I am wanting to install led's onto a gen 1mb motherboard with keep alive built in. I am wondering if anyone has a diagram on how to wire the board this way. I know it has a built resistor for function 1-6 just need to know if the led positive goes to the 12v common pad or to the actuall function pad and the negative goes to the 12v. Dont know if many have installed these before but worth a try. thanks
The common with DCC decoders (and the motherboards) is positive. The function 'outputs' are the negative side. Instruction sheet, if you are missing yours, is on the TCS web site. http://www.tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Literature/Motherboards/GEN-MB1.pdf
States that for LEDs you use the LED pads as the - and the 12V common as the +. The LED pads are the ones closest to the center of the board. If you hook to the other function pads, you will blow the LEDs since they would then get a full 12V. The LED pads are the ones that have resistors already in place.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
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If you're using the stock light bulbs you connect the to the outer pads for the functions, the ones that say lights, and the 1.5V common (not the 12V common).
Headlighst go to the F0 pads, and the direction should be right if you put the board in the loco the right way and hooked the motor wires up properly. Ditch lights typically go on F1 and F2, most ditch light examples for programming are based on the two lights being on F1 and F2, but nothing says they MUST be on those functions, most decoders cna be programmed to use any function output.
If only Athearn would stop using those stupid light bulbs.... one of the few left that isn;t using LEDs. I always replace any light bulbs with LEDs in any loco I put a decoder in.