I am installing a Decoder in my PROTO 2-10-2
Anybody know if it uses bulbs or LEDs
I have resistors but don't want to use them if the engine has bulbs
51% share holder in the ME&O ( Wife owns the other 49% )
ME&O
Think I found my own answer
Using a multimeter set for continuity --with the meter across the light in one direction --OL
Reversing the leads the light goes on ( from the battery in the meter)
So this must mean it is an LED
I'll put the 1000 ohm resistor in series for each light
Test loop, would be the way to go if unsure.
A incandescent bulb will only grow with a resister fitted, but a L.E.D on full vlotage will blow and lead to more work in the long run.
Well I wired her up and the dec0der programs and the long address was input and accepted
Engine runs forward and backward OK
Headlight comes on when cued in and goes out when reversing the engine OK
BUT the backup light doesn't come on
Only thing I can think of is a bad solder joint but I just went across the end connections with the continuity checker and the LED still goes on in one polarity and off in the other so I know the LED is OK and the solder joints are good
Is there a Backup light Configuration Bit that has to be set for the Tsunami
That is the only thing I can think of but when I added a decoder to my Berkshire I didn't have to do that and it is the same decoder
UncBob Anybody know if it uses bulbs or LEDs I have resistors but don't want to use them if the engine has bulbs
Just a word of caution for future reference.
Incandescent bulbs, like LED's, may need resistors depending upon their power requirements.
Some years back, before I knew what I know today, I purchased an Athearn Genesis F7 with 1.5 volt incandescent bulb headlights and connected the headlights to a 12 volt decoder without resistors.
Poof ! No more headlights. Burned them out immediately.
Rich
Alton Junction
Thank you Rich
Great tip with the incandescent bulbs. mistake in the making.
Sorry can't be anymore help with tail lamp, At work once phoned maintenance about a tail lamp been out, the advice was give it some steel toe cap (kick it) it worked. Had to work train, no going home early.
UncBob BUT the backup light doesn't come on Only thing I can think of is a bad solder joint but I just went across the end connections with the continuity checker and the LED still goes on in one polarity and off in the other so I know the LED is OK and the solder joints are good Is there a Backup light Configuration Bit that has to be set for the Tsunami That is the only thing I can think of but when I added a decoder to my Berkshire I didn't have to do that and it is the same decoder
I had this problem with a decoder once. Not sure if it was the front or back, but for some strange reason one LED didn't like the 1000Ohm resistor. They were both identical LEDs that I installed at the same time. I replaced the 1000Ohm resistor on the LED that wouldn't light with a 680Ohm resistor and it worked perfectly. No idea why, but it works!
CV 49 is the headlight; CV 50 is the backup light.
Go to the SoundTraxx web site and download the Tsunami Technical Reference Manual to get a listing of all the supported CVs.
http://www.soundtraxx.com/manuals/tsutechreference.pdf
UncBob
Is it possible that the leads got switched on the reverse LED? Wrong polarity = no light.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
TA462 richhotrain: UncBob: Anybody know if it uses bulbs or LEDs I have resistors but don't want to use them if the engine has bulbs Just a word of caution for future reference. Incandescent bulbs, like LED's, may need resistors depending upon their power requirements. Some years back, before I knew what I know today, I purchased an Athearn Genesis F7 with 1.5 volt incandescent bulb headlights and connected the headlights to a 12 volt decoder without resistors. Poof ! No more headlights. Burned them out immediately. Rich I did that with one of my Athearn Genesis SD75I's. If you ever tried replacing the ditch lights on those you know it is a headache, lol. One word of warning, if you go with a higher volt bulb they produce a lot of heat.
richhotrain: UncBob: Anybody know if it uses bulbs or LEDs I have resistors but don't want to use them if the engine has bulbs Just a word of caution for future reference. Incandescent bulbs, like LED's, may need resistors depending upon their power requirements. Some years back, before I knew what I know today, I purchased an Athearn Genesis F7 with 1.5 volt incandescent bulb headlights and connected the headlights to a 12 volt decoder without resistors. Poof ! No more headlights. Burned them out immediately. Rich
UncBob: Anybody know if it uses bulbs or LEDs I have resistors but don't want to use them if the engine has bulbs
I did that with one of my Athearn Genesis SD75I's. If you ever tried replacing the ditch lights on those you know it is a headache, lol. One word of warning, if you go with a higher volt bulb they produce a lot of heat.
I could not agree more, and Athearn Genesis poses a particular problem in my experience.
Burning out low voltage bulbs on higher voltage decoders is one thing. Replacing those bulbs is quite another. First of all, the Genesis shell does not always lend itself to an easy fit on replacements. Second of all, as TA462 points out, replacing a 1.5 volt bulb with a 12 volt bulb to avoid the need for a resistor, may raise excessive heat problems, melting the shell for your efforts.
In my experience, 1.5 volt bulbs are best replaced with 1.5 volt bulbs, but Athearn Genesis bulbs are notorious for premature burn out even with the proper resistors. So, I replace them with the equivalent Miniatronics bulbs.
Some people suggest replacing the incandescent bulbs with LED's which I avoid because of the additional setup required to mount the LED's.