LED Lighting

Hi different color Leds have different current milliamp's draw, Gunnruner John sells power Supplies that you can adjust the voltage for each of the different color led's due to 20ma sometime higher sometimes lower current draw!

Alan

Truthfully, for use in locomotives, I typically just use a resistor and diode to regulate the current and polarity.

I don't always convert everything to LED, sometimes incandescent bulbs do a better job.  Cab lights and number boards come to mind, many times the more evenly distributed light from incandescent bulbs work better in those applications.

I like to draw a diagram if I'm doing a more complicated lighting job so I can sort out all the details before I'm soldering stuff in.   Here's one of the more involved lighting configurations I did, this will give you an idea of handling the various lighting functions. This was for a demo of the then new ERR Cruise Commander Lite board in a small locomotive.  This is a project that I did almost ten years ago, but it's aged well: Cruise Commander Lite Beta Test, Part Deux, see the thread link for details on all the functions.

Fellows, thanks for the thoughts, comments, and wire diagram.

Can anyone tell me exactly where the switch or terminal is located that switches the directional lighting from front to rear. I assume it is located somewhere in the DCDR or the Radio Board. A pictorial illustration would be great if available. This unit is Odyssey 1 and has the DCDR with the black 6 Pin female Molex cable input at its base.

This would be a great help to me and with the earlier comments, this gives me a great starting point.

Gunrunner, I did not know you have other available parts other than the SuperChuffer II.  Where do I find your available parts list for O Gauge Locomotives? Would you have any Lionel Railsounds SD Diesel Locomotive sound chips 4E and above? Or any complete Railsounds 4E and above SD Boards? Thanks, Mike

@Harbor posted:

Fellows, thanks for the thoughts, comments, and wire diagram.

Can anyone tell me exactly where the switch or terminal is located that switches the directional lighting from front to rear. I assume it is located somewhere in the DCDR or the Radio Board.

The standard R2LC is the main controller and radio receiver of the TMCC signal. The standardized pinout applies to the motherboard socket this plugs into.

Which leads us to THIS very important to keep in our back pocket information by @Rod Stewart https://ogrforum.com/...nections%20R1.31.pdf

Again, massive thanks to all who contribute to the excellent documentation!!!

Thanks Vernon and everyone. This is great and very helpful, I really appreciate the leg-up.  I now have a great starting point.

I've added LEDs to PS2  MTH engines per Gunrunner's info.

  I now have a PS3 MTH engine that I want to add two LED interior cab lights that didn't come OEM.   Not sure what has to be done for a PS3 .

The engine has double LEDs for the front and the rear headlights .   It also has LEDs for the front and rear number boards as well as two LEDs for the marker lights front and rear.  A total of 12 LEDs but no cab lights.  I don't necessarily need the cab lights to only come on when in neutral.    Need help AGAIN

If you just want to have cab lights on all the time, you can run them from track power.  For two LED's no diodes necessary, connected them to track power through a 1K resistor and connect them in opposite polarity in parallel.  That protects them from reverse voltage over their specs.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

If you just want to have cab lights on all the time, you can run them from track power.  For two LED's no diodes necessary, connected them to track power through a 1K resistor and connect them in opposite polarity in parallel.  That protects them from reverse voltage over their specs.

Thanks John.

I keep this thing on a' live yard '.   Would there be a safe way to split off of maybe the marker light wires ?

Dallas, be more specific what you're trying to accomplish.  You can power the markers from track power if that's what you're asking.  A resistor and a diode is all it takes.

I would like the cab lights to come on when the marker LEDs come on.   Sorry the confusion John.