Questions about ERR Conversions

On PS-1 locos, you can just leave the lighting system alone. They have their own circuit boards and work just fine as they are.

On the Williams loco, ERR sells small light bulbs with long wires attached. A few of those will do you right, or you can hook the original light bulbs to the ERR board.

I have done a bunch of these, both types. I tend to go for a simpler installation, not requiring every bell/whistle/light/doo-dad possible.

The ERR speakers are better quality, but you can use the original speakers if they are the same impedance/ohms.

PS/1 diesels don't always have self-contained lighting, and many times it's 1.5 volt bulbs driven directly from the PS/1 board.  Very few RailKing locomotives have the CV boards for the lighting.  Truthfully, I'd do the LED lighting, it's very easy, and will look a whole lot better.

You can use the speakers from both of those units, they're both 8 ohm speakers.

I've done a number of RK PS/1 diesels, and everyone i ran into had the lighting driven directly from the PS/1 boards. Go with John's suggestion and convert to LEDs; it's a whole lot simpler.

jackson

There is a separate board at the very front of the PS1 engine under the lighting.  That board in turn plugs into the PS1 board.  Is this the lighting board that you are talking about.  What voltage goes into this board?

Bill

Can you send a picture?

The F-3s especially AA or ABA had a Constant Voltage board under the interior details.  It powers the interior light, number board lights, and flashes a Mars light if equipped.

They are 6V bulbs and I would leave them as Royboy stated for a TMCC upgrade.

The headlight came in 2 variations depending on year.  One used a 1.5V bulb that got power from the PS-1 board, the other used a 6V bulb driven off a relay on the CV board controlled by the PS-1 board.

I would change the headlight bulb to a 14-16V GOW and drive it off the ERR R2LC output.

If a basic RK model it might have a bayonet style bulb, but they were normally driven off track voltage.

Picture and I can tell you the specifics.  Or test the headlight with a 1.5V battery, if bright that is what it is, if dull it is a 6V bulb.   G

Here is a photo of the F3 bulbs with board under.  Thanks

That is it.  It gets power from track voltage.  The far left red plug is the direction signal from the PS-1 bottom board.

Most likely 6V headlight, but test as I said above.  If it was me, I would replace it with a 14-18V GOW and drive from the ERR board HL output.  Leave the rest as is.   G

When you say leave the rest as is, do you mean to drive the lighting board from track power?

Thanks for your help

Bill

Yes.  Leave the CV powered from the track power.  That gives interior and NB Lights.  Unplug the headlight from the board and keep as a spare.   Unplug the red connector that attaches to the PS-1 board.  Now you have a stand alone 6V CV Board.

One of those jumpers like J4 may even have a 150 or 300 ohm resistor inline so you could add a set of series markers if you wanted to add them powered from the CV board.

That way you have your R2LC outputs for Head L, Rev L, couplers and smoke if you add it.  G

Thanks everyone for your help, going to give it a try.  This will be my second conversion.

Bill