Adding Directional Lighting to The London 2012 - Help Please?

[jwb10101]

Hi Everyone,

I have just converted my DC london 2012 (class 395) to DCC. It works pretty well but in doing so the directional lighting does not work anymore.

 

I have got some LEDs and plenty of wire to hand but am just unsure on how to wire it up (please bare with me, I have only recently starting learning wiring etc). I understand the blue wire gives power to the LEDs. Does that need to go to a positive or negative then?

 

Then the yellow goes to the rear and white goes to the front. Then these wires must go on the oposite to the blue goes to?

 

Once I have worked out the wiring the question is how do I programme it all in? I am running Hornby E Link + Railmaster. I knoe how to programme normal dcc locos in. Is there anything else I need to do?

 

Thanks for any help in advance,

Cheers,

James

[Chrissaf]

Decoder lighting wiring is explained here. The Blue wire provides a common positive voltage (despite it being Blue in colour which would normally be associated with a negative). LEDs are polarity specific and have a positive and negative side. The LED positive side goes to the Blue wire and the LED negative side goes to the Yellow and/or White wire (see link above for wiring schematics). Important note: you will need to incorportate current limiting resistors (typical minimum 1K ohms), increasing the resistor value will dim the LEDs if too bright. The link above suggests values between 1K and 15K. If you leave the resistor out, there is a high risk that the LEDs will burn out the instant they are powered up.

.

However, you did say in your original post that the directional lights 'don't work anymore'. This would seem to indicate that you do not need to wire in new LEDs. Just get the originals to work now that a decoder is installed. If your model was DCC ready and had a socket, then the original lights just need activating. If the new DCC decoder had to be hard-wired in, then you need to connect the decoder Blue, Yellow & White wires into the existing LED circuits & activate lights on the decoder (see below for activating lights).

.

For directional lighting to work you will need to ensure that 128 speed steps is set in CV29, see here for details regarding CV29 (once set, this setting is remembered in the decoder). To switch lighting 'ON' you will need to issue a 'Function Zero (F0)' command to the loco from your DCC controller each time the loco is being controlled on the track.

.

PS - Don't know what LED types you were going to use but assuming standard round 3mm type. Then the longer of the two wire legs is the positive leg of the LED.

.

EDIT: Just looked up Class 395 and see that it is a multiple unit. This may complicate the lighting wiring as I assume the rear lights need to be in the last dummy motor car. A second DCC decoder MAY be required to be fitted there too with the same address as the motor car just for the lights.

[Augustus Caesar]

Chris has this pretty much covered and all you need do is disconnect the original lights wiring from the track and motor connections leaving the wires connected to the lights only and the other ends unconnected. These ends are then simply soldered to the wires on the decoders.

You will need one decoder per car... when one decoder has the wires correctly fitted then the second has the white and yellow wires reversed for directional lighting to work correctly. Both decoders will require the same loco ID.

[jwb10101]

Decoder lighting wiring is explained here. The Blue wire provides a common positive voltage (despite it being Blue in colour which would normally be associated with a negative). LEDs are polarity specific and have a positive and negative side. The LED positive side goes to the Blue wire and the LED negative side goes to the Yellow and/or White wire (see link above for wiring schematics). Important note: you will need to incorportate current limiting resistors (typical minimum 1K ohms), increasing the resistor value will dim the LEDs if too bright. The link above suggests values between 1K and 15K. If you leave the resistor out, there is a high risk that the LEDs will burn out the instant they are powered up.

.

However, you did say in your original post that the directional lights 'don't work anymore'. This would seem to indicate that you do not need to wire in new LEDs. Just get the originals to work now that a decoder is installed. If your model was DCC ready and had a socket, then the original lights just need activating. If the new DCC decoder had to be hard-wired in, then you need to connect the decoder Blue, Yellow & White wires into the existing LED circuits & activate lights on the decoder (see below for activating lights).

.

For directional lighting to work you will need to ensure that 128 speed steps is set in CV29, see here for details regarding CV29 (once set, this setting is remembered in the decoder). To switch lighting 'ON' you will need to issue a 'Function Zero (F0)' command to the loco from your DCC controller each time the loco is being controlled on the track.

.

PS - Don't know what LED types you were going to use but assuming standard round 3mm type. Then the longer of the two wire legs is the positive leg of the LED.

.

EDIT: Just looked up Class 395 and see that it is a multiple unit. This may complicate the lighting wiring as I assume the rear lights need to be in the last dummy motor car. A second DCC decoder MAY be required to be fitted there too with the same address as the motor car just for the lights.

Wow, thank you very much for your detailed explanation. It is much apreciated. I am playing around with it this morning so will hopefully get working using your help.

 

Thanks,

James

[jwb10101]

Chris has this pretty much covered and all you need do is disconnect the original lights wiring from the track and motor connections leaving the wires connected to the lights only and the other ends unconnected. These ends are then simply soldered to the wires on the decoders.

You will need one decoder per car... when one decoder has the wires correctly fitted then the second has the white and yellow wires reversed for directional lighting to work correctly. Both decoders will require the same loco ID.

Thank you, I have a spare decoder lying around so will take a look.

Thanks,

James