# Constant brightness lighting in a C-16?



## BillBrakeman (Jan 3, 2008)

I am powering and controlling a Aristo Craft C-16 using a trailing power car containing the batteries and ESC. I have installed a sound card in the tender of the C-16. To make the locomotive run I have a regulated power cable from the power car to the PnP board and to make the sound card work I have run an unregulated 14.4v cable directly from the batteries to the card. Is it possible to move the cables for the loco lights from the PnP to the sound card power cables to have the lights have constant brightness? Something I read somewhere makes me thing the lights are 8 volts and are protected by voltage regulators on the PnP card.
Thank you for your assistence.

Bill
[email protected]


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

If it's an Aristocraft C-16, then the bulbs are rated at 6v and the regulator is 5v, the voltage diff gives a longer life. Mine were real bright for 5 seconds on straight power.... 

I've gone to setting my lights in series to up the over all voltage they can handle, others use resistors to lower the voltage to each bulb... beyond my elecrical knowledge. 

John


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

What I'd do in this case is use the PnP board to control the lights by connecting the 14.4 volts to the battery input, and disconnect the motor leads from the PnP board, wiring them directly to the wires you have coming forward from the ESC in the trail car. That way you're covered either way. If the bulbs are voltage regulated via the board, you're using it. If they're not, you're still sending them constant voltage so they'll be on all the time. The motor will take the output of the ESC directly. 

The only hiccup is if there's directional lighting (i.e., a back-up light) on the tender. My C-16 didn't have one, but other versions may. I'm not sure how to easily deal with that without knowing which ESC you're using. If it's got the ability to control lighting on it, then you can tap into that to run the back-up light. You'd still need to regulate the voltage if it's greater than 6 volts. If you don't have directional lighting from the ESC, you may be up the creek without additional circuitry--some kind of comparitor circuit that looks at the voltage coming in from the batteries (fixed polarity) that compares it to the voltage going to the motor (reversible). If it's the same, the light would be off, if it's different, it would turn the light on. Many of our more advanced electronics wizards would probably be able to draw something up for you. 

The other option would be to run the back-up light off the motor voltage, using a diode to limit it to one direction only. It wouldn't be constant, but it would at least light up when you're moving (and you'd still need to regulate it--or replace it with an 18 volt bulb or LED with suitable dropping resistor.) 

Later, 

K


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I just use LED's, with a resistor, usually 470 ohm.


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