# help with sd70m-2 ditch light PLZ



## riguitin (Sep 6, 2012)

Hello everione and thanks for looking this is driving me insane I got a athearn genesis sd70m-2 non sound but with ditch lights I followed the intalation for a dh 163 decoder from digitrax as followed 
Athearn Genesis SD70s came factory equipped with a Digitrax designed light board. The board is NOT a DCC decoder. If you want to add a decoder and have alternating ditch lights the following steps are recommended:

1 - Remove locomotive shell;

2 - Remove dummy nine pin plug from wire harness and insert Digitrax DH163D on the harness;

3 - Remove the wires of one of the ditch light bulbs from F1N and F1P and solder them to F2N and F2P; on light board

4 - Program CV51 to 106, CV52 to 107 and CV63 to 40.

5 - Reinstall locomotive shell.

F2 on your Digitrax throttle will now activate the alternating ditch lights when pressed.
I got this from digitrax when I do all this ditch lights are nuts lol f1 will turn right ditch light on and off and f2 will turn left ditch light on as long as I hold it
I tried step 4 about 3 or 4 times in all operation modes and no luck they will not perform the way they are suppose to 
Any help would be greatly preheated
Thanks Rigo


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## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

Willing to experiment?I've looked into Decoder Pro's stored datas and if I understand it well,F2 can be re-mapped to any of F4,F5 or F6,wichever isn't already used for another function.

I've tinkered with Tsunami decoders somewhat so far but have no experience whatsoever with re-mapping Digitrax decoders so...please...don't throw me stones if it doesn't work,simply reset the decoder.

OK...based on Decoder Pro...
F1 can't be re-mapped beyhond F3 wich is also a "hold in" function,not useful to you anyway.
Then cancel F2 by giving CV36 a value of 0.
Then,if you'd like to use...
F4,give CV38 a value of 5...or...
F5,give CV39 a value of 1...or...
F6,give CV40 a value of 1.
If these functions are already used on the model,then I have no idea that may help you,sorry.

I would appreciate you let me know the result.I'd like to know if it worked.


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## riguitin (Sep 6, 2012)

*i tried*

hello 
i tried what you said to do i think i only have made thinks worse now the lights wont work at all after trying to reset cv 8 to 8 a number of times my f1 function which is the right light wont work at all so i am lost lol
i hate dcc only i i could go back to simpler times lol
Also could I have a faulty decoder cuz I followed the digitrax instructions and it's not geting me anywhere


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## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

I'm very sorry about these results...definitely isn't what I had expected.Not knowing wich one of the CVs you tried changing to re-map the ditch lights,I searched Decoder Pro for the default CV datas...these should bring your decoder back to its initial settings.

CV36=8,CV38=4,CV39=0 and CV40=0.Resetting the decoder should have resetted these CVs too but in case it didn't.

Then resetting your original ditch light CV's should at least get you back to where you were before.My apology for misleading you....


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Rigo,
Can you give me all the specs on your install.
Engine #
All light options


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## riguitin (Sep 6, 2012)

*Some info*

Ok thanks for helping this is driving me nuts
So I have an SD70-2 loco CN #8013 this unit comes with a factory light bord installed the two front ditch lights are intalled into two ports with the markings F1p and F1n what I did was took the left ditch lights and wired it to the port named F2p and F2n according tithe digitrax manual that's what I should have done but no matter what cv's I tried I won't work as one the f1 light turns on with the f1 fiction and the f2 function controls the left one they wont work in unison And now after I resented cv8 to a value of 8 the right ditch light won't work at all
The decoder I use is the Dh163 from digitrax 
Could it be that the decoder is not functioning correctly 
Any help would be great thanks a million


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

What controller are you using? Are you able to read the CV values after you program them? 

I have had to reset digitrax decoders many times, and have found the performing the reset of CV8=8 did not always reset all the values. And this is using the Digitrax Super Chief!


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## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

Been thinking...then thinking again...then again...then it struck me.The only Athearn engine I have (non Genesis though) has both eight and nine pin connectors with matching jumper plugs.I suspect yours is the same.You say you used the nine pin connector wich has me wondering...is it possible that you forgot to remove the eight pin jumper plug from its socket.I don't think the loco would run at all and the decoder should be shorted,but since I haven't tried it....just a wild guess....


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Did you do as the instructions stated and move the ditch light that was connected to the F1N and move that wire to the F2N and move the F1P and move it to the F2P?
If one lamp is working and the other is not then you would have a burned out bulb.
Both lamps should flash when you sound the horn (F2) and stay flashing for approx 8 seconds.


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## riguitin (Sep 6, 2012)

that is exactly what i did but as of now f1 controls right ditch light and f2 the left one thy wont work as one and now f1 does not turn on the light at all i know its not burned out because when i put the dc plug in and run it on add 00 on my zephyr dcs 50 both lights turn on thats how i know its not burned out 
thanks for the help could this be a decoder problem were my decoder its 100% working 
thanks 
Rigo


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Rigo,
If the ditch lights are both hooked up to the same output there is no way, IMPOSSIBLE, that only one light would work at a time, unless, They are not bulbs and they are as I suspect LED's. The polarity of the LED's would matter, as hooking them up in a reverse polarity pattern one will work and not the other.
You will have to read the decoders CV values and give those to me in order for me to figure out what is wrong with the install.
Take a few pictures of the decoder interface board and post them here, that might help too.


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## riguitin (Sep 6, 2012)

So I am at the end of the line just got of the phone with athearn and they have no clue what's wrong so I am going to start by buying a new decoder see what happens


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

riguitin said:


> So I am at the end of the line just got of the phone with athearn and they have no clue what's wrong so I am going to start by buying a new decoder see what happens


Before you do that, do what NIMT asked for. His advice is rock solid. 

Reading and listing the CV values is the best thing to do. Does the F2 ports on the decoder need to be turned on?

There is still stuff to do before spending more money on parts.


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## riguitin (Sep 6, 2012)

*Foud the problem*

Hello guys thanks for all your inputs they were allot of help so I finally found the problem yesterday I went I got a new 163 decoder I sent that one to digitrax and I have an other loco with dot blights so could use it anyways so I did what digitrax sugested for that loco and it worked so I guess the problem was the decoder after all thanks again and keep up the good work 
Can any off you suggest a book that would teach me more about dcc like cv values remapping and all that thanks a million


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Rigo,
Thats a tough one because every decoder has differnt specs on what the CV do.
Some of the CV's are made to a standard that was set by the NMRA (National Model Railroading Association). and some are set by the manufacture.
I use JMRI Decoder Pro to do all of my programming because of all the variables out there.
You can also use it to help with programming even if you can't connect it.
You can just input all the specs and it will let you see what to change the CV's to.


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