KB638: PR1-Setting Up Ditch Lights

This article was last updated on July 31, 2011, 2:50 p.m. | Print Article | Leave Feedback

The following CV set up simulates prototypical ditch lights that are on steady when running and alternately flashing when the horn blows.

The ditch lights will be on when the engine is running, when you simulate blowing the horn by going into function mode and pressing F2 the ditch lights will flash on alternate sides of the loco. Note, the F2 key on Digitrax throttles is set up as a non-latching function so that the function assigned to F2 will be "ON" as long as you hold the F2 key down and will go "OFF" when it is released.

Follow these stepswith the PR1:

1. Go into the Digitrax Decoder Programmer
2. Click on FX Set up
3. Choose F1 and select "Right Ditch Light"
4. Select "Special Effect"
5. Choose F2 and select "Left Ditch Light"
6. Select "Special Effect"
7. Click OK
8. When you have returned to the regular programming screen click "send"

You can also set up options for Off Voltage (to determine whether the ditch light actually goes completely off), Effect Rate (to determine the rate at which the ditch lights flash), and F2 release delay time (to determine how long theditch lights continue to flash after F2 is released).

Note that the ditch lights configured as above will be flashing when both F1 & F2 are "ON". When F2 goes OFF, the Ditch Light Hold time set by CV63 is in effect, and will keep the lights flashing until the programmed time finishes.The Ditch lights will then go steady ON. You can turn off both ditch lights by simply turning "OFF" F0, the Master Light control.

In this example since the Right ditch light is on F1, F1 must be ON for this side to flash. The Special effect of Ditch Lights configures the F2 button for Flashing control , and the actual F2 function output simply follows the effect.

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