How to Install Ditch Lights
Ditch lights are two lights mounted on the front of a train below the main headlight. Model trains come with ditch lights already installed. Installing a circuit modification can make them perform just like real ditch lights, for example flashing in sequence with horn blasts. Installing the ditch-light program can be a hassle if you're not familiar with the interior circuit board of your train. Replacing your current board with a Digitrax DH163D circuit board makes the task a lot simpler. The wires in the DH163D are color-coded to give you a better grasp on wire connection. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Remove the locomotive's shell. Turn off and unplug the wires of the control panel. Remove the nine-pin plug from the control panel harness. Insert the DH163D circuit board, which is also a nine-pin plug, in its place. Plug the violet wire on the switch board into the left ditch-light bulb socket. Plug the green wire on the switch board into the right ditch-light bulb socket.
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Boot up your computer and open up the CV program for the DH163D. Click on the F2 key to test the lights and make sure the wiring is correct. The ditch lights of the locomotive should stay functioning until the key is released.
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Push FX on the program for the digital decoder. Push "setup" on the FX program. Select F1 for the left ditch light and F2 for the right ditch light. This allows you to program the lights individually. Click on "special effects display" and then press "OK." When the regular display appears, select "send."
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Select "effect rate" to set the number of times the lights will flash. Press F2 to program. Select "release delay" to calculate how long the lights will stay lit after you stop holding the button down.
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Press F0 to program turning off both ditch lights.
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References
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