Legacy signal interference from fluorescent lights

Replace the fluorescent lights with LED strips and get rid of the interference source.  You could also try adding more earth ground wires. 

John, thanks.

That's probably what I will do.  I like the fluorescents, I installed them in my backshop and it made the building look  more industrial, but, I'm afraid you're probably right, removing them and installing LEDs is probably what I'll have to do... 

I had similar problems to what you are experiencing. I did not consider that it may have been the florescent lights. I added the ground plane but still occasionally had a problem with engines stalling. I have converted these all to LED lights a few months back. I never thought about it till I read your post, but since doing the conversion the problem seems to be gone. Thank you for posting.

Ray

You do know about LED replacement tubes for florescent fixtures, right?  No need to replace the fixtures, just swap out the bulbs.

John, the fluorescents lights, are the small, Miller Engineering fluorescents, mounted under the platform.  Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

In that case, I'd consider a total LED replacement.

Yes, that appears to be the fix. I'll have to say good bye to the fluorescents  and look for another application.

thanks.

You could get the LED strip lights and a wall wart power supply to go with them from ebay. They are sticky back and would just stick to the plywood where your lights are now. You can get many different colors these days, cool white, bright white, warm white, etc. Plenty to choose from these days. You can also cut them to length, in sets of 3 lights, to get how ever much light you want. The reels are marked where to cut.

As far as the sticky back, I got a full reel of double LEDs (600 instead of 300 per roll) and stuck them to the bottom of my layout for light while i am under there (I use it for storage too) a couple of years ago. They are still stuck right where I put them (no sagging or loose areas) and working just fine.

Ed,

   You hit the nail on the head, get rid of your florescent lights, install new LED's.  I did this 2 years ago on my Christmas layout, it almost fully eliminates any Legacy control problems.  However remember some Legacy Engines can interfere with DCS signals, so not everything is cured by just replacing your florescent lights.

PCRR/Dave

My Legacy GP9 NP, interferes with my 1st Generation DCS P2 Street Car signal, if the Legacy Engine passes to close to the P2 Street Car, when giving Legacy Commands to the GP9, and I will have to restart the auto function of the P2 Street Car when it happens.

Those lights are probably EL or Electro-Fluorescent.  And YES the technology, which uses high frequency switching, will mess up the Legacy Signal.

RTR12,

As far as the sticky back, I got a full reel of double LEDs (600 instead of 300 per roll) and stuck them to the bottom of my layout for light while i am under there (I use it for storage too) a couple of years ago. They are still stuck right where I put them (no sagging or loose areas) and working just fine.

Wow, what a great idea, I never thought about that. I have the 300 light rolls and will put a couple of those strips down below the layout and light them up with the SC-2. Thank you for the pointer.

GRJ, 

I did as you suggested and pulled the ballasts and installed the LED tubes, got a decent price on EBAY for both the 4 footers and for the 8ft.

Ray

SantaFeFan posted:

Those lights are probably EL or Electro-Fluorescent.  And YES the technology, which uses high frequency switching, will mess up the Legacy Signal.

You're right Jon, I found that out trying to light my Phantom locomotive with the EL wire, it really screws things up!

These from Menard's are great under the cabinet LED lights...

https://www.menards.com/main/k...d=113565725460696064

When you power them up, they come on at max illumination. So if they are in a remote location, they will most likely be max lighting. I have many under kitchen cabinets and they work well. I just leave them on for minimum illumination.

There are lots of 12v LED reels and associated power supplies and connectors on the bay and river sites.  The exterior type has a translucent cover that may be suitable for this application as it looks like a ceiling fixture cover when cut to short lengths.  Solder the power wires on.  Avoid the solderless clips.   You can pick the color of the lights from cool white (6000K) to warm white (3400K) and get a dimmer to control brightness.  The only issue I have had with the LED reels is the adhesive which is not strong enough to adhere well to Homasote.  Sticks to smooth plywood such as what your photo shows.

+1 on interference problems coming from EL illumination.

Ahhh, finding threads with answers -

@santaFeFan, would an earth ground wire up on telephone poles(elevated) near the track block the interfering signals from the lighting?

I recall a club layout thread where they thought a layout next to the Lionel TMCC/Command was interfering with the signal. It turned out that it was the fluorescent lighting. They installed the earth ground wire on telephone poles near and higher than the track in the affected area. Solved the problem.

I doubt that would work if those are EL panels as Jon supposed in his answer.    Fluorescent  and EL are two totally different technologies.  I tinkered with EL lighting, and it's very noisy electrically.  When I tried it in my Phantom, it totally screwed up the TMCC signal.  Even when it was in the baggage car and not in the locomotive, it still caused problems.

Rayin"S" posted:

RTR12,

As far as the sticky back, I got a full reel of double LEDs (600 instead of 300 per roll) and stuck them to the bottom of my layout for light while i am under there (I use it for storage too) a couple of years ago. They are still stuck right where I put them (no sagging or loose areas) and working just fine.

Wow, what a great idea, I never thought about that. I have the 300 light rolls and will put a couple of those strips down below the layout and light them up with the SC-2. Thank you for the pointer.

GRJ, 

I did as you suggested and pulled the ballasts and installed the LED tubes, got a decent price on EBAY for both the 4 footers and for the 8ft.

Ray

If it's long enough to cover your layout's underside, I would try just one reel of the 300 first. It might be enough. My layout is 16' long and the reels are 5 meters which was just right for me. The double reel of 600 is pretty bright, but for me it is just about right. I think they are bright white too, IIRC.

I put a toggle switch for the lights in the layout fascia, right where I board my mechanic's stool to go under the layout. It has been a nice addition for finding things and also working on things down there. Good luck and I hope it works well for you.

You might try putting the ground wire above the track.  Below the track is the worst place for it as the outside rail signal interferes with it and engine antennas on on the top of the engine and the handrails for steamers.    Probably won't make a difference but worth a shot before spending the money on lighting.

The old advice about putting the ground under or next to the track is just that, old advice.  According to one of Jon Z's engineers who I had a long email conversation with the best place is above the track.  We at the NJ HiRailers either put it on the ceiling of a tunnel or on telephone poles.  Made a world of difference. 

I'll try that. Thanks.