# Converted DC to DCC - JMRI questions



## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

Ok so I got my atest rso santa fe converted to dcc with a digitrax HD126D.

I had another thread about truck wires..

yes wiring it was actually easy. I did a quick wire and ran it in dc mode and there is surging, but later got it all soldered and it still surges in DC but not DCC.. not an issue... so off to the questions..


so my big first question...

in JMRI PanelPro- I click throttle and my train comes up. Already programed in with long address and it moves... sweet and guess what... NO SURGING!!!!!awesome.. BUT..
Train is reversed. I choose forward and it goes backwards!!!!

so not a huge issue but not sure why the train controls are reversed.


now onto the lights. 
I cut a light out of an old tyco and wired it into the back of this train. in PanelPro - I bring up the throttle and hit lights... the rear lights come on. I cannot get the front lights to come on.

so in the configuration on functions it shows what wires for lights, they are wired that way....
if I drive the train fwd or reverse, even though the labels are backwards, I never get a front light.

now I hooked power to the bulb and it works so its not burned out. 
any thoughts???


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

The direction controls are reversed because your motor wires are reversed. Just swap the two motor wires around and it will be fine. Alternatively there is usually a setting that you can program to reverse the directions, which is specifically to compensate for the reversed motor wires, but I find it easier just to make the correction in the wiring so I don't have to worry about it in the future.


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

Shdwdrgn said:


> The direction controls are reversed because your motor wires are reversed. Just swap the two motor wires around and it will be fine. Alternatively there is usually a setting that you can program to reverse the directions, which is specifically to compensate for the reversed motor wires, but I find it easier just to make the correction in the wiring so I don't have to worry about it in the future.


so instructions said take white from truck to black and take red from other side truck to red ….

so your telling me to swap red on decoder to white and black on decoder to red???

that seems (color wise) backwards... but if that will do it.. yeah I guess ill have to do that. 

on the lights. im thinking of just tying the rear lights and front lights together so they both are on all the time. 

I thought it was supposed to control one set of lights depending on the direction of the train....


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*Walthers dc gp15-1*

My Walthers locomotive just arrived and is ready for pick up.
1.)Does this dc locomotive have directional lighting?
2.)What special tools are needed to take the shell off?
3.)I'm thinking to replace the couplers with Kadeees
Thank you,
Regard's tr1
4I do not know how to start a new thread?


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

tr1 said:


> My Walthers locomotive just arrived and is ready for pick up.
> 1.)Does this dc locomotive have directional lighting?
> 2.)What special tools are needed to take the shell off?
> 3.)I'm thinking to replace the couplers with Kadeees
> ...



lol...
on cell or pc?

you go to the forum thread you wish to post in and then click new post from top header...


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

Riggzie said:


> so instructions said take white from truck to black and take red from other side truck to red ….
> 
> so your telling me to swap red on decoder to white and black on decoder to red???
> 
> ...


I'm not sure what you're saying since you seem to be indicating three different colored wires? There's only two wires involved here... either you swap around the two wires that go to the motor outputs on the decoder, or you swap the two wires that are on your motor. The motor is receiving the reverse polarity of what is expected, so you just need to reverse two wires that control the power being fed to the motor.


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

i swapped wires and still drives opposite. 
im very well confused.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Are you sure the motor (brushes) is isolated?


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

Riggzie said:


> i swapped wires and still drives opposite.
> im very well confused.


think i pulled a ditz move...

i swapped wires... but the truck wires... i should switch the actual wires to the motor!!!!!

will have to try that...

from what i recall (few cold ones later)... it was driving backwards but i got the lights to work.. so they were theoretically in the right spot.. so swap motor wires should fix it.. hah


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

Makes sense... as was mentioned in another of your threads swapping the wires on the truck (the pickups from the track) would have absolutely no effect on anything.


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