I love the N&W and especially the Y-6b! The BLI model is really great looking and a real performer judging from the written and video reviews, however, why does the headlight pulse or blink? I personally find that annoying as well as wrong. MR doesn’t seem to have an answer so how about some of you DCC/sound guys? Thanks, Roger Huber Deer Creek Locomotive Works
Many models suffer from this problem, and it has to be due to an iffy contact or wipers or other transmission surfaces that are getting intermittent contact. Maybe dirt, corrosion, improper solders, cracks in solders, cracked wires inside insulation…
The most likely cause is dirty wheels and dirty track. Perhaps the people at MR didn’t clean their track before running the loco for the demo video.
I don’t think the problem is because of dirty wheels or contacts. The light has a rhythmic pulsing. Most of the experience I’ve had with dirty track, etc the lights and sounds cut out in an irregular manner. The other sounds are consistent and only the headlight pulses. The backup light didn’t seem to have the same issue. I think it may be more to do with the decoder. It’s a shame the MR Staff can’t explain it. Roger Huber
Do you think that they may have programmed in a Mars light?
Just watched the viseo, yes, it’s set as a Mars light for some silly reason. Can’t imagine that’s the factory default.
–Randy
Randy is right about the Mars light but I can’t fathom why it would blink like a lighthouse when the engine is not moving. A mars light looks much better using an incandescent lamp. An LED just doesn’t cut it. I agree it would be odd as a default headlight especially since there’s only one!
Looks like BLI has a Cheezymate coupler on the pilot. I thought they were supplying Kadees exclusively?
Ed
LEDs can do it very well - if the decoder is equipped to handle them. NCE decoders can do LEDs pretty nicely, TCS decoders are simply amazing with LEDs. It’s just a totally differnet way of dimming is required than for a light bulb. The figure 8 swing of the Mars light is well simulated in those decoders. Sure beats that goofy back and forth flash of the dual filament bulb in the Proto E units.
–Randy
I watched the longer video on MRVP - I don;t think it’s set as a Mars light, it’s some ofther sort of flashing beacon. At least, the flash pattern doesn’t match what happens when I set the headlight on one of my TCS locos to Mars instead of simple headlight.
–Randy