DSC Proto-Sound2 Board / Adding Lights

Here's the PS2 board wiring diagram from the PS2 upgrade kit.  Note that there are plenty of light outputs.  I'm thinking that not all of them are active for a given sound set, what lights do you already have?  I'm pretty sure the headlights are active for any sound set.

 

You can go to MTH Website and down load the PS-2 upgrade kit instructions.  There is a diagram that will explain the functions of the various connectors (12, 8, 7, 5, and 4.)  Also will show pin outs and light functions.

 

Light Bulbs are 6V GOW, Markers and Beacons are LED.  Normally no more than 2 light bulbs to a circuit.  There is a common purple wire that provides the + voltage to the various lights, and return is circuit controlled for on and off.

 

None of the lights or markers should ever be in contact with frame/chassis (AC ground) including couplers.   G

Great! So it looks like my train (subway train) is not using the 4pin smoke heat element, and the 8pin chasis harness? So would it be safe to assume I could use that [8pin chasis harness] to attach additional lights? Thanks for the feedback guys.

Your board is a three volt and it would be best to use the appropriate diesel kit harness.  The only lights you will get are ditch lights 1 and 2.  They will flash when you blow the horn, unless the sound file is designed to keep them on.

 

You can also add marker LEDs.  What type of lighting do you want to add?

 

G

Thanks guys, John, GGG.

 

If you check out image: http://cl.ly/K2g0, the only lights that came stock are where I put arrows. So I wouldn't mind putting led lights in the holes right next to those, and any in the top where the red/yellow/green/white combos are.

 

Thanks guys.

 

 

Best Regards, 

Nicholas L. Eby

iOS Engineer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 So it looks like my train (subway train) is not using the 4pin smoke heat element, and the 8pin chasis harness?

If you use the smoke motor connections, you'll be able to control any lights connected to them with the Smoke on/off key on the DCS Remote. You may not be able to control any lights connected to other connections, except as GGG noted above as regards ditch lights.

Thanks Barry, All, appreciate your input. Would it be possible to do something like this? http://cl.ly/K361

If the lights are directional, you can wire it so the red lights on the trailing end of the car are lit, you can tap directly off the directional headlights for that.

 

If you want to get tricky, you can have lights that only light when the train is in motion, you just sense the motor voltage and light them (or turn them off) when the train is moving with voltage on the motors.  I did that to add automatic smoke unit control on a conversion I did.  Basically, what I build was a motion controlled switch.  Here's the diagram.  The relays come in normally-open and normally-closed versions, so you could have it active when you were stopped or moving.  If you use a SPDT relay, you can have things active for stopped and moving, lots of possibilities.

 

 

 

Took some time today and put together a rough schematic of the wiring http://nicholasleby.com/public/Proto/ , will take some time and make it pretty for other people! So right now my engine isn't using the ditch lights, or markers et cetera, does that mean I can't add them?

 

Thanks guys.

 

It depends. What the guys above have been saying in different ways is that even if the hardware is there to drive additional lights, the software or programmed soundset for your particular engine must be configured to turn on those hardware circuits.  For a subway engine those lighting circuits may not be enabled in the soundset and this is not something an end-user can change.

 

So if the unused lighting circuits are unavailable, one alternative to having controllable lights (turn them on/off via DCS remote) is to use the smoke circuit as Barry suggests.  Unlike the lighting circuits, I believe the smoke circuit is available for on/off control on ALL engines. Some discussion on exactly how you hook bulbs or LEDs to the 4-pin smoke circuit would be required if you go down this path.

 

I suggest you publish you wish-list of exactly what features you want. My guess is it will require some add-on circuitry as John suggests for motion detection to control your red stop light(s).  For example another add on circuit could cycle through combinations of classification lights of whatever your multi-colored upper LEDs represent.  This could be done by detecting, say, an unused coupler output signal on the harness. So every time you fire the coupler, the LED pattern would change until you get the one you want.

I've noticed that some of these are active on models that don't have the lights, so it's probably best to actually check.

I would think that the lights on upgrade kits (and the associated sound files) would be active, since you don't know what the installer may want to activate.  I've installed the kit in a steamer, but I didn't use most of the light outputs anyway, but I'm guessing at least the markers should be active.


I did this very thing in a TMCC installation.  I used the smoke output to cycle a 4-bit counter through eight combinations of lights.

Hey guys, thanks for the replies! Appreciate it. So I did some research and you guys are right, each soundest supports certain circuites / lights / etc, so my train only came with headlights, is it safe to assume those are the only lights it supports? I'd also like to take your guys advice and hook up some lights to the smoke circuit, I know there is 4 wires (2 for heat element, 2 for fan (+/-), anyone know how to hook leds up to that? I have these http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/bl-212.html, which are ready for transformer power.

I'd use the smoke outputs with a diode and the proper dropping resistors.  You'll have all the current capability you need for any lighting.

Ugh, Why not post the colored version?