage that, but not sure what decoder I need. I can't see the dummy car has any other functions.

Any help appreciated. Will make my 8 yr old very happy! Thanks in advance!

[RDS]

You do not need a Loksound Decoder if it is just to make the lights work. Any Decoder that has the correct pin layout will work. You will need to give it the same DCC id as the Loksound.

[DADnALEX]

Great, many thanks!

[Brew Man]

I might be missing something here, but if you give the 'lights' decoder the same address as the motor decoder, how does the controller know which decoder it is talking to?

[96RAF]

@BM, it doesn’t. It just sends a string of commands to that address and any decoder with that address (1 , 2 or 99) will react to the commands.

[Brew Man]

Right, so only the decoder with the lighting functionality will respond correctly.

[96RAF]

@BM

The motor car has lights as well. The dummy car has lights but wired such that they respond directionally correct due to the pointy end facing the other way.

When F0 is sent to that address both decoders turn their directional lighting functions on. When the loco reverses direction the built in logic swaps the lamp colour at each end.

Like these Class 395 book ends posed for the camera.

[P-Henny]

Right, so only the decoder with the lighting functionality will respond correctly.

 

 

No. Both decoders if they have F0 'Directional Lighting' in use will respond to the DCC controller sent commands as they both have the same DCC Address. The decoder in the leading motor car will switch on the front headlights, whilst the decoder in the trailing car, if configured and wired correctly, will turn on the rear red lights. If the train is put into reverse, then the light colour at each end should change to suit the travelling direction.

The key to this working is in the bold text.

If the rear non motorised car decoder has a motor function, then it can sometimes require that decoder to be programmed first in the motorised car before being moved to the trailing dummy motor car. This is because some (many) decoders need to see a motor load to configure correctly. This is where a decoder tester such as the ESU ones discussed in a previous recent thread are worth their weight in gold, as the rear trailing car decoder can be configured on the tester, then installed directly into the rear dummy car.

Edit: 96RAF posted as I was typing.

[Brew Man]

Yes, get it now, thanks.

[ColinB]

I generally use LaisDCC decoders for this as they are the cheapest around and it doesn't matter about loco control. So LaisDCC decoders are perfect because all you want is a light switch that works on DCC.

[DADnALEX]

This is working perfectly now and my son absolutely loves it!

For some reason the Elite controller wouldn't reverse the direction of the dummy car, but 0+Direction key on the old Select controller did the trick!

Now to do the same on his Class 91 DVT!