Easy solution for ditch lights in N scale locomotives ?

[mu26aeh]

This is probably too good to be true, but would an easy start for installing ditch lights in N scale locomotives be to use Atlas part # 519010 ?  It is ditch light board from the 8-40CW locomotive.  I imagine one would have to ground off some of front of frame and then drill holes thru front pilot and find correct housings (Shapeways item perhaps )  Am I on the right track with my thinking ?

[badlandnp]

Am unfamiliar with that part, but the newest N-scale magazine has an article doing an easy mod for ditch lights in FVM GP-60's. He used mocro-SMD LED's that he soldered leads onto. There is another source for the pre-wired micro SMD LED's, I think I got mine from TCS...and that was a much more useful product for me.

[mu26aeh]

Ok, so I want to put a decoder in Atlas 8-40CW using the existing ditch light board and using a Digitrax DN163A0.  What wires go to what pads ?

Here is ditch light board, with red/brown on + side, black/blue on the - side.
20151025_172725 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

Here is pad locations from manual.
20151025_172741 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

[Doc Frankenfield]

this may be a too simple solution but< what about simply running two lengths of fiber optics from the LED to the ditch lights?

[mu26aeh]

That may get ditch lights, but you're not going to get them to alternate flashing from headlight. 

I got my answer from Digitrax, wire positives to + common pad, then the negatives to F1 and F2, but need resistors.  I don't have any of those.  So now question is, what size will work ?

[peteski]

What is that small square circuit in the first photo?  Is that one of the N-gineering ditch light circuits?  If yes, then look on N-gineering website for instructions on how to hook it up to a decoder.  Or printed instructions might be included with the board.

But you shouldn't need that circuit board since the decoder can be programmed for a ditch light effect on its function outputs. IN that case you will need resistor for each LED.

[mu26aeh]

What is that small square circuit in the first photo?  Is that one of the N-gineering ditch light circuits?  If yes, then look on N-gineering website for instructions on how to hook it up to a decoder.  Or printed instructions might be included with the board.

But you shouldn't need that circuit board since the decoder can be programmed for a ditch light effect on its function outputs. IN that case you will need resistor for each LED.

That is the ditch light board that Atlas used in their 8-40CW locomotive.  What size resistor should I use ?

[woodone]

You need to have a resistor for each LED. A 1K will work just fine.   

[mcjaco]

Read Peteski's reply again.

Not sure why you're getting another board from Atlas when the decoder will drive the LEDs already.  And yes.  Go with the 1k resistor.

[woodone]

The PC board the OP is talking about is the original ditch light board in the locomotive. It fits into the front of the frame half's .Just holds the LED's in place. Would need to be powered and controlled via the decoder.
   

[peteski]

Sorry for creating this confusion. The little square board shown in that photos looked to me like the Ditch Light Simulator circuit sold by N-gineering http://www.ngineering.com/connect_ditch.htm

I didn't realize that was just a a circuit board to hold the LEDs.  As others have mentioned, attach the positive side of both LEDs to the common + pad on the decoder. Then attach (negative) side of each LED to a 1000 ohm (1 k ohm) resistor. Then attache the other end of each resistor to the function output pads on the decoder (like one to F1 and the other to F2).

[mu26aeh]

Ok, so here's another question.  In the decoder equipped version from Atlas, they used an NCE decoder I believe it was AN12a0, which has 4 solder points under front light.  They are lettered 3, C, C, 4, which I'm guessing is -, +, +, - .  I have a NCE N12a0 decoder, I'm guessing I can hook the ditch light board to the new decoder in the same fashion. 

*****UPDATE***** I went ahead and did as I suggested and it works.  I have a replacement ditch light board coming from Atlas for the one I fried, so I will wired that one up with resistors this time with the Digitrax board.

[mu26aeh]

I received order from Atlas today with ditch light boards.  I wired resistors to the leads and soldered everything in place.  After about 25 minutes of screwing around trying to get CV's set up, then trying to use JMRI, I was finally able to get everything set up.  One complaint I do have is the front/rear headlights are very dim with shell on, mostly because of the SMD's now on the decoder are farther away from lens, whereas before the led's were extended closer to ends of shell/lens.

Up next is some testing, as I have 3 more ditch light boards, and I order the ditch light clear light tubes for the 8-40CW.  Going to see if I can't fit those components in a 8-40C or SD50/60.

[mu26aeh]

Bonus :  I opened up the 8-40C and they used the same frames as the CW (duh  )  It has a slot cut into end of frame to house the ditch light board, so all I have to do is drill corresponding holes in the front of shell for the light tubes.  Winning ! 

[mcjaco]

Bonus :  I opened up the 8-40C and they used the same frames as the CW (duh  )  It has a slot cut into end of frame to house the ditch light board, so all I have to do is drill corresponding holes in the front of shell for the light tubes.  Winning ! 

Still not following why you'd add a light board, when you can run smd's off the function outputs, but okay.

I had the same excitement when I opened up a first run Kato F40, and they had already made the frame to accept ditchlight pipes for upcoming releases.