Zimo ADAPLU

[50033]

Afternoon people. I’m looking for some help please, regarding wiring a Zimo ADAPLU board. Ive settled on Zimo MX645 plux 22 decoders and rewiring my locos to use ADAPLU break out boards so that i can have multiple options with lighting. Having read and re read the instructions I’m struggling to know how to wire the lights in and if i need resistors. I think i need to wire the F outputs and use the low voltage pads rather than the comman positives. This would in my head mean no resistors required!!!! With this done I can then mess with the mapping to try and get control over rear lights on/off weather I’m light engine or attached to a train etc. Anyone tried this or understand if I’m heading down the right road please???

[Steven B]

The text in the bottom left says the low voltage output can be 5 or 1.5V. You'll need to find out which. The voltage required for an LED is 1.8V to 3.5V - white LEDs are typically at the higher end. You'd still probably want to fit resistors, although probably only around 270-500 Ohms.

 

Steven B.

[50033]

Thanks for the reply. Definitely got the 1.5v version. So maybe it’s worth wiring to the common positives and including a resister then. 

[pauliebanger]

I would suggest that you use the common positive connections, there two available at each end of the ADAPLU.

 

You will require resistors to prevent over-current to the LEDs, and since these give a smother dimming effect than using the PWM effects on the decoder, experiment until you have the brightness typical of the ear you are modelling. (Then use PWM to make fine adjustments if required).

 

A single resistor in the positive side will give the required safety, but red and white LEDs usuallly need different values to achieve simmilar brightness, so it's usually more flexible to fit separate resistors for each lighting circuit/function output in the relevant negative sides.

 

The more FOs you use to power your lights, the greater the flexibility in what you will be able to program them to do later. There are several ways to map FOs to F keys onZIMO decoders, but in my view, ZIMO Swiss Mapping is the 'Daddy'. I use this in all my projects as it makes fault finding and correction very straightforward for me.

 

As to which function output to use, (marked FA on the ADAPLU), you have 9 to choose from, all open collector types. As long as you have a note of which FO powers which LED it does not usually matter which you chose.

 

Depending on the sound project loaded, it's often easy to have tail lights turn off automatically when in 'Heavy' mode, only being illuminated when 'Light Engine' is selected.

 

Best regards,

 

Paul

 

Edited February 7, 2021 by pauliebanger

[50033]

Thanks Paul. Somehow knew you’d have the answers. Will go with the common positives then and a resister on each. 
It’s initially for a batch of class 50 with your sound project and I’d like to standardise all my locos to the same. I’d like individual control of headlight, head code box, cab light and tail lights hence I went with Zimo and adaplu in the first place. 
Is it still ok to wire a couple of LED’s to the common positive and just have a different FO control them?? Say rear reds with one resister value and the whites/yellows on the other with another resister value. 

Im modelling 1990’s so quite dim lights to be honest. I will experiment with various resisters. 
Then the fun Swiss mapping can commence. I will need help with that when I get that far. 

[pauliebanger]

Mapping functions to control F keys can be as simple or complex as you wish. The most important aspect is to get the separate FOs physically wired to respective lights; then mapping is just changing the correct CVs. I'll be happy to help with that.

 

Yes, you can wire a pair of LEDs (or more) to one FO if you intend that they will always operate together. So, in your example, a pair of tail lamps would operate as a linked pair. Use another FO for the tails at the other end.

 

If you wished for only one to be illuminated (at each end) then you would need to wire in only the selected side LED, or wire each to a separate FO. You would run out of FOs if you did the latter so it's common to pair them as you suggest. Question is, though, how many red lamps would be illuminated on the real thing in your era?

 

Just keep an accurate note of what's connected to which FO, and give a preference for which F key you would like to control which and I'll sort out the CVs for you.

 

I suggest you use resistors in the 1K Ohms to 2K Ohms range as a starting point, and we'll put a fade in/out to simulate tungsten filament bulbs if they are not already set that way.

