02-25-2010, 08:37 PM
Ok. From what I saw on your photos of the Tsunami decoder you are working with is a decoder that was meant to be use in a Athearn locomotive. At one end of the decoder you should see two capacitors mounted to the board, they are silver and about the size of a pencil eraser. If so, that is the board and the photos I saw confirm that.
Athearn locos use 1.5 volt bulbs if you are going to use LED's you must get the positive voltage off the 14 volt pad. Power the LED's off that through a resistor.
Sounds to me like you are trying to power the LEDs through a resistor off the 1.5 volt pads. At 1.5 volts they will never light up.
You need to look real close at your decoder. You should find a square pad that has 14 v or 14 volts written by it. Very small
I don't have a decoder in my hands and can not remember where it is. And there might be more than one pad. LOOK hard to find it or them.
The pads shown on the instruction sheet are 2&3 1.5 volts, 10&11 1.5 volts,15&16 1.5 volts, 13&14 1.5 volts. Look close at these pads, one pad of the pairs I noted should be oval, NOT square. That is the positive or common 1.5 volt pad, the other one should be square and it is the funcion wire for that light. Front- rear or what ever. That is the wire that should be going to your LED's and the other lead of the LED's to the 14 volt pad THROUGH a RESISTOR. This lead is the positive lead of your LED. The long lead on the LED is positive.
Double check!! Try one ( and only one) of the out puts on the side of the board- That way should you wipe out a function you will still have a function pad at the front and rear for a front light and rear light.
I am old and this is from memory, so go slow and check and recheck, decoders are money gone when you let the smoke out of them.
Athearn locos use 1.5 volt bulbs if you are going to use LED's you must get the positive voltage off the 14 volt pad. Power the LED's off that through a resistor.
Sounds to me like you are trying to power the LEDs through a resistor off the 1.5 volt pads. At 1.5 volts they will never light up.
You need to look real close at your decoder. You should find a square pad that has 14 v or 14 volts written by it. Very small
I don't have a decoder in my hands and can not remember where it is. And there might be more than one pad. LOOK hard to find it or them.
The pads shown on the instruction sheet are 2&3 1.5 volts, 10&11 1.5 volts,15&16 1.5 volts, 13&14 1.5 volts. Look close at these pads, one pad of the pairs I noted should be oval, NOT square. That is the positive or common 1.5 volt pad, the other one should be square and it is the funcion wire for that light. Front- rear or what ever. That is the wire that should be going to your LED's and the other lead of the LED's to the 14 volt pad THROUGH a RESISTOR. This lead is the positive lead of your LED. The long lead on the LED is positive.
Double check!! Try one ( and only one) of the out puts on the side of the board- That way should you wipe out a function you will still have a function pad at the front and rear for a front light and rear light.
I am old and this is from memory, so go slow and check and recheck, decoders are money gone when you let the smoke out of them.