How can you set up working ditch lights at both ends of the loco? It seems the Digitrax decoders I've looked at only have working ditch lights when the locomotive is going "forward" and F0 & F2 are on (plus holdover time after F2 is released). How can I add ditch lights on the back to operate the same way, but when reversing?
That is an interesting one. What loco/RR is it for? It might be possible with a decoder that has some extra functions and outputs. As there doesn't seem to be anyone here with an answer I'd pop an e-mail to Tony's Train Exchange and maybe some other DCC places; they ought to know. Probably doable using two decoders
My era is before ditch lights, but assuming a Digitrax FX3 decoder and reading the FX3 setup tables in the decoder manual leads me to believe that the following would work: Front ditch lights: Use F1 with CV51 = x6A/106 and F2 with CV52=x6B/107 (this is the standard forward ditch light setup) Rear ditch lights: You will need two additional functions (I'll pick F3 and F4) F3 with CV113=x7A/122 and F4 with CV114=x7B/123. I "think" this will work based on the definitions for the value of 7 ("Rev ditch light") for the first hex digit in Table IVc of the decoder manual. You should be able to try it out before commiting the extra functions by setting CV52 and CV53 to x7A/122 and x7B/123 respectively and see if the F1/F2 ditch lights operate while in reverse.
