Jump to content

Class 37 TTS fitting Express Models lights


pendeenpete

Recommended Posts

Good morning,

 

Firstly apolgies put this first in general by mistake!!

I know some of you have fitted lights to the above,my question is,did you solder the wires to the underneath of the dcc socket?

The decoder wires on the express models lighting board are extremely short,did you fit the board to the chassis or the body?

 

Thanks Pete

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have fitted this kit now,am quite pleased,although the lights are extremely bright. Think I would fit a resistor if doing again. I painted the inside of the body matt black as recommended, sothere is no light bleed.

The instructions are good and the lights fit well,it has added a new dimension to the loco,pics attached.

/media/tinymce_upload/7b28490131951b7a8285519738bc1aff.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/fadd18cd96da7c9593a986462d13e931.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

@Pete or @RAF

 

When you fitted this kit can you tell me what size LED's were fitted to each area? I see the colours would be amber, warm white(?) and red.

Were they lighthouse type?

I have been asked to fit LED's to this model by a friend and doubt I will use the kits you bought but will simply wire in my own.

Also, finally, to what colours on the TTS sound decoder pins are your LED's soldered? I know that the cab light fitted by RAF is using green but that is not a requirement so far... all I will be fitting is directional lighting.

Thanks in advance guys... :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The express models LEDs are 1.8mm Ambers and Reds and 2mm White headlight all lighthouse type which can be filed flush with the body.

On the chassis I soldered wires from the four inner pins of the DCC socket per NMRA colour scheme to a four pin plug. The wiring schematic is in the TTS leaflet/manual.

On the body I extended the express models wires to a matching four pin socket to allow for easy body removal.

The plug and socket is the normal loco to tender set up. X9111 and X6?? See any suitable service sheet and source from Hornby or Peters Spares.

Colour codes: blue for common power, white for front whites and rear reds and yellow for rear whites and front reds. Green for aux F18 steam or F25 diesels. I used mine for cab lights. Don't forget to include resistors.

Be aware that early TTS decoders had bad directional lighting logic, so lighting would be contra the motor direction. I resolved this by wiring the loco to standard and swapped white and yellow at the decoder as it was easier than doing it at the plug.

 

So far I have four diesel/electric wired up and apart from being really bright I am well pleased.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@RAF

 

Thanks for all that info Raf... very informative. I have already converted an 80's 125 using SML's (surface mounted) and had the issue with both directions at first being both white or both red until I swapped white and yellow over!

 

In the short time since I put up my post my friend has been back with the box that has the diagram for lighting included as you say... typical! He has also asked if I can do two other TTS sound loco's... the BR Class 47 401 and the BR Class 40 Empress of Canada. I think I'll start a business off... lol

 

From your comment above did you fit the wiring as follows... the wires from the original decoder to a four pin socket and the wires from the LEDs to a 4 pin plug? In that sense making it easier to remove the body as you say by simply unplugging the 4 pin plug from its socket. If that's correct it makes sense to me to do it that way so repairs, if necessary, can be done. So is it easy to get these sockets and plugs then? If not I can use cut offs from the 8 pin ones to solder to I assume.

 

Resistors I always fit as standard. Thanks RAF... any further info would be most welcome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@AC

I soldered 4 Wires of the 4 pin plug to the 4 vacant pins on the existing 8 pin decoder socket as they were long enough to reach into the body, else splice in longer bits. 2 screws to remove the decoder socket.

In the body I spliced the exp models wires to the 4 pin socket wires and glued this socket to the body.

This makes it easier to plug the 4 pin plug into the firm socket as it is fiddly. It also keeps the TTS decoder wiring in one piece so that it can be removed if required for maintenance.

You can of course use any 4 pin connection arrangement that will fit.

Convention would be to have the socket at the 'power' side of the wiring and the plug in the body but I found it more convenient the other way round and the plug is actually a shielded socket and the socket has the pins on show - confused? 

Yes the plug and socket are easily found. I will dig out actual part numbers later today and post them up for you.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  @AC

A few pictures to aid you....apologies for the focus (or lack of it).

This is what I use if the loco doesn't have a DCC decoder socket. Solder loco to the pins and plug decoder in the holes...

/media/tinymce_upload/39ccfb115451d9d8204a8dd1f82167d6.JPG

 

This loco is a Class 90 which is hard wired with an Express Models lighting kit. Its also going to get some noise fitted. The speaker case is the middle from a roll of sticky tape...

/media/tinymce_upload/3840f08932d95cb57a0d388af06e2aa9.JPG

This is a TTS Class 37 with the 4 pinplug/socket arrangement for the lights. It also has a bit of extra weight in the roof for traction. TTS speaker has been sealed with white blu-tak.

/media/tinymce_upload/10e6c5aebaeabd57985400eae00f2256.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@RAF

Thanks Rob for your excellent information and help. I will cost this job up for my friend and see if I can use a similar approach with the other two locos he gave me!

Have you wired up any of these two per chance? I noted them in a post above as you will probably remember.

I'll copy and paste the texts from your kind self and then print them for use on this task. Hopefully I will get the work started by next week when I manage to give him his costs... plus a whopping 3 grand for the job... I wish!! :-)

I may even film the whole thing for publication on the Tube... who knows... depends how it goes really.

I've looked at some pics of the other two locos to see how they were with lights and I think I am OK with them apart from the Empress model... it seems there were six lights on the front so I take it the outer two top lights are red and the rest are white? The model hasn't got the covers of some of the real versions of this loco but the lights were undrneath I believe? Not my forte as of yet these lights etc...

