I have a Y3 P2k product # 23390 and I am wanting to make it DCC ready. I can't find anywhere in the manual if it is already DCC ready or if I have to change out the bulbs to 12 volts. The 0-6-0 manual says it has to have the bulbs changed, but I can't find anything in 2-8-8-2 manual covering this. Any help would be appreciated. BNSF 4354
When in doubt, try it out? I don't know from DCC, maybe there is a resistor or something to keep the lights from dimming on low voltage. Have some 12v bulbs handy, and check one of the bulbs in the engine or tender to see how bright they get at 3v 6v & 12v. A meter and or the power supply using the throttle might give you some idea. If you burn out the engine bulb, then it would be easy to put in 12v bulbs and go on. I wondered about an LED bulb one time. A 1-1/2v battery didn't light it. so I used a volt meter and throttle set at "off". By using a tooth pic to "inch" the throttle I found the throttle suddenly came "on" at 3v, but no light yet, so I "walked it up to 4v and at 5v the LED lit up bright. It stayed bright all the way up to 10v then went out. (Never worked again.) So I figured an LED would work between 5v and 10v only. That was Military surplus, so I still don't know about model train type LED's yet, I haven't tried any more.
I converted my p2k Y3 (HO scale) to soundtraxx several years ago, and I can't remember if it was dcc ready or not, however I do remember having to change out the bulbs because I burnt the originals out. Its NOT fun to change the locomotive headlight, however with care it can be done fairly quickly. I use 1.5 volt lights and place resistors in the tender to control the voltage going to the lights. (resistor values change based on the .ma each bulb pulls, normally 15 or 20ma for miniatronics bulbs. Good luck!
IF the lights burned out on the Y3 than it wasn't dcc ready. That is exactly what I needed to know. Thanks for your help.