 

Best regards,

 

Paul

Edited February 8, 2021 by pauliebanger

[50033]

Thanks Paul. I will be wiring each led to a F0 to give full control. Only one rear red at each end as per the prototype. Mainly second mans side but maybe an odd one drivers side. I’ve seen plenty of loco movements with reds on and head lights too but no head code illumination. I don’t plan on too many changes once operating so might just stick with individual F buttons. 

[nimbamoss]

Hi, Reading this with interest.

I have just finished reworking a Bachmann class 47@s lighting boards, I now have individual control of the headcode lights, the headlight,tail lights but also the 2 cab lights are inependant.

I have used the Digitrains ZS47A fitted MX645P22 on an adaplu board.

So, can I use the swiss mapping to:-

Keep the headlight off when the shunt mode is on or until it reaches a certain speed

Link the cab lights with F18 drivers door open,

Control the tail lights for loaded to go off.

 

I have already been fiddling with swiss mapping via my sprog and JMRI, and so far I have coordinated the head code and tail lights to work on Function 0.

But I am puzzled as to getting the cab and headlights to work as i wish.

 

can you spare me some time to advise/

 

Many thanks.

 

Ian

 

[Nigelcliffe]

I've been re-writing the Swiss Mapping bits of JMRI in the last month or so.   Changes working their way through the JMRI releases cover all the features in the German language manuals (the English has some nonsensical mis-translations in some of the Swiss Mapping details).   Some of it is released in JMRI 4.23.1 (and 4.23.2), some will be in 4.23.3 when its out shortly.    

 

I wrote it up here:

http://nigelcliffe.blogspot.com/2021/03/zimo-swiss-mapping-and-zimo-input.html

 

The blogpost may help a little. 

 

What I think you need for the headlights changing at speed is a row invoking the highbeam (speed dependent headlight) stuff, setting the speed threshold (bottom of table).    You can set the brightness for the speed dependent bit with a dimming group if "full power" isn't appropriate (that seems to work from my testing on a decoder test-rig).

 

Shuntmode will depend how slow that makes your loco.  If its slow enough, the internal speed step will never reach the highbeam threshold.   Alternatively, to have the shunt-mode key over-ride things will need a few more groups to turn-off (override) the settings, then re-turn on the ones actually wanted without the highbeam operating.    I think that's possible, but I've not tried to set something up like that in testing, other than a very quick example bashed out below which seems to work.  

 

This does the basics (what group you use is largely irrelevant):    F0 turns on front and rear light outputs, to dimming level 4 (set dimming to a low-ish value in dimming group below).  F0 also operates HiBeam on those outputs, at speed 60.  If F5 (assumed to be shunt-mode key) is operated, it over-rides F0, and the HiBeam no longer applies, but the group with F5 still turns on the outputs at dimming level 4, 

 

 

- Nigel

 

Edited March 18, 2021 by Nigelcliffe
added example

[nimbamoss]

Thatss awesome Nigel,

 

Many thanks for the update.

 

Ian

[Nigelcliffe]

32 minutes ago, nimbamoss said:

Thatss awesome Nigel,

 

Many thanks for the update.

 

Ian

 

Just a couple more: 

• if you want the cab lights to be "only if stationary", there's a lights setting for that on the "lights" tab for the appropriate output.   Then turn it on/off with relevant function key  
• You can set the headlight default dimming to be "zero" in a dimming group, and it will be out, then a different level, or no dimming when the "hibeam" threshold speed is reached.  

 

- Nigel

 

Edited March 18, 2021 by Nigelcliffe

[posneg6]

Zimo MS480 Protodrive sound decoder 

Hi All, I've got a little problem trying to dim my forward and rear direction LEDs (FO) and I can't find a specific answer on Chat GTP! (or my supplier) it gave me CV 65 for the other function wire green and brown which which are connected to my Firefox glow and Cab light separately. I'm using the white wire for the forward direction lights and the yellow wire for the reverse direction `lights and they work fine but they are so bright. I'm using the LAIS resistor board as you can see in the picture. Each lamp has its own 1K Ohm 1/8W SMD resistors resistor, but they're still very bright. Can anybody point me in the right direction please.

