Personally, I still like the idea of the sparks on the trucks so that the effect is layout-wide.
Trainlover9943 posted:Looking at the spark board some more, it says "The NLA/D8063 can produce its special effects in one of two ways: either as a double pantograph (dual pickup) spark effect simulator or as one for a single pantograph. Many electrics have two pickups (one at each end of the locomotive or traction vehicle), while some such as earlier-era street trolleys may only have a single spring-loaded pole which contacts the catenary cable overhead.
By default, the NLA/D8063 is configured to produce spark effects on two separate LED outputs (one for each pantograph or pickup). The outputs of these 2 LEDs will be random and timed differently for each."
So, I would need two boards per car?
If you have four trucks and want unique patterns for each truck, then you would need two boards for the full effect. Of course, you don't have to have all the trucks sparking uniquely, since you can't see both sides of the car at once. I'd probably see if I could do the effect with one output for a truck, and perhaps two LED's.
