SoundTraxx DSD-150/DSX Owners Manual - Manual (Page 16)

16 Digital Sound Decoder Owner's Manual
Lighting Outputs
Each DSD is equipped with four function outputs that are intended to drive headlight, backup light and special effect
lights. Each output is rated for 100mA.
Do not exceed this rating! Be sure that the combined current of all lights as well as the motor stall current
measured in Step 1 does not exceed the decoder rating.
The lamps may be wired for one of two modes of operation: full-wave and half-wave. Full-wave operation is the
preferred wiring method and supplies power to each lamp via the common BLUE wire. The advantage of the full-
wave wiring scheme is that the lamp brightness will be unaffected when the layout is operating another locomotive in
analog mode.
Figure 10 - Lamp Wiring Diagram
The half-wave wiring method has the advantage that the BLUE common wire is not used meaning there is one less
wire connection to the decoder which may be an issue when installing the DSD into smaller locomotives. The primary
drawback is that lamp brightness will change when operating another locomotive in the analog mode.
The DSD lighting outputs may be used with 12-16 volt incandescent lamps, 1.5 volt microbulbs or LEDs. If you are
using the DSD to drive 12-16V lamps, each bulb can be directly wired to the function outputs as shown in Figure 10.
If the lamps draw more than 50mA, wire a 22 ohm, 1/4W resistor in series with each lamp to prevent the lamp start-
WHITE
Reverse
Lamp
Forward
Lamp
Reverse
Lamp
560 ohm
Resistor
560 ohm
Resistor
Forward
Lamp
YELLOW
WHITE
YELLOW
FUNCTION COMMON
FUNCTION COMMON
BLUE
FUNCTION COMMON
BLUE
12-16V Lamps
Right Hand Rail Pickup
WHITE
Left Hand Rail Pickup
Reverse
Lamp
Right Hand Rail Pickup
Forward
Lamp
Left Hand Rail Pickup
Reverse
Lamp
560 ohm
Resistor
560 ohm
Resistor
Right Hand Rail Pickup
Forward
Lamp
Left Hand Rail Pickup
Reverse
Lamp
640 ohm
Resistor
Forward
Lamp
YELLOW
WHITE
YELLOW
WHITE
YELLOW
1.5V Microbulbs
LEDs
BLUE
HALF-WAVE LAMP WIRING METHOD FULL-WAVE LAMP WIRING METHOD
Cathode (-)
640 ohm
Resistor
Cathode (-)
Forward
Lamp Reverse
Lamp
640 ohm
Resistor
WHITE
YELLOW
Cathode (-)
640 ohm
Resistor
Cathode (-)