I guess I asked the question the wrong way, Pete.  Where does the power for the LEDs come from?  :Red Card   From where does the power for the LEDs come? 

The LDT board here is the link for Lenz boards from LDT several boards you can supply via a small trani or i am sure from the track bus if you have enough power.

http://www.ldt-infocenter.com/english/products_lenz-digital-plus_e.htm

[user=269]MaxSouthOz[/user] wrote:

I guess I asked the question the wrong way, Pete.  Where does the power for the LEDs come from?  :Red Card   From where does the power for the LEDs come? 

Just more accessory decoders, Max. But not as complicated as driving point motors!!

Thanks, Pete.  Would TCS  FL4 do the job?

[user=269]MaxSouthOz[/user] wrote:

Thanks, Pete.  Would TCS  FL4 do the job?

Absolutely it would, Max. I have used something similar from Digitrax with my Theatre signal trials.

[user=269]MaxSouthOz[/user] wrote:

Thanks, Pete.  Would TCS  FL4 do the job?

You got there Max i never condsidered a function decoder, its more a case of whether TC can control a function decoder automatically at the correct moment John Russell will know if TCS have controlled Signals.

I have just been trawling through the RR&Co help file, and I don't think there is actually a way to get TC to use anything other than an accessory decoder for signals. The 4 function only decoder requires a loco address, but TC only understands an accessory address for signals.

That was quick Geoff, the LDT board can do four signals so i guess there isn.t a cost benefit for going for the TCS even if TC could do it.

I'm just trying to catch up after spending a couple of hours replacing one of my servo drivers with an ESU switchpilot (servo).  £25 to drive four servos, and the servos cost less than £3 each.  I'm using it for points, but it would be ideal for driving semaphores, I picked up the idea at the show on Sunday from an exhibitor who was doing just that. His semaphores moved at a realistic speed, but he was complaining (tongue in cheek) that he was stuck with the same speed in both directions and he couldn't make them bounce!  When I look at the "instructions" for the LDT drivers I think semaphores would be easier than that.

Colour light signal drivers are not rocket sience, the one I use is no more than an electronic version of a rotary switch, cheap (about 80p) and easy to build. It does need a steady output decoder. If anyone is interested I will let you have the circuit and you could build your own. 

With the new tutorial section for signalling I don't see any point in starting another topic, let's use that.

One thing I think we should avoid at all costs is getting hung up on signalling principles. We will need a bit of common background but there are plenty of other places to help decide on where to put signals.

Thanks Geoff.  I guess an accessory address is the same as a loco address.  It's just the functionality which is less.  On the LH 100 I call up my caboose address and change from forward to reverse and the lights follow the throttle switch.  I think there is a stationary decoder which does the same thing as well.

[user=269]MaxSouthOz[/user] wrote:

I guess an accessory address is the same as a loco address.

Hi Max,

I am a dummy at DCC but my understanding is that it uses a different code for accessories to keep them separate from loco decoders. One type will not recognise the other. That is how you can have a loco address of 003 and an accessory address of 3 without them both responding. I don't know anything about stationary decoders.