Getting The Right Ditch Lights

[alloboard]

     I will need LED ditch lights for several HO scale locomotives. What function output will I wire the ditch lights into in a Digitrax DH165A0 decoder? Can I use regular LEDs for ditch lights or do ditch lights come with a unique circuit?

[rrinker]

 Most every digitrax decoder instruction sheet shows the wiring of ditch lights and even includes the CV settings needed to make them alternately flash when the whistle is blown.

Digitrax decoders don;t do very well with LEDs, programmed as shown it may appear that the LEDs don't even go out when they blink off. TCS and NCE work much better with LEDs for effects. For plain on/off lights it doesn't matter, but to get a good blink or flash effect with an LED, TCS or NCE is the better choice.

                        --Randy

 

[BroadwayLion]

If you get the right ditch light, shouldn't you also get the left ditch light?

 

ROAR

[tstage]

alloboard

     I will need LED ditch lights for several HO scale locomotives. What function output will I wire the ditch lights into in a Digitrax DH165A0 decoder? Can I use regular LEDs for ditch lights or do ditch lights come with a unique circuit?

The answer should be in the decoder manual, alloboard.  Just give it a try and see what happens.

You might also want to consider incandescent bulbs rather than LEDs for ditch lights.  Incandescents are better at dimming all the way down than LEDs; thereby they look more realistic when they are flashing.

Tom

[modelmaker51]

Regular 3mm LEDs will be too large for most ditch lights. You will need tiny smd (surface mount) LEDs.  Richmond Controls offers them with the wires pre-attached but you still have to add the included resistor. You may want to delegate this job to someone with more experience. RC also offers installation service.

[mactier_hogger]

BroadwayLion

If you get the right ditch light, shouldn't you also get the left ditch light?

 

ROAR