trimit 3365 w 1 and caboose lighting

[Keusink]

I have bought a large set from an estate. It has about 100 freight cars, including an oddity I can't untangle.

One really nice caboose has pickups on the trucks. It has a tiny red light in the rear of the body. The light does not come on.

It has what looks like a small decoder inside, leading to an odd device of plastic labelled "trimit 3365 1 W". The car has an "064" taped to the underside, which may be a decoder address.

What do I have? Also, can I replace the red light with another I have that already has a resistor in it designed for 12 volts (bought a set for the back entrance to Dora's Bear Flag, if you know your Steinbeck. The kids think it's a hotel for ladies. Which it is. Sort of.)

Finally, any trouble using a 12 volt grain of wheat for inside lighting on DCC? I have digitrax superchief, and I wonder if the excess track voltage will burn out the 12 v light. I don't care if the caboose lighting stays on all the time (compare last month MRR with instructions for DCC caboose lighting, which is more than I want to undertake).

If the existing rig is DCC, I don't know how to turn it on with my controller, and I'd like to add an internal white light anyway.

Chris

[jonathan]

K,

I once rigged caboose lighting meant for a DCC layout.  Since the rails carry around 15-16 volts, I wired two, 12 volt, GOR bulbs in a series, so they could handle the current.  One bulb went on the inside and one went in the rear, with a little red fingernail polish painted on.  Caution: in order to use conventional bulbs, you must account for the heat.  A metal sleeve should be installed as a mount for the exterior light.  Over time the conventional bulb will distort, or melt the plastic roof without protection. A small piece of brass or aluminum tubing works well. If room is tight, some aluminum foil offers some protection, too.

Can't speak to the decoder.  I don't recognize the designation.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Keusink]

Thanks, Jonathon. What's a GOR light?

I have some cardboard sleeves that look to be designed as light mounts, probably for locomotives (the estate sale came with an impressive "boneyard" of parts and tools as well). Would those help w/ heat dissipation? Maybe keep the lights in the center of the compartment for maximum airspace?

The red light I have is tiny, just the right size really for a marker light. What do you think about putting the grain of wheat in series w/ the red marker, re total light voltage v 14 v track voltage?

Chris

[richg]

Thanks, Jonathon. What's a GOR light?

I have some cardboard sleeves that look to be designed as light mounts, probably for locomotives (the estate sale came with an impressive "boneyard" of parts and tools as well). Would those help w/ heat dissipation? Maybe keep the lights in the center of the compartment for maximum airspace?

The red light I have is tiny, just the right size really for a marker light. What do you think about putting the grain of wheat in series w/ the red marker, re total light voltage v 14 v track voltage?

Chris

GOR equals Grain of Rice. Do a Google search for GOR grain of rice. Small bulbs. There are grain of wheat also. A little larger. diameter.
Both come in different voltages and current ratings. Lower voltage and current will produce lower heat but I have never measured the temp difference. If I can find both types in my junk box, I might use my infra red temp scanner to measure the difference in temp.

Rich

[richg]

What gets some users is they are not aware that a DC only loco with 12 volt bulbs never gets to 12 volts. The loco would fly off the track first.
With DCC, the 12 volt bulb will always get 12 volts and get quite hot.
I have done a couple locos with 12 volt bulbs and saw that on work bench test.

Rich

[Keusink]

Ah. I know grain of rice, just didn't recognize the acronym.

My tiny red light is actually smaller than GOR, incandescent, comes with a resistor built into the wire already. Used it on my Dora's Bear Flag building and have an extra.

What is on the existing device is an LED, tiny. red, half cone shaped.

I opened up the insulation on what looks to be a decoder. It has three resistor-appearing devices, a small (1 X 3/4) circuit board, a capacitor, and a black round plastic structure. This is not the trimit device; the trimit device is installed between the decoder(?) and the LED.

Can anyone tell me how to turn on a non-locomotive decoder? (I'm pretty sure the taped numbers on the bottom of the caboose are a decoder address). I can change the loco address on my controller, but I do not know how one talks to an address of a caboose LED/ decoder combo. I tried the taped address as a loco address, but not surprisingly, nothing happened.

