Bachmann Spectrum 4-8-2 HO with DH142 Decoder (Need Help with Fire Box Light)

[Bre2tSco2t]

This Spectrum 4-8-2 HO was purchased a few years back. DH142 installed. I was wondering if the Fire Box light could be made to flicker? If I remember correctly the decoder installation was NMRA plug in. I do not recall doing any soldering. Either way, I wanted to get help before opening this tender up again if that terns out to be the fix. I was hoping the fire box light was the reverse light and so I tried programming that and all other light functions on the decoder to various options and nothing seem to make the fire box light change. Is this a programmable light with the DH142 or do I need to do surgery on the wiring to get the flicker affect? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[cacole]

As near as I recall, the Bachmann Spectrum's firebox light is a red LED connected to electrical pickups on the drive wheels. I don't think you can make it flicker without performing major rewiring because the umbilical cords between the locomotive and tender are not connected to the firebox LED, which means that you would have to add wiring between the loco and tender just for the LED.

The DH142 decoder is so old that the documentation for it is no longer available from Digitrax, so I doubt if it supports firebox flicker.

[rrinker]

Actually the docs are on the digitrax page - have to go to the manuals and documentation section from the top menu and then to the box int he middle that says ALL Digitrax manuals in PDF format, and they have ALL their old products as well as all the current stuff.

The DH142 is an oddball, but it has standard FX capabilities (not FX3 like the newest decoders). Check the full Decoder Manual (get the latest one) for CV settings for FX functions. The limitation on the DH142 is that if you make F1 an FX function, F2 will also be an FX function, it can;t just be an on/off function. Not a big deal unless you have somethign that you want to turn on and off only. F0 for the headlight and backup light can still be just on/off though.

--Randy