Switching headcode and tail lights by Radio Control

[John Candy]

The GWR diesel railcar (and subsequent BR multiple units, etc) employed fixed electric lighting.
When built the GWR cars had four lights at each end, three white and one red (the red was later removed and replaced by a traditional oil-lit tail lamp on a lamp iron - for safety reasons).

Most (but not all) ESC units are fitted with auxiliary outputs to provide directional lights but I want something a little more flexible.

Yes, I want to be able to switch according to direction but I also wanted to be able to switch off the (white) headcode lights and have just a single red tail lamp illuminated when in the bay platform between 'turns' or, when 'on shed', all lamps extinguished (to save battery power).

The easy way would of course be to use manual switching but I like a 'hands-off' approach to my operations and using a spare R/C channel was the answer.

I had recently purchased an 'ARCS2' digital switch from Andy Quirot in Jersey (www.quirot.com) and a useful little device (intended for model boats) this turns out to be.
A single radio control channel can switch two independent circuits and these are 'latching' operations not momentary contacts (toggling the R/C stick controls each 'switch' independently).
In effect, the switch performs the operation of two SPDT latching relays direct from the R/C input.
The output is MOSFET controlled and can handle between 6 to 18V and 10A per circuit.


In conjunction with a lighting control board which I put together using a 7805 (5 volt) voltage regulator and a DPDT miniature relay (plus a protection diode and 0.1uFcapacitor) I can now switch the LED lighting in four patterns, to suit operating conditions.

A fifth function which will 'shut down' the sound card engine 'idle' and extinguish all the lights will be operated from another module (yet to obtain components) so that when 'on shed' the current drain on the batteries will be reduced.

Photo attached and diagram to follow.

John.