The November MRR has a very technical article on installing a caboose decoder and the author gives the TCS decoder a function number. I do not know how to talk to a function address. I run digitrax, but I place my faith in you Bachmann guys. This site helped me build my set from the beginning.  Chris

[Jerrys HO]

Keusink

Did you try to do a full reset on the decoder? Try removing everything from the tracks and do a reset on the caboose then set a new address.
I purchased a couple of used loco's that I did not know the address assigned and did the same process.

Hope it help's sure can't hurt.

Jerry

[jward]

i am wondering why the bother with incandescent lamps and running them off track voltage?

led's are much cooler operating, and very low current draw as well.     how low?  i used to put a flasher circuit and an led for a marker light in my cabin cars (cabooses) similar to conrail prototype. they were powered off a cheap aa battery. this battery would usually last about 2 years or so under constant power before going dead. it was interesting to come into the train room with the lights out and see all the markers flashing.

[richg]

Keusink

Did you try to do a full reset on the decoder? Try removing everything from the tracks and do a reset on the caboose then set a new address.
I purchased a couple of used loco's that I did not know the address assigned and did the same process.

Hope it help's sure can't hurt.

Jerry

Some reset info.

http://00200530.pdl.pscdn.net/002/00530/MRH04/DCC%20Shortcuts%20Card.pdf

Rich

[richg]

i am wondering why the bother with incandescent lamps and running them off track voltage?

led's are much cooler operating, and very low current draw as well.     how low?  i used to put a flasher circuit and an led for a marker light in my cabin cars (cabooses) similar to conrail prototype. they were powered off a cheap aa battery. this battery would usually last about 2 years or so under constant power before going dead. it was interesting to come into the train room with the lights out and see all the markers flashing.

No one is bothering with light bulbs. The question was, What is a GOR. I just included too much info.

Rich

[Keusink]

Thank you Rich, but there are a bunch of questions

One possibility is to just leave the marker light in that is an LED. I'd like to know how to turn it on. It is unusual because it appears to have a non-motor decoder and a device called a trimit. It appears to have an address on it, but it does not work when you address it like a locomotive. Here are the questions about it.

How do you turn on a function in this situation? (I am showing my ignorance here)

If that doesn't work, how do I change the address where the decoder seems designed for the LED only, rather than a motorized locomotive decoder?

My second and possibly preferred option is to install a white or yellow cabin light and incandescent red marker light. The lights I have in stock are a 12 v white GOR for the cabin light, and a very tiny red incandescent marker light in the rear. The red incandescent already has a built in resistor designed to reduce its current from 12 volts.

The questions:

Do I have to worry that my 12 volt incandescent lights will burn out because the DCC track voltage is 14 volts?

If I hook the two lights in series, will that eliminate the potential for burn out? The red light is downright dinky, marker light size for HO. I don't think the incandescent heat will melt the surrounding plastic because it is so darned small.

I still wonder what that "trimit" is. This looks like it was an expert installation from the quality of the soldering and the various insulation.

The boneyard I inherited does have a lot of electric gear like loose LEDs and resistors and such, but they are not labelled with their ratings. At least with the incandescents, I know what I am working with.

Nearest LHS is 3.5 hours away, no help there. I kind of have to work with what I've got.

Sure do appreciate all the help and feedback from you fellows over the years.

Chris

[richg]

Did you look at the decoder reset link I put in a couple messages ago? There is a way to ID a decoder.

How about including a photo or two of what the inside looks like? A photo is worth a thousand words and sometimes eliminates a lot of confusion in a discussion.

Put the bulb on a 12 volt supply on your work bench and feel how hot the bulb gets. Some users put a 22 ohm resistor in series with one lead for longer bulb life,

Rich

[jward]

i did a google search for trimit and the most relevant thing that came up was an i-phone app. nothing for model railroad use.

for led's, testing is easy. you can use a 12 volt output from a dc controller, either the ac or dc terminals will work as led's rectify ac to dc. you can use a 1k or 1.5k resistor in series with your led for the test. on dc they should light in one polarity, but not the other. on ac they should light ragardless.

[richg]

A nine volt battery and a 1k resistor I have used.

Rich

[Doneldon]

Three 1.5 volt batteries (D, C, AA or AAA) in series will also work.