Ok I picked up the right DCC decoder today to install in my bachmann Dash 8. The wires go to the plug onm the factory installed lightboard. but I am installing Ditch Lights or I want to I should say. Anyhow I have a loose green wire which is used for one of the sides of ditch lights but it tells me to use yellow also but that goes to my rear directional light. Did anyone do this yet and if so h ow do your ditch lights work? any help would be greatly appreciated. here is a link to the pdf format of the manual.
Looks to me, after perusing the NCE site, that a D14SRJ would work better for you. It has that elusive purple wire that will run your rear light (after remapping) as well as the ditch lights. They even lay out the cv’s used in remapping in the manual![:D]
If you want proper alternating ditch lights, plus a front and rear light, then yes, you have to step up to the D14SR to get the extra function.
A shame you didn’t use the D13SRJ - it has a 9 pin connector, you could simply plug in the D14SRJ. The purple wire is in the harness even though it doesn;t do anything on the D13SRJ.
–Randy
But according tot he D13SRP manual you can use the yellow wire and the green wire to power the ditch lights
Clearly States in the Manual.
Ditch lights
What we wanna do
Use oututs 2 and 3 (yello and green wire) For The left and right ditch lights.
They Will Be controlled by F2 Which is the horn button on most DCC systems.
They should continue flashing 5 seconds after the horn button is released.
If this is true that my rear lights wont work if I us it for ditch lights, maybe I should just get a digitrax decoder? any suggestions?
There’s only a total of 3 function outputs on the D13 (hence the 3). If you want front light, rear light, AND two ditch lights, that’s 4. You can certainly wire ditch lights tot he yellow and green, but then you have no rear light which normally uses the yellow wire.
The fly in the ointment is the newest version of the D13SRJ which “now has 4 functions” in other words the purple wire is actually live so you have white and yellow for the front and rear lights, plus the green and purple for ditch lights. ANd the D13SRJ is cheaper than the D13SR, too. I use D13SRJ’s as my ‘generic’ decoders of choice when there is no specific decoder for a particular loco.
–Randy
rrinker
you say the Purple and green are for Ditch lights but in the manual online it still talks about stealing from the yellow light. Is this due to not ipdating the manual? Also do u have pictures of any installs that show this so I know what to do?
Thanks for the help, now I have to get to the other local hobbyshop that closer than the one that was open yesterday. All in the name of ditch lights.
No, they haven’t updated the documentation other than the cover page and the wiring diagram one on the second or third page. The text still says yellow and green, but you would want purple and green since yellow goes to your rear light. The rest of the text correctly references outputs 3 and 4 and appears to be the correct CV values (reading the current D13SRJ v3.5 manual on NCE’s site).
–Randy
Well I finally went to the hobbyshop and tried to pick up the NCE that was suggested by RRinker but they didnt have it they only had Digitrax DH163PS and getting the courage to do some wiring. However I did manage to get the ditch lights installed