I have Overland Models passenger cars with DCC quick plugs for just the interior lighting to work with DCC. However, there are no lighting only decoders with DCC quick plugs. Can I use a regular 2 or 4 function dcc decoder and somehow make the interior lighting function? I tried a digitrax one and it doesn't seem to work....any suggestions? Thanks!
Yes, you can use a motor decoder.
Most motor decoders need a load or resistor attached to the motor leads to make it work. A 50 ohm 2 watt resistor would work. Then program the low, high, and middle motor voltage CV's to zero, so in effect there would be no voltage sent to the resistor in case the throttle got bumped up by mistake.
As a test, you can use a resistor between 40 and 75 ohms, 1/2 watt or greater. This would be hooked to the orange and gray wires. The lights would be connected to the blue and white, or blue and yellow wires.
I am not sure how you would use it using a plug, because I don't know how the plug is wired to the car.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
Who's decoder are you working with?
The norm would be to hook up the red and black wires to the decoder and the functions wires to the lights or LED's Some may need resistors. Will make a differenc if you are using LED's or Bulbs and what voltage the bulbs are too.
I don't think the interior is LED. Not sure though, I'll try to find out.
You can solder a quick plug to the function decoder wires easy enough.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
where do i find a 9 pin male quick plug that would work?