The Loco is a Bachmann London Transport 57xx with Digitrains sound file which is amazing. loving the brake function, also installed a sugar cube speaker with 3D resonator plus LAIS stay alive lite 3.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers.   

[Nigelcliffe]

2 hours ago, posneg6 said:

Zimo MS480 Protodrive sound decoder 

Hi All, I've got a little problem trying to dim my forward and rear direction LEDs (FO) and I can't find a specific answer on Chat GTP! (or my supplier) it gave me CV 65 for the other function wire green and brown which which are connected to my Firefox glow and Cab light separately.

 

Well the answer you got was rubbish,  CV65 contains part of the version number of the software running on the decoder.     Your supplier is also rubbish if they can't answer this sort of thing, use a different supplier.      There are manuals for Zimo's decoders on Zimo's website.

 

CV60 is the general dimming value in Zimo,  BUT things can be very complicated depending how the lighting is setup in the decoder - there are dimming masks (determine which outputs are dimmed) and if the function mapping is via Swiss Mapping, then there are individual dimming levels on each row in the mapping table.   

 

Quote

I'm using the white wire for the forward direction lights and the yellow wire for the reverse direction `lights and they work fine but they are so bright. I'm using the LAIS resistor board as you can see in the picture. Each lamp has its own 1K Ohm 1/8W SMD resistors resistor, but they're still very bright. Can anybody point me in the right direction please.

 

1)  Read the Zimo manual for MS/MN decoders,  yes, they are complicated, jump around a bit, and sometimes convoluted.  

2)  Use software, such as JMRI/DecoderPro to set things up, its much easier than trying to alter lots of individual CVs and not knowing what you did (or there are other software packages, such as YouChoos' tweak and drive, and others listed on Zimo's website)

3)   The LAIS resistor board values are far too low for your lights, which is why they are too bright.   So, replace the resistors with different values.   As to what value, don't know, experiment,  try 10k and see what its like, then either double it or half the 10k and try again.    Getting the resistors "about right" is much better than faffing with CV values.     You could experiment with the Lais board in place, and then add a second series resistor until you've found an appropriate combined value,  then replace the resistor on the Lais board with what you really needed.  

 

 

 

 

[RAF96]

Whilst my moral principles are agin offering advice for LiaisDCC knock-off products, you could try putting another single resistor in the common blue feed to the board from the decoder. Try 1K or higher until the level of brightness is satisfactory.

[posneg6]

Thanks Nigel Cliffe, My mistake on CV 65v I got confused it was CV 60 and it did make a difference to my other 2 function wires that are for cab light and fire box. And I do use JMRI Decoder Pro  but I find the Swiss mapping  confusing  I'm OK with the function map.

I think I'l just add a half watt 2 k resistor between the decoder blue wire and the Lais resistor board that should do the trick then reset CV 60 so I can see the cab and firebox lights.

I've tried to understand the Zimo manual pages 37&38 but just can't get my head around it.

Cheers 

 

[posneg6]

24 minutes ago, RAF96 said:

Whilst my moral principles are agin offering advice for LiaisDCC knock-off products, you could try putting another single resistor in the common blue feed to the board from the decoder. Try 1K or higher until the level of brightness is satisfactory.

Thanks for your reply I came to the same conclusion re adding a 2K resistor in series with the decoder + Blue wire. Thanks for the heads up on LAIS products I've now done some research on them.

[RAF96]

4 hours ago, posneg6 said:

Thanks for your reply I came to the same conclusion re adding a 2K resistor in series with the decoder + Blue wire. Thanks for the heads up on LAIS products I've now done some research on them.

Their decoder test rig even uses a tie wrap to hold the motor in just like the ESU one. 😂