# QSI-K27



## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

I dropped a QSI decoder in a Bachman K-27 today, and plugged in a G Wire Receiver. Have the NCE cab. Seem to be able to get most every thing to work. Except the marker lights. QSI instruction say F11 is to alternate horn selection/Board or Marker light on/off. F12 Cab Lights on/off. I can change the horn, but Iam missing how to turn on the marker, or cab lights if their is one.


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## K27_463 (Jan 2, 2008)

Did you check the switch in the smokebox, needs to be set for DCC? 
jonathan


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## N1CW (Jan 3, 2008)

*Mike*
*Only Front and Rear Headlights are supported.*
*The 'optional' AUX-LTG board has not been designed/released/on_the_radar.*
*......choose your "Quest for the Holy Grail" story from QS/QSI....;^(.. 

*


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Yes, I did change the switches to DCC.

What they are not supported, I just want to turn them on. I wonder how hard it would be to wire them to the head light.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Alas, that's the rub with the QSI/G-wire combination--no support for auxiliary lights. You can wire the markers to run with the headlights. If memory serves, they're powered by the same common, all you need to do is isolate the return for the markers and wire that to the headlight trigger instead. I forget which wire on the board it is, but it should be marked. When the headlight is on, so would the markers. That would mean on a default program, they'd be on full in forward, dim when stopped, and off in reverse. If you wanted them on all the time, you'd have to change the programming of the CVs that control the front light. (Which, on the K, is really the back light, and forward is reverse...) Alternatively, you can just wire them to the battery power input, and control them via the switches in the smokebox. That's what I did for a friend's K-27. 

Later, 

K


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Thanks for the input Keven. I remember some talk about this some time ago, about the Aristo Dash 9's. But when I did the install on those all of the extra lights at least came on. Porch lights, stair lights and Dich lights all came on, no other controll however.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Mike, why not get a TCS FL4? Cheap, small, 4 outputs and many lighting effects. 

Regards, Greg


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Mike, why not get a TCS FL4? Cheap, small, 4 outputs and many lighting effects 
Greg, battery power with G-wire. You can't piggyback the TCS FL4 and the QSI off the same G-wire receiver that I know of. You agreed with me on that in a similar thread a few weeks ago. If that's changed, then great news. 

Later, 

K


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

whups! 

that's what I get for not paying attention. 

I guess I better figure out how to do it soon, ha ha!' 

Greg


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

While there may be other solutions but I know of 3 

1) manually turn the lights on and off using the switches. 

2) connect the functions together at the socket so that when the lights turn on the other functions will also turn on. 

3) Use a Lenz gold decoder as a function decoder. The Lenz Gold decoder can parallel the inputs with the QSI decoder and you can then use the function outputs of the gold decoder to control the desired functions individually. 

Stan Ames


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Stan, how can the lights be turned on with switches.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Stan, you can feed the Lenz from the output of the Gwire receiver as it connects to the QSI? 

Does that mean it can be powered separately from the DCC input? 

Pin connections please! 

Thanks, Greg


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

Mike
At the front of the locomotive are switches. The best way to look at these switches is "On", "Off" and "Switched". Switched meaning that the device plugged into the socket controls the function. For example if you want to turn the marker lights on manually turn the switch to DC (which is the On position)

Posted By Greg Elmassian on 14 Jul 2010 08:35 PM 
Stan, you can feed the Lenz from the output of the Gwire receiver as it connects to the QSI? 

Does that mean it can be powered separately from the DCC input? 

Pin connections please! 

Thanks, Greg 

Greg

The Lenz Gold decoders can pickup up the DCC signal via capasitenance coupling. You power the decoder through the +- connections on the USP connection and connect the track inputs to the DCC outputs from the QSI receiver. Use a small capasitor on both track inputs so the decoder draws nothing from the QSI receiver. 

Stan


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Stan, 

Can you translate that to English, please? What's the "USP connection?" How--precisely--would you wire that into the G-wire/QSI combination? (Just a reminder--this is under battery power, so the G-wire receiver must be involved to get the DCC signals from the transmitter.) 

Of course, now you're adding the cost of the Lenz decoder into the equation. How cost-effective is that? 

Later, 

K


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Great Stan, 

If I was to do just a 2 function decoder, and get the lowest cost one, would that be the Lenz 10410? (or the 10411 of course) 

Street price looks like $48.. of course it is a motor decoder too. 

Any Lenz function only decoders with capacitive coupling? 

Will a .01 disc cap be fine Stan? 

Regards, Greg 

p.s. Kevin, you might want to hang on a bit until the fundamentals get sorted, then we can have a tutorial... I'll even buy one and hook it up and do an article.


