I am wondering how easy it is to fit a working flashing cab-roof beacon to a loco, especially if it already has a factory fitted sound decoder.
I have a P2K Kodachrome GP20 with factory fitted QSI Quantum Sound, but it has no cab roof beacon, whilst all the photos I can find of these locos in Kodachrome show beacons. I also have 2x Atlas Gold Frisco B30-7 factory fitted with QSI Quantum Sound - same story.
Also, I have just seen a pair of Atlas Silver B23-7 in Kodachrome, again without beacons. They would be a slightly different proposition as they would need new decoders anyway.
The SPSF and Frisco beacons look similar, in that they do not protrude through the cab roof, but are mounted on a bracket above it.
I would be grateful for any advice on suitable HO parts and how to get the decoder to operate them. At the moment I have a Dynamis, and I am not sure if that could do the re-programming.
I have flashing beacons on some of my Athearn Genesis Tsunami equipped locos, and they make quite an impression! Maybe Atlas and Walthers will make these upgrades to their product ranges, but I note that the latest P2K ATSF GP30s do not have beacons though the prototype photos show them.
Grateful for any advice,
Bill.
I don't think the QSI decoder has the out puts for the beacon. I know Tsunamis have 2 out put function tabs for lighting. You could add a function only decoder to these engines. TCS and Digitrax both have function only decoders. On the Tsunamis the light functions are F5 and F6. Go to the websites of TCS and Digitrax and check out the manuals for each decoder. You may have to remap the function out puts but I don't know if QSI supports that. Joe
I made a beacon out of a "details west " casting and a stk led headlight from a stewart VO-1000 (the led was filed down to a smaller diameter to just fit the hole thru roof & casting ) and hooked to a tsunami with good effects
1RYYPHe1Mss
as for a factory installed QSI you are going to have to explore the out puts OR I think you can find "blinking" leds and fashion one to fit a beacon...JW ,then you may be able to just hook to headlight outputs ...?
....JW PS , thinking on that I found some super small blinkin lights at radio shack a few years back that were for car alarms ,that tiny lil blinkin light on many dashboards , cant remember if led or light but very low draw and 12 volt...Just an afterthought
I have done one with a Details West beacon, Miniatronics 1.5 volt bulb using a LokSound Micro. Works very well. Ok, there are various values of Easy.
All you have to do is check the decoder CV list for what it is capable of. All DCC companies provide the documents, even the loco manufactures who sell the locos with onboard decoders. I have yet to never find the documents.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
The QSI decoders won't be able to handle the beacon function. For whatever reason, QSI only has 1 headlight output capable of dimming. I'm pretty sure the factory installed ones don't have extra functions available.
Either a function-only decoder or replacing the QSI with something better are your options.
Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com
Hi, thanks for your very helpful replies. As a postscript to my original note, whilst the most recent P2K GP30s in SPSF Kodachrome (Walthers 920-31885,6,7,8) did not have beacons, I see that the very latest Santa Fe blue & yellow Warbonnet GP30s do now have beacons (Walthers 920-41850,1). They also now have Tsunami instead of QSI decoders. Does anyone know if these beacons operate? The description on the Walthers website does not refer to them, just to “LED Constant & Directional Headlights”.
Best Regards,
If I remember correctly the SP and SF were not given the merger. The paint scheme ended up being called the Shouldn't Paint So Fast. (SPSF)
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!