Proto 1000 Circuit board question

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I am installing a non digital command control (Onboard brand) “throttle” into a Proto 1000 C Liner. I am wondering what the circuit board does and is it neceassary to keep it. Is the circuit board just for the light? If so, it looks pretty involved just for that purpose.

Thanks in advance,
Don Weixl

2

If the Proto 1000 is anything like Proto 2000, the circuit board is just for directional lighting. The diodes on the board drop the output voltage to the lights to lengthen the life of the bulbs. If the engine has LEDs for lights, the diodes also insure that voltage of the correct polarity is fed to the LEDs regardless of track polarity.

3

For DCC, they have X’s marked where you can cut the traces, and holes numbered according to the standard for the NMRA 8-pin DCC plug. But I just remove the board entirely, I’ve seen too many goofy things in various P2k and P1k locos to even bother trying to figure each one. It depends on how the lights work with Onboard - if they derive power from the receiver, then I would just remove the board and wire it all in.

–Randy