Has anyone connected Ditch lights to an ERR Upgrade

[rtraincollector]

If so how do you get the lights to flash alternately or do you need to buy another piece of electronics for that?

[Buckeye Riveter]

Great queston!!!  There are LED's that flash from Evans.  The old Train America webstite had a photo of an engine with flashing ditch lights.

[rtraincollector]

Did send Boxcar bill a question about it as he has a video of an engine with ditch lights here's his response to me

"I used ERR CC"M" and Lionel standard mb and tmcc parts for the ditch lights."

What got me going on this is I won on ebay 100 4mm wheat grain clear bulbs so trying to figure uses for them lol now could hook them up to the strobe light but then they would flash together I want them to flash alternating as they do on some of the engines that are so equipped

[gunrunnerjohn]

The only ERR unit that will flash the ditch lights with the whistle is the Cruise Commander M.  That's a replacement for a stock Lionel TMCC DCDR to add cruise, and it has outputs for lights, including the ditch lights.

 

The other ERR TMCC conversion products, including the AC or DC Commander and the Cruise Commander (no M) have provisions for directional lights and smoke output, that's it.

 

There is a logic signal available on a pin when the whistle is sounded that could be used with an external logic circuit to flash the ditch lights, but you'd have to add that circuit.  The pin is the unused one on the RailSounds connector.

[rtraincollector]

I haven't had time to read the whole manual yet as have been told of this

"Yes, to get oscillating ditch lights the easiest way I've found is to
add an ERR mini-commander EX (for $34.95) http://www.electricrr.com/ to
the mix.

I've used these in conjunction with a factory TMCC install and an A/C
commander install without issue. An added benefit with an engine like
the DASH-8 is you can use the mini to drive the top light strobe and
remove the MARS board from the engine."

now I'm not sure if horn relayed or another setting to do so but plan to read more into this when off Monday. But there appears to be another way here. may even call err and see what they say.

[rtraincollector]

Had a few minutes here at work and started skimming thru the manual for the mini commander EX and here is a quote right out of it.

"Ditch Lamps "follow" The Front lamps and will flash alternately when the horn key is pressed. The flashing will continue for 8 - 10 seconds."

[gunrunnerjohn]

Obviously if you add yet another board, you can flash the ditch lights, but I was of the opinion that we were talking about doing it with the basic TMCC installation.  Yes, the Mini Commander EX directly drives the ditch lights (LED compatible outputs).  If the ditch lights are a must, you could add that module, providing you have the room in the shell.