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TCS T1 Controllers and Headlights

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  • Member since
    November 2015
  • 11 posts
TCS T1 Controllers and Headlights
Posted by Fudge_Brownie on Friday, December 11, 2020 12:47 PM

I am repurposing some older sound only controllers.  Part of a project to modify some recently purchased used Athearn Bluebox engines.  These T1 controllers have a program date of 2009, so they are old.

My goal is to put lights in the engines for forward and for reverse.  I have done two units and for the life of me I cannot get the reverse light to work.  I would expect a switch engine to be operated in either direction so this does seem reasonable.

These are LED lights and I can confirm that they are working.  I am familar with CV33=004 and CV34=001 and have tried numerous combinations of these.  Never to get the reverse light to come on.  I have also used CV49 and 50 to change from forward, reverse and both.  Can never get the reverse light to work.  I can change the forward light to Double Pulse Strobe in both directions using 37 for light effect.

Again this is happening with two conversions and a total of three different T1 controllers.  One consideration is the units needed to have their direction reversed, a second is I have read these are two function controllers and third the use of LED's but not sure how these considerations would have any affect.

Is there anything special in joining two LED's to the blue wire of the T!? Other than polarity?

  • Member since
    November 2013
  • 2,775 posts
Posted by snjroy on Friday, December 11, 2020 1:20 PM

I have installed these decoders and there is nothing special about them. Connecting the blue and yellow wires (EDIT) should work. The default CVs should work fine - reverse lights should work when reversing the engine. I don't quite understand why you are referring to sound decoders... are you installing T1s with something else in parallel?

Simon

  • Member since
    November 2015
  • 11 posts
Posted by Fudge_Brownie on Friday, December 11, 2020 7:22 PM

Sorry, my mistake in using the word sound in the description.

  • Member since
    November 2015
  • 11 posts
Posted by Fudge_Brownie on Sunday, December 13, 2020 11:14 AM

It is interesting in posts such as mine that the solution seems to resolve itself.  I have three decoders and after numerous resets I have come to the conclusion that one is toast, another has one failed headlight wire and the third does work as it should.  Now I know it is not the operatorLaugh.  Thank you for taking the time to read.

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