Thanks again... :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@AC

Some pictures coming - held moderation so probably Monday now as Hornby knock off at lunchtime Fridays for the weekend.

 

I haven't done a CL 40 or 47 but the CL 90 has car headlight type lenses which I removed, fitted the various leds, trimmed them back and refitted the headlight lenses.

 

One of my CL56 has simple single lights so they were just drilled through, the led post poked through and trimmed back. The other has factory fitted lights which I just  spliced into.

 

CL 37 - I pushed out the white lens with a small punch, but from memory the amber and reds were painted on so had to be drilled out using 1mm pilot then opened up to 1.6mm or to suit. Express Models recommend opening them just enough for the leds to sit behind but as the leds were flat not dome ended I drilled right through and filed the lighthouse flush with the body.

 

Google Images of CLxxx lights and you can usually spot the arrangement your particular model has, with the various combinations lit up. There are day, night, consist, rake, etc, lighting rigs so it pays to ask your customer what he expects as remember the  TTS is only a 2 function decoder for lights and the full lighting options the purist may want requires up to I think 10 functions. The only way you can achieve this with TTS is use an add on function decoder - outwith my requirements - I'm a simple lights on, lights off man.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well worth pointing out Pete as when interrogated by RM I have seen TTS decoders with the 28/128 speed steps not ticked in CV29.

 

The other thing to note is the motor algorithm which can be set (CV150) to value 1 to better handle ringfield motors, if its not a pucka TTS loco.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sound advice guys... forgive the non deliberate pun... but you have thrown enough light on this for me for now (deliberate pun!!)... :-)

 

Seriously, great advice and I will note it all. I'll check back for the pics RAF... been looking locally for those plugs etc as Peter's are too expensive at £4-6+ when the are on the Bay for £2.00. Anyway, I will see the pics once posted up and when I show these to my friend we will take it from there. Cheers all...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@RAF

 

Many thanks for those photos... I'll make a note of the plug in pic 1. I maybe would have thought of using something like that anyway but at least you save me from hours trying to come up with it.. :-)

Love the improv with that roll from the sticky tape for the speaker! Also the white blue tack for 'noise' reduction I imagine? This would mean clean sound from the speaker and not underneath if that is what you have done that for...?

The plug beside the weight in the roof of the body is what I have been looking around for in Newcastle and while one part is available the other was not. Anyway, asides from Peter's and Hornby there are some of those on the Bay cheaper which I will use. So thanks again for that tip.

When I get away from a couple of big fixes on servers in the next few days I will begin to get this set of loco's fitted for my friend and then will add lighting to my own 80's models... Class 91, 37 and 47 (Diana Spencer) and then maybe the two St Paady's BR Blue's I have... we'll see....

Thanks RAF... I'll let you know how I get on... or I will pick your brains again... :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 8 pin plug/sockets were bought from alibaba at cost of 33p each in qty of 20. You can plug them together obviously.

 

you can get a similar thing but in single bank long strip form from  Maplins, look under connectors.

 

happy for you to rummage through what I call a brain in the hope of finding something useful.

 

the 4 pin socket is available in right angled (most common) and axial form. You have to search late model steamers for that one as I forgot where I saw it and have ditched the part number.

 

the sealing is to prevent sound getting from one side of the speaker to the other. In this case the battery box is playing the part of a sealed back enclosure and the sound is pushed forward. If you don't do this quality of the limited output is compromised and this includes the hole where the speaker wires feed out of the little plastic box.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks again RAF for your excellent information. I did see those plugs in strips at Maplins when I bought my breadboard etc. from there for testing circuits with LED's and whatever else can be tested. However, I will check the site you gave.

 

Having gone through the searches for the other plugs and sockets you have on the '37' above I would also assume that these may not be absolutely necessary. I could quite easily use the blanking plugs pulled from DCC ready loco's and also use the ends cut from decoders thus effectively giving me the same solution. It would be the cut-offs that would be harder to pull as they are generally just left on the decoder and plugged into the usual socket on the loco boards.

 

Here's a daft question... would two of these blanking plugs not fit onto each other? I will look at that later on as I am in a different room working and it's about 3.30 am!!! Well, I say working but I am just taking a break for now... honestly! :-)

I would have to bend each of the pins away from each other for soldering of course but when I can get a closer look at this I will be in a better place to deduce the best way forward for my friend who wants this done. I am now looking at upgrading a few of my own loco's and the facility to separate the body and chassis via the plugs is better than wholly soldered wires being pulled apart when working on them.

 

I'll keep looking for those others and if you do find the info you lost do let me know... either on here or use the link on the Help Site to mail me privately.

 

The sealant around the speaker is a new thing to me for loco's but my older brother used to seal his large speakers when running disco's etc back in the sixties and seventies so sound was not lost at he rear of his speaker cases... he made all his own gear. As soon as I saw that on the pic above I knew what it was for straight away. Great stuff... :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hi guys I'm new to the forum and have a problem with my class 37 tts sound chip. I run a hornby rail master no compatability problems, the loco starts as normal all sounds are available but when the loco reaches 10 mph all sound functions stop, the loco continues to operate as normal then once the speed drops back down to 10 mph the sound comes back on... I've tyred reseting the cv to 8 and still am baffled by the lack of sound. Has anyone got any ideas as it's rather anoyying. . I've cleaned all wheels and track pls help... thx in advance 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Regarding Steve blueflame's post directly above:

This post is an exact duplicate of his new topic post S.b made in the 'General Section four minutes after this one. Thus, this one is a duplicate that has hijacked the OP's different topic. The other topic post may get moved by Admin into the DCC section later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
  • Create New...