Adding ditch lights to PS2 loco

 Hmmm, sure glad you posted G. I did not want to miss quote you. I also did not want to involve people in this that don't want to be dragged in. When I was taught what would work, I thought I could pass it on. I tried telling them about a relay circuit but hey, you're here now.

 I swear I know of you, Stan? Did you help develop this??

I got a lot of that exact info before. Maybe through mutual sources or friends? Obviously I couldn't repeat it as I'm not that savy and again, I didn't wish to involve others.

 No one harmed, but stating that each circuit can handle some value, isn't exactly where we are at now is it?? So, before Will smokes a fet or whole board, be careful that you guys insist that four or eight LEDs won't do any harm.....unless you want to back up your statements??????????

 Someone here owes me around $60. Right GGG?

Ok....this is a lot of information and now I am nervous that I am going to smoke the board. I really do not know what to do now?

Here's what I want to do maybe someone can just tell me the best way to attack it:

I have an MTH GP-40 with a PS2 board. As of now it is equipped with:

- A front head light

- Front lighted number boards

- Front green marker lights

- Interior cab light

- Rear head light

- Rear red marker lights 

- Rear lighted number boards

I want to add ditch lights to the front (I dont care if they flash) and two (one on each side) front ground lights under the cab. I do not want to have to load a new sound set, because I do not have a windows based PC.

Hopefully this will make it easier. Thanks for all of the help so far, its just a little overwhelming trying to wade through all of this information.

 Will, you'll have to give them the model number so someone can tell if there's ditch lights on I think.

http://mthtrains.com/search/apachesolr_search/GP-40

looks like maybe 158 choices starting in '02

I don't believe the railking models have them turned on in the oldest sound sets?

Thanks Joe!

20-20077-2

http://www.mthtrains.com/content/20-20077-2

Willbacker,  The red and green markers are the LEDs on 8 pin.  I am guessing that the NBL are on the ditch light wires.  Have you had the shell off before?  Could you send a picture of the interior lighting?

This leaves the 2 MARS lights available it they are turned on.  Most likely there is not wires in those spots on the 8 pin.

You could order a Diesel 8 pin harness from MTH if you don't have 2 wires with terminal connector on them.  One wire could feed 2 bulbs for the front ditch.  The other could feed 2 bulbs for ground effect lights, one each side.  Bulbs should be 6V bulbs.   If a patch panel is used this may be easy to do.

Post some pics if you can.   G

Joe,  The sound file controls what is available for lighting in conventional or DCS mode.  G

John the description on the website must be wrong because mine doesnt have ditch lights 

Mine only has:

- A front head light

- Front lighted number boards

- Front green marker lights

- Interior cab light

- Rear head light

- Rear red marker lights 

- Rear lighted number boards

Maybe this is a good thing and the sound board is already set up for ditch lights?

GGG I will try to pop the shell off tonight or tomorrow depending on my homework load.  

Thanks you guys!

Will

Won't be the first time a website was incorrect.

I'd connect a light to the ditch light output and see what happens.

The lights dimming when stopped is the Rule 17 lighting.

Fiber optics is a great way to add lighting to an engine and its so easy.

Well, if you have room for the LED right at the desired location, there's not much point in employing fiber to add to the complexity.   I use fiber when I can't put the LED at the location for some reason.

Why not just capture light from an already existing light source.

Fiber is a much more point light source as a rule, if I can put the actual lamp in the location, that's what I do.  Obviously, there are many ways to skin this cat.

Bingo!  The incandescent headlight bulb in this PS2 engine wastes maybe 90% of its output.  A piece of 3mm diameter fiber bent to position sort of like a ditch light can steal some of the wasted light. It's a good chance the OP would use a 3mm diameter LED.  In case fiber cable is not readily available, I've had good luck using solid clear acrylic rod; every hobby shop carries 1/8" rod for less than $1/foot.

First thing I do with those stupid bayonet bulbs is remove them and add LED's right at the location I actually want the light.

LED's are great, but you can't beat the color ( for realizm which most of us long for) of incandesent. Has anyone found a LED bulb that has a yellowish glow. The Proto 3 engines don't match the lighting of the matching non-powered units.

 Uhhhem, L E Ds. Doesn't look yellow enough???

There are plenty of warm-white LED's that have that incandescent glow.  I use them for almost all of my train lighting.

John,

who is your favorit source for these LED's?

I typically do a search on eBay, some of them are so cheap it's embarrassing.   Last time I needed single LED's I ordered from this vendor, this is one of the items I got.

C:US:3160" target="_blank">http://www.ebay.com/itm/50-pcs...me=ADME:LC:US:3160

I bought both 3mm and 5mm LED's from these guys, hard to beat these prices.

C:US:3160" target="_blank">http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-x-...me=ADME:LC:US:3160

C:US:3160" target="_blank">http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-x-...me=ADME:LC:US:3160

C:US:3160" target="_blank">http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-x-...me=ADME:LC:US:3160

Yes, I have a lot of LED's right now!

The MTH GP40 diesels do not have built in Ditch-Lights like the MTH GP60M diesels.

You can add the ditch light with a 3mm or 1.8mm LED, as long as there is a realistic housing for the light source.

Andrew

 maybe loading that soundset would turn on the functions if not already on:

http://mthtrains.com/content/20-2870-1

click the PS2 icon and save file somewhere on your machine that you'll remember. The original poster was not set up with windows if I remember.

 So Will, did you ever get them going?

I connected mine to the interior light

I routinely look for the Premier sound sets that will match the locomotive, they usually have more of the lighting features enabled.  Once you have them supported in the sound set, it's simple to wire them into the PS/2 board connector.

Wow this is an old one.  Since I have learned a few more things since this was originally posted I would add the following clarification:

MTH position is that 2 bulbs per circuit, though on certain engines 3 bulbs are used.  While the FET could handle higher, I am not sure it can handle the heat and you risk blowing the FET especially if a bulb blows and you get a surge.

The ditch lights if not used by the model, can always be turned on via the MENU and Control and Ditch light.  You get some soft key functions.  I have activated them even on steam engines where the soundfile uses that input for Number boards as an example.  The sound file will override it at the next start up or feature reset.

So if you have diesel and the ditch light pin outs are not used, you could add them and use the Menu feature to turn them on.

The LED outputs are different FETs and there also are current limiting resistors on the board before the trace gets to the pin for the LEDs.   G

I have noticed in the tester that I can always turn on the ditch lights, even for steam sound sets.  I always found that a bit odd.

I was working on a ps2 upgrade and found this. It has what is where.

I think that is the same as what is in the upgrade book. G

That is where it came from.