Several Questions!

[Guilford Guy]

Okay, So I have a few questions for you guy regarding DCC...

1. Is it possible to have alternating ditch lights flash on a model? If so how would one go about doing this.
2. Is it possible to set off the ditch lights by turning on the bell? If so how would one go about doing this.
3. Is it possible when running a trainset in reverse (Locomotive on head end, cab car on rear end, with separate decoder) With the Locomotive and Cab Car MUed, to set off the ditch lights in the cab car when turning on the bell I set off the ditch lights? Also, can it be done so that the lights on the cab car don't flash when I turn the bell on going forwards. If so how would one go about doing this.

And other Questions...
4. How hard is it to install a decoder in an Athearn GP40X.
5. How much does a lighting decoder which has the possibilty of alternating ditch lights go for(no motor etc)?

Thanks,
Alex

[kevin2083]

I can only give advice on #4 - hope you can solder.

here's a step-by-step decoder instalation course. Read over the whole thing before you start.

I.
Isolate and wire the motor
1. take the motor out
2. solder wires to each motor terminal
3. put a piece of electrical tape or some kind of thin insulator on the frame contact strip
4. put the motor back in
5. the orange wire goes to the top and the grey goes to the bottom.

II.
Lights
You will probably want to mount the light as close to the actual location of the headlight as possible. Here's how:
1. remove the light bulb
2. seperate the two parts of the light bracket-leave the bottom part connected to the frame- you will use it later.
3. solder 2 wires (about 6 inches long) to the light bulb or you can use one of your own choice. This would be a good time to use an LED, but regular lights are simpler.
4. mount the light in the cab roof with a piece of aluminum foil between the light and the plastic, this will help keep the plastic from getting too hot. try to make it so the light shines through the lenses and not into the rest of the cab.
5. mount another light in the rear, same as step 4 without the word 'cab'.
6. connect 1 wire from each light to the decoders blue wire.
7. connect the other wire from the front light to the white wire and the other wire from the rear to the yellow wire.

III.
Finishing up
1. (optional) you might be able to put the decoder in the dynamic brake housing- accesable by pullingh upward on the piace and then removing the weight inside.
2. connect the two contacs on the top of each truck with a flexable piece of wire and connect them to the red decoder wire.
3. connect the black decoder wire to the light mounting bracket on the front
4. put the shell back on, test for clearences of the wires , and you should be done.

If anyone else has something to add or fix, please do.

Kevin

[CAB_IV]

I think its alittle more simple. the new GP40X has plug and play, so you can use the digitrax 9-pin, or the 8 pin NMRA plug. installing the decoder will be easy

either way, you should have chosen a decoder with sufficient function outputs for the job.

At this point, its simply a matter of wiring up one ditch light to one auxillarly output (lets say the Green wire), and the other to the Purple wire.  the other end of the bulb ( or the correct end of an LED if you use those) should go to the blue wire. 

Now you have your lights hooked up.  It is now simply a programming problem. Your decoder manual will usually tell you how to do this.

the auxillary wires usually need soldering, but its pretty straight forward, nothing to complicated.  Other than the programming, it should be easy stuff, done within an hour!

as for the push pull stuff, i to am trying to get it to go for my NJ transit stuff, but i don't have the time.  Its still all programming. Remember, you can use a function only decoder in the cab car, and when you MU it, the "front" locomotive's settings go into play.   Its all possible with DCC if you know what you're doing.

good luck!

[Guilford Guy]

http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/sndtrx_dsd101lc.htm
So would this be a good decoder for the job?
I'd be using the  DSD-101LC 1 A Diesel Digital Sound Decoders"
It asays 14 lighting effects but I really am new to DCC... I know how to install decoders just barely anything else about em