magic light

Sometimes the "magic" that the magic light accomplishes is to wipe out your DCS signal, or at least reduce it to a 1 or 2....

That would be indicative of some other problem or using a bulb whose rating is other than 18 volts, and is not normal behavior.

I know a small bit about what goes on with the bulbs.  On the newer Rev L TIU, the bulb will sometimes hurt signal.  Prior to Rev L, many of us did very well with them.  The 18 volt bulb is the hot set up.

I agree with Marty.

I use all 4 channels of a rev I3a TIU with a #432 18V bulb across the output of each channel. I mostly get excellent signal strength everywhere (8-10) and no problems. It wasn't always that way. Before adding the bulbs it was iffy at best.

Rod

Thanks Rod. Sorry for late late response but another problem with my real trax switches game up. Always something. I ordered the 18volt bulbs and waiting to try them.

Thanks Dan

You can also look for Susan's "Engineered Filters"

These are small, inexpensive, and don't eat track power like the bulbs do.

Nor will they ever burn out.

They are small enough to hide between the ties in your rails.

And once you know the parts, they are widely available from any large electronic parts place. And Very inexpensive.

I cranked out a bunch of the filters for our modular layout, I like them better than the bulbs.

Kerrigan,

These filters go between tracks instead of on the TIU outputs?

They are intended to be used in pairs. One of the pair goes across either the TIU channel output or the terminal block entry, and the other goes across center and common rails "at the farthest point from the TIU channel output".

Keep in mind that these filters were intended to be used on buss-wired layouts. On star-wired layouts, there isn't necessarily one "fathest point from the TIU channel output".

I've tried these filters using only one per terminal block entry on my star-wired layout with Rev. I3 and I3a TIUs. My results were that the filters, at best, were only as effective as an individual bulb, and in most cases not quite as good as a bulb.

FWIW, we have a bus wired modular layout, that's why I went with the filters.

Just purchased the magic bulbs from train electronics. I have 2 stub sidings that must need them, because the Lionel lighted fastrack bumpers don't have the magic. But can I still use these bumpers with the magic bulbs. I will also use one at the MTH 12 port terminal block. I need to know where do I connect the magic bulb wires. Is 16 gauge wire suitable for the magic lights? For the MTH block I assume the input is where first pair of terminals are located (one marked + and one marked  - )... where the wires from the TIU are connected. For the stub siding I assume the wires attach to the connectors on the underside of the fastrack. What size female connectors do I need for the fastrack connectors? Thanks so much for this thread. And thank you Barry for the DCS companion book.

Why not use the filters that Susan Deets has posted on her site?  They replace the magic bulbs and you can still have the bumpers.

Here's the MTH Filter for DCS page, they're simple to build with only two components.

 But can I still use these bumpers with the magic bulbs.

Yes, you can.

John,

Why not use the filters that Susan Deets has posted on her site?

Actually, on my star/home run wired layout, I've determined that, with my pre-Rev. L TIUs, the bulbs worked better than did the filters.

If you recall, the filters were intended, originally, for buss-wired layouts with the filters installed in pairs. One filter at the TIU or terminal block entry and the other at "the farthest point on the layout from the TIU". I'm not real sure how to determine the "farthest point" on a star/home run wired layout.

Different layouts may yield different results, however, I've yet to hear of an instance on any layout where the filters did a better job than did the bulbs. Of course, one needs to use the correct bulbs, i.e., 18 volt.

I'll bow to your "bulb" experience.

John, I still have the original light bulb and jumpers that I discovered the light bulb trick with when DCS was released.  I plan to give it to Barry in October at York.  He has done so much to educate everyone I thought he might like to have it.

It's a DCS family heirloom, Barry is probably an excellent keeper.

 Well, then we can officially say,
"you da man!!!"

Very nice Marty.

There's no "magic" bulb.  Any 1445 or 1447 18-volt bulb should do the trick.  $2.50/ea sounds high to me.  There are several on-line sources that have these in bulk.  They are also useful in cars and buildings.

RJR, those are good numbers.  The name "magic" got filtered in by forum members over the years.  It was better than magic when I was testing the DCS and tripped over the light bulb fix  before it got to the public.  Just a lucky find.  Nothing fancy about it.  When the best signal that could be had was a 5, I put a light bulb on the TIU output and the signal went to 10.  MTH R & D confirmed it the next day. 

The early days were tough.  Early on before the remote was made, we used a laptop to run the trains.  Not fun.  The light bulb does work.  Now with the newer Rev L TIU, they are becoming a thing of the past.

My first use of bulbs was not at the TIU, but at the end of some (not all) sidings which, for some unexplained reason, were pulling down the signal strength on the main line when powered up, even with nothing on the siding.  Having the entire layout toggle-switch-blocked facilitated finding problem sidings.

Is the MTH realtrax lockon device with the light able to take the place of the "magic" light? If not,why not?

Is the MTH realtrax lockon device with the light able to take the place of the "magic" light?

Yes, it can. That's why MTH never encountered the issue during their early testing of DCS. The RealTrax lockon's were correcting any issues.

When I found the light fix and called MTH, Dave pulled the bulbs on his lockon's and confirmed what I found.  Dave sent me a case of lighted lockon's for my tubular track to use in testing.