I have been asked by a friend to upgrade 2 Atlas Dash 8-40 locomotives from DC to DCC with sound. I went out and got the correct Tsunami Decoders and speakers and set off to start the first installation. Everything wired up nicely, ran it across the programming track and used my Decoder Pro to program it up. Again, everything sounds great but how do I get the ditch lights to operate like the real thing? The real CSX Dash 8-40 engines have ditch lights that will alternate flashing left and right when the horn is activated. I know that the Atlas engine can do it as well, but I can't figure out how to make it do it.
I wired each ditch light up to its own output. Left ditch light to F5, right ditch light to F6. When I start up the locomotive, I press F0 to turn on the head light, F5 and F6 to turn on the ditch lights. when I activate the horn F2, the ditch light just stay on and don't flash alternating one and off.
Using Decoder Pro, How do I get the ditch lights to alternate back and forth light the real thing?
Sounds like the surgery went well, but the recovery is a little sluggish. Try programming:
CV 51 (FX5 Config) = 41
CV 52 (FX6 Config) = 57
CV 59 (Flash Rate) = 6 (this can be changed faster/slower, depending on your preference)
Basically, you're telling the left light to flash, the right light to flash, but not together.
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Using Decoder Pro,it's easy...open "Tsunami lighting" then F5&F6 effect selection=type 1 ditch light
then phase selection F5=phase A (normal) and F6=phase B (opposite)
then Grade crossing logic=enable to both F5 & F6
I did it on a couple locos. It's in the Tsunami manual, that is a free download. You can also adjust the delay time the lights continue to flash after the horn stops.