Obvious, once you see it.

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

So, I installed a few decoders using the 8 pin socket. A couple Proto 1000 Budd cars and an Atlas C40-8W. Ran great. No lights. All the same.

So, I embarked on replacing bulbs with LEDs on one of the Budd cars, removing diodes, etc. on the circuit board. Mapping out the plug wires to connections on the board I noticed that things didn’t match up right for the lights…

but, if I flopped the plug, they did!

Flipped the plugs and everything worked. It was obvious! …but not until I saw it.

Live and suffer!

2

So did you match pin 1 on the plug with pin 1 on the socket the first time?

Rich

3

Now you see why on things like the P1K locos, I just rip out the circuit board and hard wire the decoder. No issues that way, you know you have the bblue wire connected to the + side of the LEDs, etc.

–Randy

4

Nope. Didn’t see them marked. They are? Just matched by which leads were from track ant to motor and didn’t notice they were diagonally opposite.

5

I hard wired quite a few others and put in LED headlights. Most of my stuff is pretty old. Atlas yellow box and repowered Athearn. Am ripping out Dynatol!

6

But did you also notice the wonder of the flipped plug. The power input and motor out will still work. Any other configuration of pins could have caused decoders to fry if plugged in wrong.

7

Yes! I was impressed!