Thanks for the response - I am using a Tektronix true RMS and I can also measure the frequency but, as you say, my results may be relative. I guess an easier guage would be other peoples experience with 3 locos on a total a total of 90 feet using EZ Command. I am asking before I invest in a booster or a different controller, I know Yampa Bob loves his EZ Command as do others but I might be on the cusp of capacity.

My Tsunami runs on EZ Command and only the short horn is not a continuous command. I.E. all sounds will continue until turned off except the short blast. This includes the dynamo.

I know this must be in here somewhere but I have just done the prerequisite 1 hour of searching and have not found a definition of the AC volts from the EZ Command. I am reading 16.4v and sometimes as low as 14.X with 3 DCC trains on a total of 3 separate loops of 36 feet each. The reason for my check is that my 2-6-6-2 (with Tsunami) runs about half as fast as my other two locos. I have a few DCC turnouts but they should not draw current if they are not being actuated.
I have read that people are getting 19.1v. I also have read about using more than one source track for the power. Right now I only have one wire from EZ to the 3 circuits and they all connect to each other via the turnouts. I do not see a great deal of drop with everything running except when I switch a turnout. It seems to me that the voltage would start to sag if my total load was getting low enough to be sucking too hard on the EZ?

Thanks Bob, that's the  way I read it but when it did not run with the 2 pin unplugged then I started to doubt my theory. So now I think that I will splice into the loco pick-ups to a 2K R and put a red glow in the firebox.

You could try putting oil down the stack - doubling the voltage and it will smoke but only once! I had 2 DC diesel engines from years ago and I managed to get smoke out of each of them, once, by running them on DCC.

Bob, so the tender AND the loco pick-up the power and are connected via the 2 pin connector? The tender then sends the decoded power to the loco led and the motor via the 4 pin connector? If my thoey is correct then it would probably work with the 2 pin connector unplugged but it doesn't. What am I missing here?

Yampa Bob, I agree with you but a lot of people in MRR "tinker" and a lot of the tinkerers have electronics knowledge. I understand electronics too and I would not mind cutting traces but for Bachmann not to give us the PC layout, schematic and parts list is inexcusable. I seen very complex boards reverse engineered, sometimes just to **** off the manufacturer, but in this hobby it seems that the manufacturer would only benefit by helping their customers. Tracing the board is futile and Bachmann knows that we can do it so why not help us instead of hinder us?

Thanks for the replies: No they are Bachmann plastic frogs. And the Hare and Wabbit look very impressive but I'm not at that level yet so I think that I will sniff the position and enable a bi-color LED.

I have 5 DCC turnouts in locations that I cannot  see their direction so I wanted to mount an LED on the turnouts so that I could tell, at a glance, as to which direction they were set. The DCC decoder decodes the command and actuates the solenoid so it must have knowledge of the command. It also assumes a toggle without feedback, I.E. it tells the solenoid to switch but has no feed back as to whether or not it happened. I will accept the no feedback situation but can the turnout decoder output a control signal that could be used to enable a toggle of a green or red LED to indicate that it was switched from its default position? I have seen the additional microswitches on the solenoid etc but with DCC it should be easy to utilize the "brain" of the decoder as a control line to the LED driver circuit.

I started this thread and some great information has come out of it but I still have some unanswered questions: 1. nobody has stated if this loco is bulb or LED. 2. I still do not know how to access the bulb to replace it or change it. 3. where is the official Bachmann database of disassembly, maintenance, parts etc?
Secondly - I looked inside my diesel and there is a LED at both ends of the PC board.  (front and rear lights) The resistor is on the board but how do I find out which one it is? This engine has a LED that also is only just visible if you look straight at it.
I have 2 steam locos from Bachmann, one lights up the room and the other is barely visible. Is this intentional or did the designer not ever check the resistor values?

Have you tried real barbed wire and then stretch it until it's HO scale. It should be just before it breaks and whips around the room slashing the occupants!

Thanks all for responding and Jim: I still have no idea how to take the tank off of the loco to access the lamp? My loco looks like an LED but you say it's incandesant? 1000 ohms at 6v - I'm assuming DC? For DCC you say use approx 3K ohms - why?

Quote from: pdlethbridge on December 02, 2008, 04:26:16 AM
If you put 2  1000 ohm  1/4w resistors in series would that be like a 2000 ohm 1/4w resistor or 1000 ohm 1/2 w?

1/4 watt. Parallel the R's to half the Total R and double the wattage.

I see lots written on the lamp being too dim but I still do not know how to fix it. This loco came in the NY Central set and is DCC. I can turn it on and off with F10 but I am gussing that the wires go from the tender directly to the LED? If that is the case then the resistor on the PC board needs to be changed or how do I know if the CV is set for full brightness? Bachmann don't give you any information with the set as to the specs, CV's or the model numbers of what's included. Sorry if this has been answered before but I really cannt afford 5 hours a day to read hundreds of posts. It would be so much easier if Bachmann had a knowledge base and gave the wiring specs and the PC board layout and schematics.

Thank you Yampabob, it confirms my finding that Bachmann must make a conscious effert to suppress useful information. Their products link gives very little detailed information about each item whether it is track or cars. It is very difficult for somebody new to this to get into it without wasting a lot of money just to learn the hard way. If Mr Bach Man is listening: the website needs a lot of help.