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By East Broad Top on 15 Jul 2010 09:46 AM 
Stan, 

Can you translate that to English, please? What's the "USP connection?" How--precisely--would you wire that into the G-wire/QSI combination? (Just a reminder--this is under battery power, so the G-wire receiver must be involved to get the DCC signals from the transmitter.) 

Of course, now you're adding the cost of the Lenz decoder into the equation. How cost-effective is that? 

Later, 

K 
Kevin

Best to just download their manual. The Lenz gold series decoders receive the DCC signal differently then normal decoders. Garden railways magazine did a review a year ago

http://www.trains.com/grw/default.aspx?c=a&id=1443

If you are using track power the signal can be read even if you have no electrical connection to the track. (ice, dirt, only one powered rail ...)

To date these are the only decoders in the market that have this feature.

Of course if you do not have electrical contact to the track you must power the locomotive and decoder during this period. A supercap or battery serve this purpose. The power source is connected to the decoder using the decoders USP connection.

If you are using a GSI decoder with a G wire receiver you will either ger the power from the track (not the best approach) or in the case of this thread get the power from a battery. The battery provides the + and - power which is simply conected to the + and - inputs of the Gold decoder. These inputs are on the USP inputs (USP stands for Uninterruptible Signal Processing which is a Lenz coined term)

The QSI receiver also had 2 DCC outputs. SImply connect these to the decoders track input. However in doing so you want to ensure that the decoder does not draw power from these leads so you place capasitors to isolate the decoder from the receiver. I do not have an instalation in front of me but I seem to remember I tended to also use a 1 K resistor in the lead as well. Not sure if it serves any purpose or not but I tend to be rather conservative.

Is this cost effective? I have no idea but if you want to control more functions there are not a lot of other options for the QSI solution at present so your guess is as good as mine.

Greg

I think the least expensive decoder for this would be the Gold+ JST W which has a MSRP of $45 and has 5 function outputs. The N scale decoder costs more and I do not believe the capasitence pickup is as good.

Stan


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Stan, are you piggy-backing the DCC output from the G-wire receiver? I was led to believe that shouldn't be done, or is the fact that you're running it through the capacitors essentially "insulating" it so it makes it seem to the G-wire that it's not really there? 

Later, 

K


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yes Kevin, no appreciable load. 

Thanks Stan. So the decoder I mentioned is an N scale one? 

So the Gold+ JST has a street price of $34... and the Gold+ WH has a street price of $39, so the question is how much does a JST plug call so I can wire it up. 

That's even better. 

You did not mention the capacitor value, do you remember? 

Thanks, Greg


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## StanleyAmes (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By Greg Elmassian on 15 Jul 2010 06:55 PM 
Yes Kevin, no appreciable load. 

Thanks Stan. So the decoder I mentioned is an N scale one? 

So the Gold+ JST has a street price of $34... and the Gold+ WH has a street price of $39, so the question is how much does a JST plug call so I can wire it up. 

That's even better. 

You did not mention the capacitor value, do you remember? 

Thanks, Greg 
Greg

I do not think the capasitor value makes much difference as long as it is small. For the Large scale decoder I used either a .01 or a .001 because I had some around. I will have to actually look at an instalation to figure out what value I used. I suspect both will work.

Let us know how it works out for you.

Stan


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Good, thanks Stan. Based on the frequencies and the rise time of the signal, I completely agree. 

Yeah, am thinking of ordering one. Know where I can buy one and a JST cable? 

(just kidding!) 

Greg


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Cool. I'll be interested in seeing what you come up with. If it's only around $40 for the board and capacitors, that's not too bad for the extra lighting functions. In terms of programming the functions, in that they're technically two separate decoders, would you (could you) duplicate function triggers? (i.e,. if you've got a button programmed to blow the grade crossing signal on the QSI board, could you then program the Lenz board to flash the ditch lights with that same function?) Or do you have to sacrifice some of the QSI functions for the lighting functions? 

Later, 

K


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Sure, it can be a little tricky when you have 2 decoders in parallel, but I'm sure the Lenz has decoder lock. The QSI does not have decoder lock. 

I'll need to figure a simple way to program the 2 decoders separately while in the same loco. Should not be too hard. 

The simple way is to give both the same address. Another way is to consist them. 

Either way, you program the same function button to do the crossing signal on the QSI and fire up the ditch lights on the lenz. 

I have not researched the advanced lighting controls on the Lenz. 

Should not have to sacrifice anything. 

Regards, Greg


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Stan, thanks for the reply of just turning them to DC. I now see, thats all that is needed to get them on. All most too easy.


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